New York

“There is no place like it, no place with an atom of its glory, pride, and exultancy.” – Walt Whitman

We are on the eve of the New York State Primary elections, Thursday September 13, 6am – 9pm. 

Inform

Your governor and state legislature make policy decisions affecting health care, education, infrastructure, immigration, Medicaid, job training, criminal justice reform, gun safety, family leave, sexual harassment and assault policy, income inequality, a woman’s right to choose, marriage equality, discrimination on the basis of gender identity, and protecting the environment to name a few. This Land Is Your Land 

Which New York State Democratic candidate will represent your interests, values and beliefs  for the upcoming crucial November 6th elections?

Governor 

A governor is the chief executive officer and commander-in-chief of the state. He/she implements state laws and advances new policies and programs through executive orders, budgets and legislative proposals and vetoes. 

The Democratic Candidates for Governor are: 

Incumbent Andrew Cuomo……… endorsed by these Public Figures, Unions, Organizations and Political Clubs   

Democratic candidate Cynthia Nixon………..endorsed by other Public Figures, Organizations and Political Clubs

Lieutenant Governor

Official duties under the New York State Constitution is to serve as President of the State Senate, serve as Acting Governor if the Governor is out of state or has a disability, or become Governor in the event of the Governor’s death, resignation or removal of office. The person takes on other responsibilities assigned to them including duties concerning business, technology, environment and more.

The Democratic Candidates for Lieutenant Governor are:

 Incumbent Kathy Hochul ………endorsed by The Post  and Newsday

 Democratic candidate Jumaane Williams ……..endorsed by The New York Times   and Bernie Sanders

New York Attorney General

An attorney general’s job is to serve as counselors to their legislatures and state agencies and also as the “People’s Lawyer” for all citizens. There are a multitude of responsibilities including having to act as public advocates in areas such as child support enforcement, consumer protections, antitrust and utility regulation; propose legislation; enforce federal and state environmental laws; represent the state and state agencies before the state and federal courts; and handle criminal appeals and serious statewide criminal prosecutions.

It’s important to note it would also be the responsibility of the Attorney General to investigate Trump’s businesses and foundation.

The Democratic Candidates for Attorney General are :

Leecia Eve … endorsed by The Queens Tribune and The Times Union 

Letitia James …..  endorsed by Andrew Cuomo and  Newsday 

Representative Sean Patrick Maloney, running for both his Congressional District and Attorney General.

Zephyr Teachout ……  endorsed by The Buffalo News and The New York Times

The New York State Legislature 

 The legislature’s primary purpose is to draft and approve changes to the laws of New York. These changes are driven by a multitude of complex public policy issues including aging, agriculture, banking, children and families, corrections, economic development, education, energy, environment, health, housing, insurance, redistricting , small business, social services, transportation and veterans’ affairs .

New York State Senate 

All 63 New York State Senate seats are up for election. 

Who are the Democratic candidates for your State Senate district? The New York State Senate provides a quick and easy search engine to confirm your state senator’s name and district.  Ballotpedia provides a a synopsis of  the present state of the races, and a chart that lists the New York State Primary Candidates in each of the 63 districts. 

The key Democrat primary challenges are occurring against eight Democratic senators originally of the IDC (Indpendent Democratic Conference) who helped keep Republicans in control of the state Senate. The ten New York State battleground races are State Senate Districts 11, 13, 17, 18, 20, 23, 31, 34, 38 and 53.

The New York State Assembly

The Democratic dominated Assembly has 150 seats, all up for election.

Who are the Democratic candidates for your Assembly district? The New York State Assembly will confirm your Assembly district and your Assembly Member’s name.   

The  2018 New York State Assembly Primary Candidates have Democratic challenges in districts 18, 20, 30, 33, 39, 42, 46, 53, 60, 61, 68, 69, 71, 72, 74, 84, 85, 87, 90, 104, 107, 119, 121, 124, 136,  and 137.  Be sure to research your choices if you live in one of these districts.

Looking Forward: The Trifecta Effect

A party that has control of the governorship and state legislature is much more effective at both lawmaking and redistricting of congressional and state legislative seats after the 2020 Census. The Republicans have come into the midterm elections with 26 trifectas, and the Democrats have 8. There are 9 states where Democrats can win back legislative control  from the Republicans in November: Colorado, Minnesota, Maine, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Arizona, Florida, Michigan and New York.

The Republicans of the New York State Senate now hold a one seat majority.  Flipping just one Republican state senate seat in November would put Democrats in control of the entire state government for the first time in eight years. The Democratic Legislative Committee is focusing on Nassau’s Senate District 7 in November where Democrat Candidate Anna Kaplan  is challenging incumbent Republican Elaine Phillips. 

The New York State Assembly is and has long been controlled by the Democrats.

Respond

Make an informed decision. Research the candidates for New York Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Senator and Assembly Member.

Vote this Thursday, September 13 in the New York State Primary, 6am – 9pm.  The New York State Board of Elections provides a link to find out if you are registered and where to vote.

Reflect

“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”
                                                                                                   Franklin D Roosevelt