A pre-election Democratic rally (photo: @nydems)

November 17, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: After a Disappointing Election, What's Next for New York Democrats

L. Joy Williams, a Democratic strategist, president of the Brooklyn NAACP, and host of Sunday Civics, joined the show to break down the 2022 election results and discuss what's next for the New York State Democratic Party and Brooklyn Democratic Party, Gov. Kathy Hochul, bridging divides among Democrats' progressive and establishment wings, and more.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you

Gov. Hochul (photo: Kevin P. Coughlin/Governor's Office)

Kathy Hochul made history last week, becoming the first woman to be elected governor of New York. Hochul, a Democrat who took over in August 2021 after Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace, will now serve a full four-year term with the opportunity to more fully craft her agenda. But she already has a lengthy set of priorities either in motion or that she has promised to pursue, and there is more that others expect her to address, whether they voted for or against her. 

Though Hochul had a far more extensive campaign platform than

Gov. Hochul with fellow women in office, advocacy (photo: Darren McGee/Governor's Office)

November 11, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Gender and New York's 2022 Elections

Alexis Grenell, a Democratic strategist, co-founder of Pythia Public, and writer on politics and gender, joined the show to discuss Kathy Hochul's win as the first woman elected Governor of New York, messaging and gender in the campaign, and more.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter @TweetBenMax. You can listen to the

Gov. Hochul votes (photo: @KathyHochul)

Approximately 5.7 million New Yorkers across the state cast ballots in one of the closest races for governor in over two decades, according to unofficial 2022 election data. Some votes, especially final absentee ballots, are still being counted.

That amounts to roughly 43% of New York's 13.1 million registered voters, a lower turnout than in the 2018 gubernatorial election, when a surge of electoral enthusiasm driven by opposition to the Trump presidency and other factors pushed turnout to 48%.

In 2018, Democrats cruised to victories in

Gov. Kathy Hochul & Basil Smikle Jr. (photo: @BasilSmiklePhD)

November 9, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Breaking Down the 2022 New York Election Results, with Basil Smikle

Dr. Basil Smikle Jr., former Executive Director of the New York State Democratic Party and currently a professor at Hunter College, joined the show to break down the results of New York's 2022 general election.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter @TweetBenMax. You can listen to the show through the embedded audio below or

Gov. Hochul sworn in, August 2021 (photo: Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)

Democrat Kathy Hochul, New York's first female governor, was elected to the position for the first time Tuesday, winning a full term in a race that put Democrats' control over the traditionally blue bastion to the test.

The race was called just after 11 p.m. Tuesday, with Hochul beating her Republican challenger, U.S. Rep Lee Zeldin, by an unclear margin given lags in vote reporting from Zeldin’s home county of Suffolk. By early Wednesday morning when most votes were counted, Hochul's margin over Zeldin was

Democrats rallying (photo: @PatRyanUC)

UPDATE: On election night, results showed the Working Families Party achieve enough votes on its ballot line for Kathy Hochul to retain its political party status and ballot line in upcoming elections. In response to the New York gubernatorial election results, Director of the New York Working Families Party Sochie Nnaemeka released the following celebratory statement:

“The Working Families Party is proud to have secured more than enough votes to maintain our ballot line and continue fighting for working New Yorkers. Our grassroots volunteers mobilized voters from

Out to vote (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

With Election Day arriving, the tightening race for governor of New York has been one of the 2022 election cycle's biggest surprises.

In the long-time calculus of New York elections, any Republican would need stars to align across the map to win statewide, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans two to one. Even party-unaffiliated voters are now a larger group in New York than registered Republicans. 

The math

Lee Zeldin, left, and John Burnett (photo: @IamJohnBurnett)

November 4, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: High Hopes for the New York GOP

John Burnett, Executive Vice Chairman of the New York State Republican Party, joined the show to discuss the GOP's high hopes for this year's elections, especially in the race for Governor where Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin is running against Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and appears within striking distance.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter @TweetBenMax.

The New York State Capitol (photo: Darren McGee/Governor's Office)

November 3, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Understanding the Numbers Game in the Governor's Race

Bruce Gyory, a political scientist and strategist, joined the show to lay out key numbers in the race for Governor; break down racial, ethnic, regional, and other demographic trends; and explain paths to victory for Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter @TweetBenMax. You can listen to the

Voter registration (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

New York State added over 400,000 voters to the rolls since the last gubernatorial election in 2018, a 3% increase in total enrollment, according to the latest data released by the State Board of Elections on Tuesday.

The 424,000 net additional voters since 2018 bring the total to 13.1 million registered voters statewide, roughly the number of those eligible to vote in this month’s major 2022 elections for Governor and other statewide positions, seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the State Legislature, and other

Gov. Hochul celebrates Hispanic Heritage (photo: governor's offiice)

She once adamantly opposed the idea of giving drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants; she even went so far as to threaten their arrests and deportations. No Latinos were on the original list of speakers for the convention of the State Democratic Party, of which she is thede facto leader.TheNueva York Initiative...

Lee Zeldin & Kathy Hochul at their debate

October 25, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Breaking Down the Hochul-Zeldin Debate

After Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Lee Zeldin debated Tuesday night in the race for Governor, two experts joined host Ben Max to analyze the big event: Dr. Christina Greer, political science professor at Fordham University, and Casey Seiler, editor of the Albany Times Union.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter @TweetBenMax. You can listen to the show through the

Lee Zeldin and Kathy Hochul at Tuesday's debate

Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat seeking her first full term as governor, faced off against her Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin of Long Island, on Tuesday night in the only debate of the governor’s race.

In an hour-long debate hosted by Spectrum News, the two candidates attacked each other’s records and clashed on crime and public safety, the economy, abortion, ethics, democracy, and more. They outlined vastly different assessments of where New York stands today and visions for where to take it in the future, seeking to make an impression

Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin

In what should be must-see TV for New Yorkers, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin are set to debate tonight for the first and only time in the general election for Governor.

The debate, held at Pace University in Manhattan, will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. on Spectrum News and be moderated by anchors Errol Louis and Susan Arbetter (and broadcast online for those who don’t get Spectrum television). It comes two weeks before Election Day, November 8, with absentee balloting underway

Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin

With under three weeks till Election Day, a set of recent polls in the New York governor’s race show U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee, catching up to incumbent Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul. They appear to indicate a growing possibility that New York could elect its first Republican governor since George Pataki won a third and final term in 2002, despite that such an outcome seemed like a big longshot just weeks ago.

But a deeper dive into polling trends shows that Zeldin continues to face an uphill battle and

Then-Gov. Cuomo and Lt. Gov. Hochul (photo: Governor's Office)

Since Kathy Hochul became governor in August 2021, 47 people have given the maximum amount – $69,700 – directly to her campaign, according to campaign finance filings through October 3.

In total, the governor's campaign has brought in $46 million in her first 14 months in office. That massive sum will not be as easy to accumulate in future elections thanks to a new state campaign finance system that will lower individual contribution limits and establish a

Gov. Hochul with electric vehicles (photo: office of Governor Kathy Hochul)

In a race with many clear differences, there may be no issue on which Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin are offering more divergent visions in this year’s New York gubernatorial election than on climate and environmental policy.

While Hochul seeks a full term to continue implementation of New York’s sweeping shift to renewable energy and advance many policies related to environmental protection, Zeldin has been

Get ready to vote (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

September 29, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Resetting the 2022 Race for New York Governor with Under 6 Weeks To Go

Bob Hardt, New York Political Director for Spectrum News, joined the show to discuss where the 2022 race for New York Governor stands with under six weeks until Election Day, what the latest polling says, how Gov. Hochul and Rep. Lee Zeldin are positioning themselves, whether there will be a debate, and more.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter

Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin

This is Part 2 of a two-part article on the issues dominating the 2022 general election for New York Governor between Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin.Read Part 1 here.

As Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin face off in this year’s election for Governor of New York, several top issues have emerged based on what the candidates

Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin

This is Part 1 of a two-part article on the issues dominating the 2022 race for New York Governor.

After winning their respective primaries, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican Congressional Representative Lee Zeldin are now competing in the general election to become New York Governor from 2023 through 2026.

The favorites from the start, Hochul and Zeldin both won by comfortable margins in the June primaries. Hochul, a moderate from the Buffalo area and the

A look at the voting ahead (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

Election Day 2022 is less than two months away and there’s much at stake in New York, both at the state and national levels. After a messy redistricting process led to a bifurcated primary, the general election is well underway for statewide, state legislative, and congressional seats.

At the top of the ballot are the races for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Comptroller, as well as one U.S. Senate seat (currently held by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is seeking reelection).

Rep. Lee Zeldin on the campaign trail (photo: @leezeldin)

As Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin runs to become New York Governor, he has made the core planks of his general election campaign crime and cost of living. Meanwhile, he has sought to further energize his base to “fire” Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul over a lack of public safety, high taxes, her role as Lieutenant Governor, and more.

But as the fall general election approaches, Zeldin has continued to take votes in Congress that signify

Rep. Lee Zeldin on the campaign trail (photo: @leezeldin)

U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee for New York Governor in this year’s election, is focusing his campaign on public safety, the economy, and cost of living.

Representing the 1st Congressional District on Long Island, Zeldin is a conservative with close ties to former President Donald Trump trying to accomplish a feat no New York Republican has over the last 20 years: win a statewide election.

Zeldin’s campaign often

Governor Kathy Hochul (photo: governor's office)

Governor Kathy Hochul has raised more than $38.8 million for her campaign -- the vast majority of it in the 11 months since she became governor -- and spent a whopping $26 million to win the June 28 Democratic primary, according to the latest campaign finance filings with the State Board of Elections.

Hochul, New York’s first female governor, handily won the primary with 66.5% of the vote against her opponents, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who received 19% of the vote, and Rep. Tom Suozzi of Long Island, who got 12.8%. Hochul