Tuesday's primaries brought in some new blood

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Jun 28, 2023 View in browser   By Joe Anuta, Joseph Spector and Hajah Bah Presented by Yusef Salaam, one of the exonerated members of the Central Park Five, gets petition signatures for his campaign in March. | AP Photo/Frank Franklin II Tuesday night’s sleepy primaries were mostly good news for incumbents in New York City. The low-turnout affairs broke for district attorneys Melinda Katz in Queens and Darcel Clark in the Bronx, who both declared victory as unofficial election night results trickled in. And several City Council members who were facing well-publicized challenges — including Manhattan Council Member Chris Marte, who was targeted over his membership in the body’s Progressive Caucus, and Bronx member Marjorie Velázquez, who took heat over a rezoning in her district — all had sizeable leads and tallies topping 50 percent, with nearly all of the vote counted. Granted, each district had varying numbers of mail-in ballots outstanding. But writ-large, the results boded well for sitting members. There were, of course, a few exceptions. Brooklyn Council Member Charles Barron was around seven points behind challenger Chris Banks, who received backing from labor groups and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in the effort to topple the dynastic legislator. Banks had just over 50 percent of the vote as of Tuesday night. Should that share hold, it would be enough to avoid a ranked-choice vote count, which the city’s Board of Elections is expected to begin next week. The most closely watched contest of the night was a seat in Harlem, where the incumbent dropped out of the race (though she still appeared on the ballot). There, Yusef Salaam, one of the exonerated members of the Central Park Five, declared victory over two sitting lawmakers: State Assembly members Inez Dickens and Al Taylor. “I think we need some new, young blood in the community with a new outlook on things,” Venus Brown, a 59-year-old voter, told POLITICO after pulling the lever Tuesday. The race was a black eye for Mayor Eric Adams, who endorsed Dickens. So did U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who has been amassing political power in northern Manhattan and the Bronx. Should Salaam go on to win the official count, his victory would boost the fortunes of Manhattan Democratic Party Leader Keith Wright. In Brooklyn, Susan Zhuang, former chief of staff to Assembly Member William Coltin, was poised to snag the Democratic nomination for a newly created majority Asian seat. Zhuang will face off with the winner of a close Republican primary in what is expected to be several competitive general elections in November. In nearby Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Democrat-turned-Republican Ari Kagan snagged the GOP nomination, pitting him against Democrat Justin Brannan in the fall. But primary night wasn’t all New York City. Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano cruised in a Democratic primary against two opponents as he eyes a record fourth term this November. In Poughkeepsie, Councilwoman Yvonne Flowers beat current Mayor Marc Nelson and Wesley Lee in a Democratic primary for the city’s top seat. And in Buffalo, Zeneta Everhart, who is the mother of a mass shooting survivor at a local supermarket, defeated former socialist mayoral candidate India Walton in a city council race. IT’S WEDNESDAY. WHERE’S KATHY? Delivering remarks at a funeral for former Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch. WHERE’S ERIC? Making a sanitation-related announcement, delivering remarks at a city government hiring event, and hosting a reception for high school recipients of the “Mayor Eric Adams Award of Honor.” QUOTE OF THE DAY: "This campaign has been about those who have been counted out, those who have been forgotten." — Yusef Salaam in his victory speech for the Harlem Council seat.   A message from Grubhub: Grubhub and Seamless provide small businesses across New York City essential marketing services that help our local restaurants grow and reach new customers. Our neighborhood restaurants deserve more marketing choices to they can compete with national chains. Learn how NYC Council can support the restaurants we love.   ABOVE THE FOLD Exonerated Central Park Five member declares victory in NYC primary for Harlem council seat, by Gothamist’s Jon Campbell, Michelle Bocanegra and Samantha Max Spano romps in Yonkers mayor race: 5 takeaways from Hudson Valley primaries, by LoHud’s David McKay Wilson and Chris McKenna WILDFIRE SMOKE IS BACK: The state health department and Department of Environmental Conservation have issued an air quality health advisory Wednesday for Western New York, Central New York and the Eastern Lake Ontario region as smoke from Canadian wildfires are again expected to spread. The forecast predicts the smoke will hit the eastern portions of New York on Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. She said the air pollution could potentially reach unhealthy levels, particularly for people with preexisting conditions. "We continue to closely monitor conditions and will be distributing masks in regions impacted by the smoke," Hochul said. "I encourage all New Yorkers to stay up to date on the latest information and take appropriate steps to protect their health."   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     WHAT CITY HALL IS READING Susan Zhuang declares victory in southern Brooklyn City Council seat, by City & State’s Annie McDonough: “Despite the celebration, Zhuang was aware that the competition isn’t over. While Democratic voter enrollment far outnumbers Republican enrollment in the district, the area has tilted right in recent elections." Nail-biter in Democratic primary to challenge Vickie Paladino for Queens council seat, by New York Post’s Nolan Hicks NYC Has Left People With Long COVID Behind, by Hell Gate New York’s Erin Durkin: “I realized that something wasn’t right after my flu-like COVID-19 symptoms had cleared and I attempted to go back to working from home. I made a cup of coffee and sat down at my laptop as usual, but within an hour or two my heart rate was spiking, and I was so dizzy I could no longer sit up. A couple days later, I landed in the emergency room.” NYPD’s next commissioner could be first deputy Edward Caban, NYC sanitation head Jessica Tisch: sources, by New York Post’s Bernadette Hogan & and Craig McCarthy: “If chosen, he would make history as the department’s first Latino top cop — something sources noted appeals to Adams, who also appointed the NYPD’s first woman commissioner in Sewell.”   A message from Grubhub:   WHAT ALBANY'S READING Buffalo Common Council will likely be friendlier to mayor as 4 progressive candidates lose primaries, by The Buffalo News’ Deidre Williams, A.J. Franklin, and Grant Ashley Gov. Hochul, MTA chief Janno Lieber take Manhattan congestion pricing victory lap; NJ officials mull options, by Daily News’ Evan Simko-Bednarski Inflation hits green energy efforts across the state, by Times Union’s Rick Karlin: “The push to generate solar and wind power started with the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, a state law designed to fight global warming locally by cutting carbon emissions. One of the goals set out in the law calls for an emissions-free power grid by 2040. Rising costs have sparked worry about reaching those goals.” Siena poll: Voters oppose housing migrants at SUNY dorms, by New York State of Politics’ Nick Reisman First in Playbook: EMILY’s List, which looks to elect women to office who support abortion rights, will announce Wednesday two key endorsements in swing House districts in New York. The group is backing Democrat Liz Whitmer Gereghty, the sister of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in the 17th congressional district that runs through the Hudson Valley and is currently held by Republican Rep. Mike Lawler. It's also endorsing Democrat Laura Gillen in the 4th congressional district on Long Island, in what would be a rematch versus Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito.   SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY.     AROUND NEW YORK — An appeals court dismisses claims against Ivanka Trump in a New York fraud case. (WSJ) — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg uses seized funds to help homeless New Yorkers. (New York Daily News) — The city will open its 12th migrant relief center at a vacant college dorm. (Gothamist) SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Marc Kasowitz … Elon Musk … POLITICO’s Scott Waldman ... Kurt Eichenwald ... Erin McPike … CNN’s Yaffa Fredrick … AP’s Brendan Farrington … Brunswick Group’s Stephanie Benedict MAKING MOVES — Robert Del Bene is now EVP and CFO at DXC Technology. He most recently was a VP at IBM. ... Cynthia Hasson is now director of legal recruiting at Cahill Gordon. She most recently was managing director for talent acquisition at Paul Hastings.   A message from Grubhub: "Limiting what delivery apps can charge for marketing strategies, restricts what small restaurants can choose from to get in front of new customers and into their bellies."- Dawn Kelly, owner of The Nourish Spot in Queens Local restaurants, like The Nourish Spot, need flexible marketing options to reach new customers and remain competitive against national chains. NYC Council: Support our local restaurants. Amend the cap on marketing services.   Real Estate ‘Over Income’ NYCHA Tenants Get Reprieve on Looming Rent Hikes, by THE CITY's Greg Smith   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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