Hochul Wins + NY Dems Underperform Downballot
No. 296 | Monday, November 14, 2022
The NYC Thorn is a weekly roundup of local political news compiled by members of NYC-DSA.
Elections
Governor Kathy Hochul defeated Republican Lee Zeldin to win a full term as New York’s governor, becoming the first woman to win a gubernatorial election in the state, but the narrow win was emblematic of a disappointing night for New York Democrats, who lost four Congressional seats on Long Island and the Hudson River Valley. Those losses set off a war of words between establishment voices like Sean Patrick Maloney, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee who lost his own bid for re-election, and State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs (who denied any blame), and progressives like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sochie Nnaemeka of the Working Families Party.
Politico covered the Working Families Party’s late push to boost Kathy Hochul's campaign once her vulnerability to Zeldin became clear.
Turnout in NYC collapsed, while turnout on Long Island surged. Suffolk County (pop 1.5 million) had the highest turnout in the state, higher than Brooklyn (pop 2.7m) and or Queens (pop 2.4m).
The lackluster performance of New York Democrats extended into South Brooklyn, where the local party did “virtually nothing” despite the warnings of local elected officials, as multiple incumbents in the State Assembly are currently trailing their Republican opponents (some in races that have not yet been called).
While Democrats lost seats in both the NY State Senate and the Assembly, they will likely hold their supermajority in the lower chamber, and currently have 40 seats in the upper, with two more races seemingly heading to a recount.
Local News
The City Department of Education will dispatch teams to address the $120 million in delayed payments to preschool providers. This is after key departures and a no confidence vote against deputy chancellor Kara Ahmed who oversees early childhood education has left the department without the talent necessary to fix the issues.
The Mayor’s office finally revealed its plan to address climate change, a month after it was due, and many activists criticize it for falling far short of what Local Law 122 required, instead looking more like a plan to make plans.
Mayor Eric Adams is shutting down the tent complex he opened on Randall’s Island to house asylum seekers.
With the recent crash in the cryptocurrency market, Mayor Adams has seen the value of his first three paychecks -- which he decided to take in the form of crypto -- fall nearly 60%.
Three Rikers Island corrections officers were arrested on federal fraud charges for allegedly lying to claim extensive sick leave.