Good afternoon — It’s Tuesday and Primary Day.
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In today’s CapCon:
We’ll have another edition of Capitol Confidential later tonight with the initial results of today’s primary elections. Here’s what we’re watching after polls close.
New York’s highest court handed down a “rewrite” of a state law on social media networks passed in response to the 2022 Buffalo mass shooting.
After a fire in Saratoga killed 17 horses, a new bill seeks to compel state regulators to promulgate standards to prevent another incident.
Hochul will soon have to decide if she’ll approve a controversial bill approved by lawmakers that would set new rules for what can be added to food in New York.
Names in today’s CapCon: Zohran Mamdani, Thomas P. DiNapoli, Drew Warshaw, Raj Goyle, Robert Smullen, Anthony Constantino, Elise Stefanik, Mike Lawler, Effie Phillips-Staley, Cait Conley, Beth Davidson, John Cappello, Michael Sacks, Mike LiPetri, Greg Hach, Tom Suozzi, Dan Goldman, Brad Lander, Jerry Nadler, Micah Lasher, Alex Bores, Jack Kennedy Schlossberg, Antonio Reynoso, Claire Valdez, Nydia Velazquez, Adriano Espaillat, Darializa Avila Chevalier, Dan Norton, Dan Livingston, Donna Lupardo, William B. Magnarelli, Maurice “Mo” Brown, Heather Scribner, Charles Potter, Chanda King, Libby March, Eugene Volokh, Rowan Wilson, Anthony Cannataro, Michael Garcia, Pat Fahy, Anna Kelles, Brian Kavanagh
A quick look at news on elections that might interest you.
☑️ What we’re watching in tonight’s primary results
First things first: You’ll be receiving another edition of Capitol Confidential later tonight after the polls close with the initial results of today’s primary elections.
There are some elections that could be too close to call tonight but we’ll know the results of several within the first few hours after the polls close tonight at 9 p.m.
I’ll be up past my bedtime tonight to tell you what we know about some of the most competitive races as those results trickle in. Lucky for us, many of those races are in New York City, where votes are counted relatively quickly.
The big question surrounding tonight’s elections is which direction Democratic voters want to take their party.
After New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was elected last year, it was unclear if that was a one-off or if voters in his party are hungry to break from the more moderate establishment that’s ruled New York politics for decades.
Mamdani has endorsed several candidates running for Congress and the state Legislature in New York City. Whether they win will be a test of his political muscle.
But it will also be interesting to see whether the mood of voters that led to his election last year extends outside of his endorsed slate and even the five boroughs. A democratic socialist running for Assembly in Buffalo is considered to have a strong chance tonight.
Here’s a rapid fire list of the races I’m watching tonight that you can expect to read about if you’re up late or check your inbox in the morning.
The Times Union will also have live election results from across the state flowing in online here so be sure to check that throughout the night or tomorrow morning.
Race for state comptroller: Incumbent state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli is facing a challenge from two Democrats for his party’s nomination in this year’s race: Drew Warshaw and Raj Goyle. It’s the first serious primary DiNapoli has faced since taking office in 2008.
Races for Congress across the state: There are a handful of really competitive primaries in races for Congress, including open seats and challenges to incumbents.
NY-21: Assemblyman Robert Smullen and Anthony Constantino are competing for the Republican nomination in NY-21, the district currently represented by outgoing U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik.
NY-17: Five Democrats are on the ballot competing for their party’s nomination to take on U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican, in November: Effie Phillips-Staley, Cait Conley, Beth Davidson, John Cappello and Michael Sacks.
NY-3: Former Assemblyman Mike LiPetri is competing with Greg Hach for the Republican nomination to take on incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi in November.
The rest of these races are considered heavily favored for Democrats, meaning whoever wins tonight is almost guaranteed to win in November.
NY-10: Incumbent U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman is competing against former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander for the Democratic nomination in the district.
NY-12: Several Democrats are competing for the nomination for this seat, being vacated by U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler. The frontrunners are considered to be Assemblyman Micah Lasher, Assemblyman Alex Bores and Kennedy family scion Jack Kennedy Schlossberg.
NY-7: Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso is competing with Assemblywoman Claire Valdez for the Democratic nomination for this seat, which is being vacated by U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez.
NY-13: Incumbent U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat is facing a strong challenge for his party’s nomination from Darializa Avila Chevalier.
Races for the state Legislature: I already rolled out the Democratic primary elections I’m watching in the state Legislature for you this month. You can read about all of those here.
But there are two not on that list that I’ll also have an eye on.
AD123: Dan Norton and Dan Livingston are competing for the Democratic nomination for this seat, which is being vacated by Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo this year.
AD129: Incumbent Assemblyman William B. Magnarelli is facing a serious challenge from Maurice “Mo” Brown for the Democratic nomination this year.
There’s also at least one competitive Republican primary in the state Assembly. Three Republicans are competing for the nomination to succeed Smullen in the chamber: Heather Scribner, Charles Potter and Chanda King.
Talk later.
More from the Times Union (Free for CapCon Subscribers):
The scene of the 2022 Buffalo shooting (Libby March for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
⚖️ Judges of New York’s highest court split over ‘rewrite’ of Buffalo shooting inspired law
Four years after a racist 18-year-old killed 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket solely because they were Black, the laws that resulted from that incident are still being tested.
One of those laws was subject to what three of the seven judges on New York’s highest state court said Tuesday was a “rewrite” by their colleagues to water down the statute so that it would survive a challenge under the First Amendment.
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