The Weekly Watchdog
What a week in the great city of New York. A shocking upset, record-breaking turnout, millions of campaign dollars going up in smoke. Guess it really is summer. What does all that mean? Read on:
News Worth Clicking
| Can he make it? Can Zohran Mamdani’s Agenda Survive Albany? New York Focus By Sam Mellins, Julia Rock and Colin Kinniburgh |
After stunning much of New York in one of the most dramatic primary upsets in decades, the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor has his sights set on an ambitious policy agenda. Much of it, though, would require help from the legislature. So what about those free buses? What kind of tin cup days might we see? New York Focus runs through Mamdani’s plans for universal child care, fare-free transit, and affordable housing—and how they might be received in Albany. |
| Not to be a party-pooper Democratic primary race turnout under 30% in NY’s largest cities Gothamist By Jimmy Vielkind |
It’s been a mayoral race unlike any other, with civic engagement rarely seen in a primary, and we’re likely on track to break a 1989 record with over one million voters. But—there’s always a but with us!—that would still put us at about 30% of registered Democrats. And we’re not alone among New York’s cities, as this article points out. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we’ll just remind everyone that we’re holding our local elections in odd-numbered years because of a 130-year-old law… |
| 1+1>2 Cuomo Backers Dumped $87 Per Vote Into a Losing Cause — and Some Donors Are Now Vowing to Spend More The CITY By Greg Smith |
Welp, that was a bad investment. Fix the City, the super PAC formed by former Cuomo advisors to support the governor’s bid for mayor, broke spending records, raising a whopping $25 million to blanket the city with ads. Alas, all that money was only enough for roughly 36% of the vote, making it a very expensive loss. Zohran Mamdani’s campaign, on the other hand, maxed out on public matching funds with over 20,000 small-dollar donors, winning both the efficiency game and the Democratic primary election. |
| Behind the numbers As Black New Yorkers Move Out, N.Y.C. Politics May Be Reshaped The New York Times By Maya King |
Mamdani’s rise is shaking up more than just the Democratic establishment; it’s intersecting with a deeper shift in the city’s political landscape. As Black residents leave New York City in growing numbers, often pushed out by high housing costs, longtime power bases in Harlem and Central Brooklyn are thinning. That demographic change is creating new openings for multiracial coalitions and insurgent candidates, with organizers recalibrating what political representation looks like, and who gets to define the city’s future. |
| We have to do this again? Here’s what the November NYC mayoral election could look like City & State New York By Annie McDonough |
We’re not done yet, folks. Get ready for a few more months of campaigns in what will likely be an un-typical competitive general election for mayor. Who will be on the ballot? Here’s a refresher. |