You may think of New York as a blue state, but not all Democrats are created equal — or even actually Democrats. For the past seven years, voters have had their desire for a Democratic majority thwarted by eight State Senators who were elected as Democrats but decided to caucus with the GOP, thereby giving Republicans control of that chamber.
The decision of the group, which operated until earlier this year as the IDC, blocked all kinds of important progress on issues from healthcare to public transit and allowed Gov. Cuomo — who supported the arrangement — to control the state like an old political boss, handing out pork to campaign contributors and permitting progressive legislation that doesn’t hurt his corrupt donors to pass.
This year, those eight IDC legislators are being challenged in primaries by an energetic group of progressive activists, all of whom have already put together impressive careers in public service. They’re running very credible campaigns, firing up the grassroots and giving themselves a real chance to win (remember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?). They’ve been endorsed by Corey Johnson, the NYC Council Speaker, and yesterday, the NY Times took notice and endorsed the challengers, with write-ups of several of the most prominent.
Beyond the chance to shake things up in Washington, this fall’s elections present voters with an opportunity to support reformers around the country who are out to change the political climate from the ground up… Electing them, particularly if Democrats can win full control of both houses of the Legislature in November, would help focus the next governor — whoever that is — on the kind of actions New York needs.
District 13, Queens:
Mayor Bill de Blasio endorsed Jessica Ramos, his former chief Latina spokeswoman, as “a tireless advocate for her community and a progressive champion for working families.” We agree.
As a skilled organizer, especially helping those with housing or immigration issues, Ms. Ramos easily outshines her opponent, Senator Jose Peralta. Mr. Peralta has been in the Legislature for nearly 16 years and was a member of Mr. Klein’s breakaway cabal. He has said he joined the Republican caucus to get more money for immigrants and schools in the district. Ms. Ramos will fight directly for Democratic causes like women’s rights and affordable housing in the city, not beg for leftovers from Republicans.
Zellnor Myrie, who is challenging Senator Jesse Hamilton, grew up in this district, encouraged by a hard-working single mother from Costa Rica. After graduating from Fordham University and Cornell Law School, Mr. Myrie helped New York’s City Council write a tenants’ bill of rights, then earned a place at one of the country’s top law firms, where he clocked 600 pro bono hours in a year. Mr. Myrie, often called “Z,” wants criminal justice reform, more money for schools in the district and better protections for immigrants. But his top priority is housing — affordable housing and more security to tenants on the edge of losing their homes. Mr. Hamilton, who joined the I.D.C. in 2016, has argued that he got more money for the district, and we have endorsed him in the past. But Mr. Myrie is the far more dynamic and passionate Democrat and the one this district needs.
The Times also singled out Alessandra Biaggi, who is running against the ringleader of the IDC, a comically old-school New York machine politician named Jeff Klein, who is the kind of guy who wears Rolex watches and whitens his teeth to blinding pearl shine and literally does business in the back of Italian restaurants. I interviewed Biaggi last month for my newsletter/site, Progressives Everywhere, and thought it would be helpful to reprint it below.
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Alessandra Biaggi is running for State Senate in New York’s 34th district, waging a people-powered campaign against Jeff Klein, the cartoonishly corrupt politician who engineered the deal in Albany that has held back not only New York but all of America.
As a young, progressive candidate from the Bronx running to unseat an arrogant, old-school incumbent, Biaggi’s race is in many ways reminiscent of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s shock upset of Congressman Joe Crowley. She says Ocasio-Cortez’s win has energized her own campaign, but there are also important differences.
“The comparison of Congressman Crowley to my opponent is actually insulting to Congressman Crowley, because Congressman Crowley did not go to Washington, DC and empower Paul Ryan,” Biaggi tells Progressive Everywhere. “The equivalent of what’s gone on in New York is that my opponent has gone to Albany for the past eight legislative sessions has empowered the equivalent of Paul Ryan.”
Biaggi is one of eight young, energetic, and progressive candidates running to oust the members of the IDC in the September 13th primary, an effort that’s getting statewide support because of the huge stakes.
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“I’m running not just for District 34, because there had been someone in the seat for so long who has blocked progress for all New Yorkers and that’s really a shame,” Biaggi, whose grandfather served in Congress, says. “It both provides an opportunity to do better and make sure that the needs of people in this district are being met, as well as an opportunity to really shift the landscape in a way that sends a message that you can’t take people and your voters and New Yorkers for granted.”
The 32-year-old, who worked for Hillary Clinton’s campaign and has worked in Albany for years as an attorney and high-ranking aide, is focused on four issues in particular.
Before we even dive into Biaggi’s platform, just know that Klein’s priorities have mostly included buying $10,000 Rolex watches, taking illegal political donations, and sexually assaulting former aides. See, I told you Klein was cartoonishly corrupt.
First, Biaggi is vowing to return full funding to public schools. Her district is comprised of parts of Westchester and the Bronx, creating a diverse community where public schooling and the opportunities they offer are essential. Biaggi notes that Klein’s seat on the budget committee did the district’s schools no favors, an abdication of responsibility she would not continue.
Her district’s unique mix of urban and more suburban communities also has her pushing for housing laws that would benefit tenants in all situations. Klein, who gets tens of thousands of dollars from real estate developers, has done everything he can to block limits on rent hikes, to the great chagrin of community activists.
CLICK HERE to donate to real Democrats’ campaigns to take back New York from the IDC via Progressives Everywhere’s ActBlue Page!
“We have people with different housing needs, but when it comes down to it, everyone is trying to afford where they live,” Biaggi says. “There are bills that have been pending in the State Senate that can close loopholes in the law, that can make it so that landlords cannot be predatory on tenants, that tenants have protection, that you can actually control their rent stabilization guidelines and just ways to really make the system fairer.”
Biaggi is intimately acquainted with the stalled legislation in Albany, having worked as a counsel for the governor’s office, leading negotiations across branches, which resulted in laws like paid family leave and $15 an hour minimum wage. She knows much more can be done without the political hurdles presented by the IDC, especially on women’s issues, having worked on the New York State Council for Women and Girls. With Roe v. Wade in the crosshairs nationally, she is adamant about codifying it in the New York State legal system, which last updated its abortion rights laws before the landmark case and thus would not provide the protections needed should Roe get overturned by a right-wing Supreme Court.
Her experience in state government means that Biaggi is less an outside bomb thrower than experienced government expert who grew sick of the systemic cynicism and is now seeking office so that she can inject progressive values into legislation. Growing up between the city and suburbs helps her understand the needs of both communities, and as Mayor de Blasio and Cuomo fight over responsibility for fixing the MTA and feud over potential solutions, she wants to cut through all the political roadblocks and chicanery.
Unfortunately, the state’s entrenched powers are dragging their feet; Cuomo hasn’t even named members of a panel meant to study the issue, and with no urgency coming from State Senate leaders, it may not happen for a while. Klein himself kept pushing policies that would take important revenue from the city, something that would only harm his constituents.
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Biaggi is open to all progressive ideas to fix the situation as soon as possible for New Yorkers and create the infrastructure that can once again lead the way for the nation at large.
“Do we have a millionaire’s tax? Do we do congestion pricing? All of these things are reasonable options and things to explore,” she says. “And then even the congestion pricing plan as is I think is not progressive enough. It should have incorporated into it into a fair fairs system so that people who are in certain brackets of income or age don’t have to pay the same price. Obviously, not everybody has the ability to do that and you can’t prevent people from traveling in and out of New York City.”
Her inherently progressive approach to economic justice and fairness represents a generational change for New York politics, which has long been mired in corruption and pay-to-play schemes. Biaggi is very much in favor of marijuana legalization, citing its importance in both criminal justice reform and agricultural development. For so long, New York has been held back by Republicans and classist Democrats who function as conservative co-conspirators. That, Biaggi promises, won’t be a problem if she wins the primary.
“I have no intention of ever deceiving the voters by saying I’m a Democrat and then after a few years go by and I’ll be a Republican or empowering Republicans,” she says. “That will never happen. And that’s something that Jeff Klein, unfortunately for himself, cannot take back.”
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