New face in the GOP race

Presented by Healthcare Education Project: Your afternoon must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers

Feb 22, 2022 View in browser   By Anna Gronewold and Joseph Spector Presented by Healthcare Education Project Less than a week before Republicans convene on Long Island, a new gubernatorial candidate has decided to join the fun. Businessman Harry Wilson entered the race this morning, saying in a video that he "cannot sit by while New York is devastated by career politicians." (Side note: Most 2022 candidates have made their official announcements by video over the past several months. What do we think? Yay or nay for the anticlimactic approach? Send your votes to our emails.) Wilson, a Westchester resident, served in a top role in the Treasury Department during the Obama administration and was an adviser to the task force that worked to save General Motors and Chrysler. He received 48 percent of the vote against Comptroller Tom DiNapoli in 2010. That remains the best performance by a Republican in any statewide contest in New York since former Gov. George Pataki won his final term in 2002, Bill Mahoney notes. Republicans tried to get Wilson to run again — the Obama credentials alone could be enough to pull over badly needed votes from independents or moderate Democrats in a general election — but he's always declined. Now that it's actually happening, GOP leaders who previously courted him are set to officially back Rep. Lee Zeldin as their standard bearer next week. It's unclear how Wilson might fare. Financially, maybe OK: Wilson told Fox News today he "is immediately putting $12 million of his own money behind his bid." Zeldin — who has led the GOP field in fundraising thus far — raised $7.9 million between last spring and mid-January. Timing is everything, though, and Conservative Party chair Gerard Kassar, at least, says Wilson's 2/22/22 announcement just won't work for his party. The Conservatives will continue to back Zeldin. "Mr. Wilson's decision to enter this race just days before the Conservative and Republican Party conventions — after remaining politically dormant for the past 12 years — also strikes us as more destructive than constructive," Kassar said in a statement. "Where has he been all these years?"   A message from Healthcare Education Project: When COVID-19 hit New York, frontline healthcare workers answered the call. But as the system was stretched to the limit and New Yorkers struggled to find care, greedy health insurers pocketed billions. Despite these record profits, insurers are back squeezing hospitals for more. Doctors and caregivers can no longer survive on razor thin margins. Join us and help stop for-profit insurers from getting between doctors and their patients. Learn more.   HAPPY TUESDAY: We're back with your afternoon check-in to spill the day's tea — as we know it thus far — during one of the busiest seasons in New York politics. The weather's nice now — so enjoy it — but we're looking at a potential storm this weekend. STILL TO COME: Gov. Kathy Hochul is at MetroTech Commons in Brooklyn this afternoon, and later on this evening she'll speak at the China General Chamber of Commerce 2022 Lunar New Year of the Tiger reception in Manhattan. From the 3rd Floor The Legislature is taking this week off, per tradition, or perhaps to celebrate the nation's presidents for an extra few days. Some lawmakers are taking advantage of the "down time." Democratic Sens. John Liu, Kevin Thomas, Gustavo Rivera and James Skoufis are in the United Arab Emirates on official state Senate delegation business to "strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation," Thomas says. The Campaign Trail WFP FOR CHUCK — The New York Working Families Party endorsed U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for reelection this afternoon. "Chuck Schumer has been a reliable partner in the work to strengthen democracy and make deep investments in working class families. Up against some steep political hurdles, Senator Schumer has kept up the fight to pass Build Back Better, the Freedom to Vote Act, and provide debt relief for working people," New York WFP director Sochie Nnaemeka said in a statement. "With a Working Families majority in Congress, we're confident we can get this essential legislation over the finish line." On the Beats WEED WATCH — Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation (A9283/ S8084) Tuesday that creates a conditional adult-use cannabis cultivator license, which will allow existing New York hemp farmers to grow cannabis this spring as the state prepares to launch its recreational market. Hochul said the bill "positions New York's farmers to be the first to grow cannabis and jumpstart the safe, equitable and inclusive new industry we are building." The governor's endorsement comes one week after state lawmakers signed off on the bill. The Office of Cannabis Management is developing a license application process and will open the program "as soon as possible," according to Hochul's office. To be eligible for the conditional cultivator license, applicants must have: been authorized hemp research partners for the Department and Markets, cultivated hemp for its non-toxic cannabinoid content for at least two of the past four years and in good standing as of Dec. 31, 2021. They must also participate in a social equity mentorship program and meet sustainability requirements. — Shannon Young REAL ESTATE — Labor unions and a group representing Black construction workers are throwing their support behind a controversial rezoning proposed in Harlem. Laborers' Local 79, Mason Tenders' District Council of Greater New York and 100 Black Construction Workers will partner on a campaign to make the case for why the City Council should approve the proposal, known as One45. The plan would bring two towers to the neighborhood, with as many as 939 additional apartments – a portion of them affordable – office space, a Museum of Civil Rights, and a new headquarters for the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network. Local Council Member Kristin Richardson Jordan has opposed the project, rallying against it last month and saying it would bring "unaffordable luxury living for the privileged few." Her position carries significant weight under the Council's tradition of voting with the local member on land use proposals. Nonetheless, the construction groups plan to lobby Richardson Jordan and other elected officials in the coming weeks, in addition to a social media push, rallies and community meetings in Harlem. — Janaki Chadha TRANSIT — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday put out its financial plan for the next three years . It states that toll and fare increases will be necessary in 2023 and 2025 because "many costs are increasing at a rate above the assumed annual increase in fares and tolls of approximately 2 percent." It also warns the MTA could fall short of achieving a balanced budget if ridership doesn't rebound from the recent decline in riders due to the Omicron variant of Covid-19. While the agency's operating budget remains in flux, the MTA is moving ahead on a number of capital projects after an influx of cash from the federal infrastructure package. MTA officials said Tuesday they expect to begin work this spring on the Penn Access plan to add new stations in the Bronx. The agency plans to complete $8.1 billion worth of projects this year, which include station renewals and signal upgrades. — Danielle Muoio Dunn     Odds and ends — POLITICO's Amanda Eisenberg reports that LGBTQ advocates are protesting Mayor Eric Adams decision to give leadership positions in his administration to two men with anti-gay views. A prominent gay rights leader even bocked Adams from attending a birthday bash at the mayor's favorite nightclub over the moves. Read more here. — Citizens Union has proposed redrawing several southern Brooklyn City Council boundaries to create a new Asian-majority seat. The 2020 census found that Asians make up a plurality of residents in Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Gravesend. Yet the largely Chinese-speaking population is split among three districts. Reconfiguring the lines would allow this group a voice in the Council, the report argues. It would also scramble re-election plans for an incumbent in the area. Read more from POLITICO's Joe Anuta here. — Council Member Diana Ayala said during an appearance on WNYC on Tuesday that Mayor Eric Adams should avoid maligning homeless New Yorkers when talking about his subway safety plan, which seeks to prohibit sheltering on the city's transit system. "I agree that we all have a shared responsibility to ensure that subway riders feel safe, and I acknowledge that hasn't been the case for some time now," said Ayala, whose brother surfers from mental health challenges that sometimes result in him sleeping on the street. "But I think we need to be really, really careful in stigmatizing homeless individuals in that way because the reality is for the most part many of them are not violent individuals. They are sleeping in the train because they don't feel safe in the current shelter system." — Joe AROUND NEW YORK — New York earned an "F" from the nonpartisan democracy group Issue One in a new reportabout a dozen "extreme gerrymanders" or state lawmakers who've carved out maps that favor partisan gains over voter empowerment. — A political newcomer will challenge freshman state Sen. Michael Martucci (R-Orange). — A greenway trail in Western New York is coming closer to fruition. — Syracuse University basketball coach Jim Boeheim wants mask restrictions dropped for his team's big game with Duke on Saturday in the Carrier Dome. — Officials in Endicott want public input into a plan to revitalize the village's downtown. — Nassau County Legislator Siela Bynoe says she will run for the House seat being vacated by Kathleen Rice.   A message from Healthcare Education Project: Whether it's increasing out-of-pocket expenses, denying claims, or excluding hospitals and caregivers from their networks, greedy, for-profit insurance companies have been profiting off of hardworking New Yorkers for too long. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, heroic frontline healthcare workers stepped up, saved lives, and kept families healthy. But the pandemic devastated our entire healthcare system and pushed it to the brink. Even as New Yorkers struggled to find care and healthcare workers made gut-wrenching sacrifices to fight the pandemic, insurers put profits ahead of patients - muscling the doctors and hospitals that saved lives during COVID-19. Last year the top 10 health insurers pocketed more than $40 billion. Join our movement to demand NYS lawmakers put patients before profits. Learn more.     Follow us on Twitter Anna Gronewold @annagronewold Joseph Spector @JoeSpectorNY   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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