Ed Cox on Capitol Tonight

March 14, 2023 - Max Politics Podcast: Ed Cox Returns as New York Republican Party Chair

Newly-elected New York State Republican Party Chair Ed Cox, who previously held the role for 10 years (2009-2019), joined the show to discuss his plans for leading the state party, how to protect and build on Republican successes in 2022, and more.

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 download the episode

City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli (photo: John McCarten/NYC Council)

November 17, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Why Republicans Had Such a Good Election in New York

Republican Joe Borelli, City Council minority leader and a major booster of Lee Zeldin for Governor, joined the show to discuss the New York GOP's strong showing in the 2022 elections — how it happened, what it means, and what comes next.

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

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.

U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (photo: Lee Zeldin flickr)

U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee for governor, was denied the additional general election ballot line for the Independence Party on Thursday after election administrators found his campaign had submitted over 12,000 invalid ballot petition signatures. The petition was reviewed after Libertarian Party officials filed an objection, claiming they found over 11,000 signatures that had been duplicated by photocopy on the document submitted to the state Board of Elections.

Republicans had filed an independent nominating petition for the

NY GOP gubernatorial candidates Lee Zeldin, Andrew Giuliani, Harry Wilson, and Rob Astorino (l-r)

Optimism reigned at the recent New York Republican Party state convention on Long Island, but tempering the bravado was the fact that this year marks the twentieth anniversary of the last statewide Republican win in the Empire State.

That drought was widely acknowledged and inspired the remarks of the four major Republican candidates for Governor this year, with each taking the stage at the Garden City Hotel in Nassau County to convince party leaders, members of the media, and others of their electability. While

Election happenings (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

The Republican conference of the New York City Council quietly confirmed all five GOP commissioners to the New York City Board of Elections on November 17 in a hearing with little public notice or scrutiny.

In a six-minute hearing just six weeks before the end of this Council term, the body's three-member minority conference voted to officially install the slate of Republican commissioners for the remainder of a four-year term ending in 2024.

The ten-commissioner New

Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa, left, & Conservative Party nominee Bill Pepitone

Leaders of New York’s Conservative Party, one of just two so-called third parties in the state with a ballot line, have been jubilant about the 2021 general election results. The party helped win victories in several local races and to defeat three ballot questions that would have made changes to legislative redistricting and voting rights. But the party went its own way in nominating candidates for citywide positions and key races on Staten Island,

Curtis Sliwa on the campaign trail (photo: @CurtisSliwa)

October 12, 2021 - Max Politics Podcast: Curtis Sliwa on His Run for Mayor

Mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, the Republicna nominee who will also be on an independent ballot line, joined the show to discuss his candidacy, his platform, his past, and more.

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 download the episode

City Hall (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayor's Office)

With just under six months to go until the June 2021 primary election, several Republicans have said they are exploring a run for mayor but just one has officially created a campaign committee. It remains uncertain if there will be a contested primary as the party and all the potential contenders are waiting to see whether billionaire mogul John Catsimatidis will jump into the race.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, a two-term Democrat, cannot run for reelection because of term limits and a crowded, growing

City Hall (photo: Benjamin Kanter, Mayor's Office)

With the 2021 party primary elections less than a year away, more than a dozen candidates have either declared or are openly exploring a campaign to become the next Mayor of New York City. But while that long list includes some prominent current elected officials, a few former public servants and several lesser known contenders, it contains few Republicans.

By all indications, there will be a fiercely fought Democratic mayoral primary as a crowded slate vies to replace outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio, a

Joe Borelli, center (photo: John McCarten/City Council)

Joe Borelli, the Republican City Council Member from Staten Island’s South Shore, has made a name for himself as one of the most vociferous pro-Donald Trump supporters in the president’s home city. But, Borelli is a realist and knows that Trump is unpopular in very-Democratic New York, and that the Republican Party has a lot of work to do to regain a foothold in city or state government after several disappointing elections.

During ...

City Council Member Joe Borelli (photo: John McCarten/City Council)

August 14, 2019 - Max & Murphy Podcast: The Future of the New York Republican Party

City Council Member Joe Borelli, a Staten Island Republican and strong supporter of President Donald Trump, joined the show to discuss his candidacy for Public Advocate and the present and future of the New York Republican

(photo: @NewYorkGOP)

The number of registered Republican voters in New York has been in decline, but that’s not news to the New York Republican State Committee, or its new leader. Neither is the fact that Republicans haven’t won a statewide election in New York since 2002, and in 2018 the party lost its last stronghold of state-level power when the state Senate was flipped by Democrats.

As the New York GOP held its annual convention in Albany on July 1 and ushered in a new state party chair, Nicholas Langworthy of Erie County, Langworthy and other Republican leaders

Nick Langworthy, left, with Donald Trump (photo: @NickLangworthy)

Anointing Erie County Republican leader Nicholas J. Langworthy as State Party Chair is an embarrassment for the New York GOP.

Under his leadership, Erie Republicans have been shut out of nearly every elected office countywide. They’ve lost the county legislature, lost Assemblymember Ray Walter, and lest we forget Congressional Rep. Chris Collins is still walking that long Green Mile towards resignation and life as a future convicted felon.

Recall, it was Langworthy’s last-minute

(photo: @RealDonaldTrump)

Well, it’s happened. The barbarians have finally sacked the city.

On February 1, Trump enthusiast Ian Walsh Reilly assumed the leadership of the Metropolitan Republican Club, one of the oldest Republican clubs in New York City. Like Trump, Ian’s the kind of guy who bumps elbows with high-profile racists and unrepentant misogynists like Gavin McInnes, founder of the alt-right nationalist group The Proud Boys.

Ian just couldn’t wait to get Gavin in front of his club’s membership last year, and this epic lapse in judgment resulted in a

Senator Marty Golden (photo via State Senate website)

The fall of State Senator Marty Golden and Congressional Rep. Dan Donovan should put the Brooklyn Republican Party on notice: there is a need for younger, more diverse candidates that can connect with the community, and provide unique solutions to problems plaguing our urban neighborhoods.

It’s no secret that New York City is a liberal bastion that has made it difficult for Republicans and the Republican Party to find an audience. However, that is just as much the fault of the local

former Gov. George Pataki at the 2018 NY GOP convention

The New York Republican Party is on the brink -- perhaps not of extinction, but of a certain type of political wilderness -- and one longtime party figure says he knows where things went wrong and what to do about it.

Republicans have not occupied a statewide office since George Pataki left the governor’s mansion at the end of 2006, and barring a massive upset in November, the statewide offices will continue to be occupied by Democrats from 2019 through 2022. Meanwhile, the state Senate,

GOP mayoral candidate Paul Massey, right (photo: @MasseyforMayor)

In hopes of denying Mayor Bill de Blasio a second term, some New York City Republican leaders intend to rally around a single candidate to avoid a contentious primary and present a stronger challenge in the general election.

Starting this week, Republican Party leaders and members will begin the process of vetting candidates who have declared their intention to run for mayor or are exploring a mayoral bid. Party organizations will host public meetings where each candidate will

Rebecca Harary with supporters (photo via @TeamHarary)

When it comes to the New York State Legislature, most electoral attention is paid to the Senate, which Republicans control by a thin majority and only because an elected Democrat caucuses with them and they have a power-sharing agreement with a five-member faction of breakaway “independent” Democrats. This November’s elections will determine control of the chamber.

In the State Assembly, however, the balance of power is not close. Republicans have been at a massive