Coalition Building: A Q&A with Jeff Klein

State Sen. Jeff Klein shook up the New York political world this week with the announcement that his Independent Democratic Conference would cut ties with Senate Republicans and form a new coalition with the mainline Democrats this fall. A few hours after he and Gov. Andrew Cuomo sent out a release announcing the plan, Klein spoke with City & State Albany Bureau Chief Jon Lentz about why he is forming the new coalition, whether he is still concerned about dysfunction among Senate Democrats and the best part of the potential power-sharing agreement. 

The folllowing is an edited transcript.

City & State: Why did you decide to form a new coalition in the state Senate?

Jeff Klein: The Independent Democratic Conference has been a stable force in making sure the state Senate over the last four years has governed effectively. We have a lot to be proud of: marriage equality, four consecutive on-time budgets—the first time in 45 years!—the most comprehensive, toughest gun law in the nation, an increase in the minimum wage, universal pre-K, [and] most recently, the safest, most regulated medical marijuana program in the nation. These are things that we fought hard for and we accomplished.

But like with any end of a legislative cycle, you weigh your accomplishments, which are great, but then you talk about the things that weren’t done. The Independent Democratic Conference, even though it’s a small conference, was the only conference that was 100 percent behind campaign finance reform, a woman’s right to choose, the Dream Act, and these things weren’t accomplished. I think moving forward the best way to achieve this core legislative agenda is to form a coalition between the IDC and the Democratic conference post-November.

C&S: Senate Republicans could still win an outright majority this fall. What would happen in that case?

JK: We have elections, and that’s when we determine what the makeup of the state Senate is. I’ve always been clear—I believe in coalition governing, I believe in nonpartisan governing. But when election season starts I’m a Democrat, and I want to elect Democrats. But I think we also, in this case—and I know I speak for the IDC on this—we want to make sure that we elect Democrats that actually support our agenda items. We want to make sure we have enough Democrats that support the Dream Act, that we have enough Democrats that support campaign finance reform. Clearly there were no Republicans that supported campaign finance reform, and there was at least two Democrats that failed to support campaign finance reform. So I think it’s not just about electing more Democrats, it’s about electing Democrats that support our core legislative values.

C&S: Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos, your current coalition partner, took aim at Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Working Families Party for their role in this deal you made, and attributed your move to the “heat of primaries and elections.” How do you react to that comment?

JK: I can only speak on the work that we have been able to accomplish over the last four years, and our coalition, the first ever in the state Senate. We’re both proud of our accomplishments. We were able to usher in the lowest tax rates for the middle class in 65 years. We were able to accomplish a lot. At the same time, there’s always going to be issues we’re going to disagree on, and campaign finance, the Dream Act, a woman’s right to choose, those are the issues we don’t agree on. And that’s why, moving forward, we have to figure in the IDC on how to best accomplish that agenda. I’ve had a very good working relationship with Sen. Skelos. He’s serious about governing. I think he’s proven that we’ve been able to accomplish that. Without any dysfunction, without any chaos, government has worked. But I think, now, post-November, the best way we can achieve our core legislative values is with a coalition with the IDC and the Senate Democrats.

Again, I think the best part of this potential agreement is the IDC will remain intact. The IDC is still alive, and that’s something that’s very important.

C&S: You mentioned dysfunction, and Senate Republicans always raise the history of dysfunction when Democrats controlled the Senate. In fact, the decision to create the IDC was at least in part a response to that history of dysfunction. Is that a concern for you moving forward?

JK: I think we need to work together. The IDC is going to continue to be a smart, stabilizing force governing the state Senate, and that is something that we wanted and want to continue. I’m very optimistic.

C&S: Is this reflective of a broader shift to the left, starting with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s election as a staunchly liberal candidate and Gov. Andrew Cuomo repositioning himself in response? You made a point of allying yourself with de Blasio on certain issues this year, for example. Is this the next step?

JK: Not to take anything away from the mayor—he’s a strong advocate for progressive legislation—but the Dream Act, campaign finance reform, these are issues that the IDC has touted and supported before Mayor de Blasio was elected. Universal pre-K, I was the first leader to embrace the mayor’s plan, because I thought it was the right thing, that universal pre-K is a game-changer in a young person’s life, and I wanted to assist him and help him make sure it came to fruition. It’s not something new or a shift, it’s just realizing that sometimes you can’t get everything you want done unless you form a new coalition.