NYC Mayor/2021 Megathread

[NewYorkExpress]

If AOC ran, she could probably win every borough except Staten Island. But she's probably not going to run unless she gets a heads up that her seat will be dismantled in 2022 (and even then it's more likely she runs statewide instead)

Apparently former Obama Administration OMB Director and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announced he was running back in February. I don't think he can win a primary, largely because in addition to working for Obama, he also worked for Bloomberg, and I don't believe Bloomberg's popular citywide at present.

If I had to guess out of the current and speculated candidates, the Democrat with the best chance of winning is probably Corey Johnson (currently the City Council Speaker) or Andrew Yang (though I don't think Yang actually runs- he might pull the trigger on a Congressional bid if Maloney retires in 2022 or if Nadler retires instead...though I'm not sure he wins either race. He also could run statewide. If Hochul steps down as Lieutenant Governor, Yang would be a possible running mate for Cuomo in my opinion.)

[NewYorkExpress]

Still think if AOC decided to run she'd be a strong candidate in the primary.

Actually, if Max Rose decides to jump in the Mayoral race, assuming he makes it past the primary, he'd be the strongest possible General Election candidate for the Democrats.

But neither AOC or Rose is particularly likely to run.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://abc7ny.com/politics/nyc-sanitation-chief-resigning-for-mayoral-bid-comptroller-also-running/6413747/

One new candidate and one possible new canididate.

Comptroller Scott Stringer announced his candidacy today.

In addition, a new name has surfaced as a possible candidate. Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia submitted her resignation today. She's currently exploring a run for Mayor.

What does everyone make of Stringer and Garcia's chances (especially Garcia)?

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/12/us/harold-heshy-tischler-custody-orthodox-jewish-protests-new-york/index.html

Outspoken protester Harold "Heshy" Tischler was taken into custody Sunday evening in connection with an alleged assault during protests against new anti-coronavirus restrictions in an Orthodox Jewish area of Brooklyn, New York police say.

Some members of the Orthodox Jewish community protested in the Borough Park neighborhood for multiple nights last week in response to the measures, which limit gatherings in houses of worship in areas identified as Covid-19 clusters.
Jewish Insider reporter Jacob Kornbluh claimed on a verified Twitter account that during protests Wednesday night he was brutally assaulted after Tischler "recognized me and ordered the crowd to chase me down the street."

Confirming Tischler's detention Sunday, a New York City Police Department spokesman said that charges of inciting a riot and unlawful imprisonment in connection with the incident surrounding Kornbluh are pending.

"The New York City Police Department Warrant Squad has taken Harold 'Heshy' Tischler into custody. He will be charged with inciting to riot and unlawful imprisonment in connection with an assault of a journalist that took place on October 7, 2020 in Brooklyn," the department said on Twitter.

CNN has made multiple attempts to reach Tischler, but has not received a response.
Tischler is a candidate for New York City Council, a supporter of President Trump, and an outspoken critic of social distancing restrictions, according to posts on his Facebook and Instagram accounts.

https://twitter.com/HeshyTischlerNY/status/1314625177565704192

There have been protests and riots for the past several days now, and Tischler's arrest adds fuel to the fire.

Tischler is running in the 48th City Council District.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/politics/campaigns-elections/exclusive-carlos-menchaca-confirms-mayoral-campaign.html

New York City Council Member Carlos Menchaca confirmed to City & State that he is running for mayor in the 2021 Democratic primary and will officially announce his candidacy on Thursday. As has been previously reported, Menchaca has filed with the New York City Campaign Finance Board, and the announcement has been widely anticipated since Menchaca hinted at it on Twitter earlier this month.

Menchaca, who has recently drawn attention for defeating a proposed rezoning of Industry City, represents a diverse, largely Latino district spanning Sunset Park, Red Hook, Greenwood Heights and slivers of Windsor Terrace, Dyker Heights and Borough Park. He is the first Mexican-American elected official in New York state and, according to his website, he is also the first openly gay elected office holder from Brooklyn.

What are Menchaca's chances in the primary?

[NewYorkExpress]

Scott Stringer sues De Blasio Administration for failing to hand over records related to De Blasio's response to COVID.

City Comptroller Scott Stringer is suing Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration for failing to hand over records related to the mayor’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Manhattan Supreme Court, accuses City Hall of failing to comply with a subpoena Stringer issued in June as part of the comptroller’s probe.

“The City’s refusal to timely and fully comply with the Subpoena is impeding and frustrating the Comptroller’s ability to complete the Investigation,” the suit reads.

In May, Stringer — who is running to replace the term-limited de Blasio in 2021 — launched the investigation into the city’s handling of the pandemic, saying he wanted to know “what we knew, when we knew it and what we did about it.”

“This investigation will help New Yorkers understand how strategies were developed to protect public health and to learn from what worked and what didn’t to improve future emergency response efforts,” Stringer said at a press conference Wednesday outside City Hall.

A recent report from his office estimated that the city has “incurred or committed to $4.95 billion of COVID related spending in [fiscal year] 2020 and [fiscal year] 2021,” the court papers say.

Does this help Stringer in the crowded Democratic Primary?

[NewYorkExpress]

Rose out-

https://twitter.com/MaxRose4NY/status/1345769407964966914

Maybe Rose runs for something like Brooklyn Borough President, or a State Senate or Assembly seat.

[NewYorkExpress]

NY Post: "Andrew Yang’s anti-circumcision stance cuts deep: Jewish leaders"

He’s got foreskin in the game.

Andrew Yang, the failed presidential candidate who has signaled his intention to run for mayor of New York City, is a long-time opponent of circumcision — and some political observers wonder if that position could cut into his popularity.

The entrepreneur, 45, who would face a crowded field in the June Democratic primary, has repeatedly spoken of his disdain for the traditional snip.

“Against the practice,” he told a Twitter fan in March 2019 when asked about his stance on “routine infant circumcision?”

[...]

Georganne Chapin, founder and executive director of the non-profit Intact America, told The Post it’s about time the issue enters the political mainstream.

“It’s just not a taboo subject anymore and that’s incredibly refreshing,” she said. “If Andrew Yang stays in the race, it will be discussed as part of contemporary politics and I think that’s great.”

[...]

Cantor Philip L. Sherman, 66, said the stance would be “significantly problematic for [Yang] politically.”

“If you’re trying to garner votes among the liberal Jewish community and especially in the Orthodox community, you can forget it. You can take that whole bloc out,” Sherman, who has spent more than 40 years performing Jewish circumcision, told The Post.
The Mohel washes his hands before the circumcision ceremony begins.

[...]

Reps for Yang declined to say whether he was circumcised.

Too funny an article not to post. A year or two ago I made a poll asking if Yang's circumcision stance would hurt him among Jews, although given that many if not most American Jews are non-practicing and Hasids aren't voting for a Democrat in the first place, it probably won't hurt him that much. Although if he's running to be a mayor of a city that has a large Jewish community, obviously this thing could be a potential liability. Yang should be careful about cutting off his foreskin to spite his face.

It's probably moot, because I don't think there'll be a majority in the New York City Council to ban circumcision any time soon.

[NewYorkExpress]

The NYCGOP is not relevant in this election, it's only a question of who they chose to get 25% to 30%

If Eric Ulrich were to make a last minute entry he'd win the Republican Primary, and probably scoop up at least 44-45% in a general election.

[NewYorkExpress]

New York City Party bosses are sitting out the Democratic Primary

When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez toppled Queens party boss Joe Crowley in 2018, it marked a new low for the local Democratic machines that once held sway over New York City politics.

Now, the party organizations in the city’s boroughs can’t even get behind a candidate for one of the most important mayoral contests in recent memory.


Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a leading candidate among more than two dozen people seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor, made a hard sell for the Queens party nod. Borough pride be damned, Adams stared into the camera on a recent weeknight and declared himself the “Queens candidate.”


“We have heard reported over and over again that there is not a Queens candidate running for mayor. That is not true. I am the Queens candidate,” Adams, who grew up in Queens, told its Democratic county organization at a virtual forum earlier this month. “This is a borough that is dear to my heart.”

Two weeks later, Rep. Greg Meeks, who runs the Queens Democratic party, announced the organization’s district leaders had not reached consensus around a single candidate and would skip endorsing in the race to replace outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio. His counterparts in Brooklyn and the Bronx are charting a similar path — all three so far declining to get behind any of the contenders four months before the June 22 primary.

The abdication by the county parties — which at one time had viable organizations in three of the city’s five boroughs — marks another demonstration of the local Democratic organizations’ recession from their once-powerful role at the center of New York City politics.

No longer are party leaders able to corral — or dictate, depending on one’s perspective — votes for citywide candidates, leaving them without position in one of the most consequential local elections in modern memory.

[NewYorkExpress]

I am probably going to meet Yang today. Any questions?

Furthermore, if you want to ask questions to all non Yang candidates in a Zoom forum

Here is a good one, it's tomorrow

https://www.teenstakecharge.com/mayor

Ask him how soon he plans to resign to primary Biden after winning the race

New York doesn't have a resign-to-run law as far as I'm aware. He could primary Biden or Harris as the sitting Mayor of New York City, it's just the optics for that would look horrible.

[NewYorkExpress]

Cuomo, Massa, Schneiderman, Weiner, and now Stringer. I don't want to jump to conclusions but New York Democrats have a real problem with their personal relationships with others.

Don't forget, Bill Clinton is currently a registered New York voter.

[NewYorkExpress]

If Adams loses the primary, does he wage a write in campaign?

I doubt it.  He wouldn’t want to risk electing Silwa

Even if Adams runs a write-in campaign, there's no way Silwa is elected. Silwa isn't a moderate like Giuliani was (at the time) or Bloomberg. He's a hard-right conservative that wouldn't win more than maybe Staten Island, even in a three-way race.