Ryan puts abortion rights front and center

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Jul 23, 2024 View in browser   By Nick Reisman, Emily Ngo and Jeff Coltin With help from Rich Mendez Rep. Pat Ryan's campaign released an attack ad today blasting Republican opponent Alison Esposito. | Hans Pennink/AP Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan’s campaign today is unleashing a withering attack ad blasting Republican opponent Alison Esposito over abortion rights — a signal that the first-term Democrat is thrusting the issue to the forefront of the campaign. The 15-second spot is a test for blue-state Republicans like Esposito, who has focused her campaign on issues that advantage the GOP — the migrant crisis, public safety and inflation — while downplaying abortion. Democrats across New York are taking the opposite approach. Like Ryan in the swing Hudson Valley seat, the party is expected to zero in on abortion rights this campaign season, as Republicans fight to retain their narrow congressional majority. Since the overturning of Roe, Democrats have consistently won tight races across the country that revolve around the issue. Ryan is spending five figures on the ad, which will appear on digital platforms and streaming services, his campaign said. In a statement, Ryan called Esposito “too extreme for the Hudson Valley” and signaled plans to highlight reproductive rights in the race for one of the state’s six battleground House races. "Choice is on the ballot this fall, and my far-right opponent is a direct threat to reproductive freedom,” Ryan said. “Alison Esposito vowed to defund Planned Parenthood, called overturning Roe ‘the absolute right thing,’ and pledged fealty to Donald Trump and his extreme campaign to rip away reproductive rights across the country.” Esposito has carved out a careful stance on abortion rights, an issue she says should be left to state governments. She does not support a federal ban on abortion, has pointed to New York’s already robust laws around the procedure and called for expanded options for adoption. Esposito accused Ryan of having “resorted to lying” about her position. “He is unable to run on his failed record,” Esposito campaign spokesperson Taylor Malkin said. “While Pat Ryan is focused on running a fear-based negative campaign, Alison is focused on uniting our community and tackling the issues most important to Hudson Valley families.” The last month has been a turbulent one for Democrats. Ryan was among the first House members to call on President Joe Biden to end his campaign after a halting debate performance in June. (Ryan endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday.) And the uncertainty at the top of the party’s ticket has created questions for down-ballot Democrats across the country over how to run a competitive campaign that drowns out the national noise. But the freshman lawmaker’s Biden stance also showed he was willing to exhibit an independent streak — one his campaign does not expect Esposito to demonstrate when it comes to former President Donald Trump. Ryan’s strategy, in part, mirrors the one he employed to win a special election in 2022 against Republican Marc Molinaro. In that race, Ryan trumpeted his support for abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. It was a successful plan, with Ryan ultimately winning what was widely viewed as a bellwether contest that summer. Now, New York Democrats are banking on a proposed amendment being put before voters that would, among other rights, enshrine abortion access into the state constitution. The voter interest that’s expected to be generated by a campaign pushing for it could generate higher turnout among Democrats in New York — helping down-ballot candidates like Ryan along the way. — Nick Reisman IT’S TUESDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.   Breaking News Briefing: How Kamala Harris’ Policies Could Differ from Joe Biden’s — Where does Vice President Kamala Harris stand on key policy issues? Where does she differ from President Biden? Join POLITICO Pro’s specialist reporters for a detailed discussion of what her track record as vice president, U.S. senator and attorney general of California tells us about her policy instincts and allies. REGISTER HERE.     WHERE’S KATHY? Convening a youth mental health roundtable, then making an economic development announcement. WHERE’S ERIC? Holding his weekly press conference, then participating in PFNYC’s business leaders town hall. Later he's hosting a reception to celebrate the resident community leadership of NYCHA. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We’re hemorrhaging African Americans. We’re hemorrhaging Hispanic voters. We’re hemorrhaging those working-class people.” — New York City Mayor Eric Adams on the Democratic Party, speaking on MSNBC as he endorsed Harris for president. ABOVE THE FOLD Gov. Kathy Hochul held a virtual meeting with about 260 delegates and made the case for Kamala Harris. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP NY DEMS HEART HARRIS: New York delegates to the Democratic National Convention left a virtual meeting late Monday full of optimism after voting overwhelmingly to endorse Harris for president, several attendees told Playbook. “Energized. Enthusiastic. Hopeful,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal said in describing the mood. There was “a lot of love” for Harris, City Council member Diana Ayala said. Gov. Kathy Hochul took the lead in rallying about 260 delegates and making the case for Harris. Other speakers included Attorney General Tish James, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Reps. Greg Meeks, Grace Meng and Adriano Espaillat. The New York delegation is now among more than a dozen pledging their support for Harris. The commitments put her on track to locking up the nomination at the party’s convention next month in Chicago. Hochul told her fellow Democrats that part of their job now is to encourage “energy and excitement so New Yorkers turn out to vote for Kamala Harris” and to “harness that power, that energy and to transfer that over to our congressional battleground races.” Adams, a delegate, was not on the call, according to multiple attendees. Though an invitation was emailed, it did not end up in the right hands and he was not made aware of the call in time, according to a person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity to speak freely. Adams declined to endorse Harris repeatedly in televised interviews Sunday night — continuing to raise his longstanding concerns over the White House’s handling of immigration, with which she was tasked. He changed course Monday morning, backing the vice president in an MSNBC interview. He later pledged fidelity to the new candidate, telling a City Hall reporter, “I’m a soldier. I do whatever the general tells me to do.” The vote appeared informal — attendees were asked to unmute before a mass voice tally — but also reaffirming and uplifting, other elected officials in the meeting said. Former Rep. Mondaire Jones, a battleground Democratic candidate and DNC delegate, endorsed Harris Monday night, joining several other House Democratic contenders. “The choice of a prosecutor who puts the public interest first over a convicted felon who only cares about himself is easy for me,” he said. — Emily Ngo, Sally Goldenberg CITY HALL: THE LATEST Council Member Chi Ossé called the Charter Revision Commission a "power grab." | Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit CITY HALL STANDOFF: City Council members intensified their call for Adams to “slow down” what they see as his push to block New Yorkers from voting on their advice-and-consent ballot measure, holding a news conference in Queens ahead of the final hearing on his Charter Revision Commission. “Right now, they’re rushing through proposals,” said Council member Sandy Nurse, the Progressive Caucus co-chair. “They’re trying to put anything on the ballot in order to prevent our proposal from being there and we say that’s very undemocratic. It’s in bad faith and we hope that the commissioners hear our voices today.” More than a dozen council members were in attendance. They framed the expedited charter revision as an attempt to eliminate their proposal for advice-and-consent powers, which would expand oversight on who the mayor appoints to certain city leadership positions. “We have an obligation to call this out for what it is; it’s a power grab,” Council member Chi Ossé said. “While charter revision commissions ordinarily take a year, this one took under two months.” A commission spokesperson emphasized to Playbook that they received more than 2,300 written comments and public hearings were attended by more than 700 New Yorkers. “The CRC will vote to adopt the final report and the ballot proposals it contains at its final meeting. … After the CRC’s vote, any approved ballot proposals will be placed on the November general election for New Yorkers to vote on,” spokesperson Frank Dwyer said. — Rich Mendez More from the city: — A group advocating for smaller classes in city schools is calling on the state Education Department to force the Adams administration to develop a “real plan.” (POLITICO Pro) — History doesn’t bode well for city comptrollers who run for mayor. (City & State) — Officials called attention to the deadly risks of lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes and urged passage of a federal bill that would set a single national safety standard. (THE CITY) NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY Former Brooklyn Dems boss Frank Seddio put the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club on the market for $1.5 million. | Azi Paybarah via flickr TJ CLUB FOR SALE: One of the city’s most storied political clubhouses is up for sale. Former Brooklyn Dems boss Frank Seddio has put the building housing the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club on the market for $1.5 million. For decades virtually every ambitious New York Democrat walked through its double doors of 77 Conklin Ave., not far from the end of the L line in Canarsie. The building has been used as a club since at least 1933, city documents show. Since then, the late Brooklyn Boss Meade Esposito ran a political machine from the club. And it’s where both Adams’ ally Frank Carone and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams got their start. Seddio didn’t respond to a request for comment, but his old law partner Carone said plans to sell have been in the works for a while. The building hasn’t changed hands since 1966. City Council member Mercedes Narcisse, who represents the district, told Playbook she wished Seddio had talked to her before putting it on the market, to see if a nonprofit wanted to use it. “It should have been a museum.” — Jeff Coltin More from Albany: — For MTA chair and CEO Janno Lieber, congestion pricing isn’t dead. (City & State) — Hochul says the city’s biggest job engine, a home health aide program, has become a “racket.” (Bloomberg News)   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRI     KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION Josh Riley's opponent called him a "Kamala Harris Superfan." | josh Riley for Congress/AP TOAST OF A ROAST: Rep. Marc Molinaro and his Democratic rival have each tried to link the other to their party’s standard-bearer, and Molinaro is getting specific as he knocks “Kamala Harris Superfan Josh Riley.” The upstate Republican cited Riley’s tie to a distillery that makes alcohol with Harris’ face on it — a $90 whiskey that according to its description is “a celebration of the outspoken and disruptive, who blaze new trails and shatter glass ceilings.” Riley, a former Senate counsel, didn’t initially recognize the reference but eventually recalled investing in a distillery a while ago and said he didn’t know the products. He then seized an opportunity to attack Molinaro, telling Playbook, “He is so desperate to talk about anything other than how much of a complete failure he has been over his 30-year political career, that he wants to talk about what? A bottle of whiskey? … This is everything that’s wrong with politics.” Molinaro also said Riley dodges reporters’ questions about Biden and Harris. Riley did voice tepid support for Harris in an interview with Playbook, saying, “It looks like she’s going to be the nominee; I’m going to support the nominee.” He was more explicit later Monday in a fundraising email, writing, “I’m supporting Vice President Harris as the Democratic nominee.” — Emily Ngo NEW YORK STATE OF MIND — Lawyers for Trump filed an appeal seeking to dismiss or drastically reduce the $454 million judgment levied against him this year in a New York civil fraud case. (New York Times) — Two state legislators representing Manhattan’s West Side are opposing Related Companies/Wynn’s plan to erect a glittering casino in Hudson Yards near the High Line. (New York Post) — A city charity that donated $25 million to CUNY a decade ago is suing to get its money back. (Gothamist) SOCIAL DATA Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES: Justin Henry, formerly deputy communications director to Hochul, is joining Rubenstein as a vice president. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Monica Lewinsky … David Brock … Stephanie Grisham … Newsmax’s Jon Glasgow … Kat Borgerding … Robert Lane Greene … Joey Rault … Stephani Englund of Burson … Liza Pluto … former Rep. John Hall (D-N.Y.) … FGS Global’s Craig James and Josh Gross ... Edelman’s Courtney Gray Haupt … (WAS MONDAY): Albert Brooks ... lan Menken Missed Monday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here.   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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