By Gerald Benjamin   The brief dustup in the Judiciary Committee regarding the nomination of Jenny Rivera for the Court of Appeals is just the latest piece of evidence that Republicans, with their Independent Democrat coalition partners, are presiding in the Senate but not governing through it. The Committee is comprised of 12 Republicans, 9 Democrats and 2 Independent Democrats; unlike the Senate as a whole, it has a Republican majority. The committee chair, John Bonacic, and some GOP members… [More]

Andrea Stewart-Cousins has already made history, but can she rescue the Democrats from themselves? … [More]

Going into 2012 there was an expectation among many political insiders that the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which prohibits the federal government from limiting independent expenditures by corporations and unions, would define the political landscape. The ruling engendered the creation and proliferation of “super PACs,” independent expenditure-only committees now empowered to weigh in on elections with a blank check. But what were the tangible effects of such unprecedented spending in New York? Did outside money swing any elections? And… [More]

The only thing that isn’t frozen in Albany is the budget. Temperatures plummeted in the Capitol Region this week with highs barely cresting above 10 degrees and lows bottoming out at one degree Fahrenheit. Legislators are reaching for their thermal gloves, scarves, and overcoats to combat the frigid conditions, which are starting to bother them. “The Albany cold has gotten the better of me and given me a bug of some sort,” said state Sen. Daniel Squadron. “It was inevitable.”… [More]

  Many public officials found something to cheer for in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal, which, besides closing a $1.3 billion deficit, includes a minimum wage hike, some mandate relief, more money for environmental programs and increased funding for schools. But this isn’t a cheerocracy, it’s a democracy. Legislators, mayors and all sorts of special interests will have a say in what gets cut. Also this week, George Amedore got cut as Cecilia Tkaczyk won a state Senate race whose… [More]

New York’s newest state senator, Cecilia Tkaczyk, had a busy first day on the job. Fresh off her 18-vote, court-upheld victory over Republican George Amedore, she attended state Sen. Tony Avella‘s press conference on hydrofracking, explaining that gas drilling was a significant issue in her race and her stance against the practice helped bring people to the polls. “The Senate has not done a good job [leading on environmental issues],” she said. “They’re not looking out for the public’s best interests. We need… [More]

State Senator-elect George Latimer thought that his bruising campaign against Republican Bob Cohen could have still continued through a recount, similar to his colleague Andrea Stewart-Cousins’s 2004 18-vote defeat, or ended up in court like George Amedore and Cecilia Tkaczyk’s battle. “We thought it was going to go down to the wire, clearly the presidential race helped,” said Latimer. But the certainty of electoral victory has been replaced with the uncertainty of rulership, when Senate Republicans and the Independent Democratic… [More]

Logic would dictate that even if the Amedore-Tkaczyk contest goes Republican, the Democrats would still hold a 32–31 majority and we would all be on our merry way. Not so fast.… [More]

Democrats are poised for a leadership fight while Republicans hold out hope in upstate races … [More]

As voters cast their ballots across the state today, they’ll decide the winners of a number of tossup congressional races and the fate of a handful or so of state Senate seats that will determine control of Albany’s upper house. Here’s a snapshot of some of the most closely watched races around New York — with a one-sided U.S. Senate race and a crowded New York City Council special election to boot.   Key Congressional Races 1st Congressional District Rep. Tim… [More]