Why go to Somos?

It’s an anxious time in New York. The next New York City mayor is going to bring a new administration into City Hall, prompting a dramatic rewiring of the city’s power structure. Amid this jockeying and uncertainty, the New York City Council is choosing a new speaker. The Trump administration seems hell-bent on wresting power away from New York, prompting a lawsuit to once again redraw the state’s congressional lines. If that suit is successful, the 2026 candidates in and around the 11th Congressional District could be scrambled.

Strung out from an exhausting election season, how will the political class cope with the turbulence? The day after the election, they’ll head to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the annual Somos conference. We asked six politicos about why they continue to go to the four-day affair officially focused on empowering Latino communities and unofficially focused on deciding who runs New York. Those include Assembly Member Karines Reyes, chair of the state Legislature’s Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, former New York City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli, political podcast host and Brown & Weinraub Senior Adviser Roberto Perez, former New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and political strategists Yvette Buckner and Trip Yang.

These responses were received by email. They have been edited for length and clarity.

Why do you think Somos still matters?
Reyes: The conference takes place before most terms of office and the legislative session start, and many of these conversations help shape the agenda for the largest city and the third-largest state in the country. Latinos are the second largest ethnic group in the state, and this is a key opportunity to center issues that are important to our diaspora and our residents who need representation.
Borelli: In the past, as a legislator, it was more of an excuse to get to know colleagues in government. Now it seems it has become a place to see and be seen, and to schedule meetings that neither party wants to attend.
Perez: You don’t need to schedule meetings – everyone is there. You can often get more done at the bar, by the pool, or over dinner and drinks than in a formal setting. People come to Somos ready for conversations and open to opportunities that can determine political outcomes.
Johnson: It’s the beginning of the next term. In many ways, I would compare it to orientation at a new school or job. People are excited and brimming with enthusiasm for what’s on the horizon.
Buckner: There is an organic opportunity to chat with key decision-makers across the state, whether it’s at the airport, at a networking event or at the beach. Relationship-building is key whether you are creating new ones or nurturing current ones.
Yang: Somos is still the ultimate gathering of New York’s politically powerful and those aspiring to be politically powerful. You can miss a lot of galas and happy hours, but you can’t miss Somos.

What’s the biggest thing you’re watching in New York City politics?
Borelli: The ass-kissing. I can’t wait to see the jockeying to get access to people whose names we don’t even know yet, just because they are a Mamdani (or Cuomo’s) campaign volunteer’s third cousin who now might be the deputy commissioner of HRA according to an unfounded Room 9 hit piece.
Perez: I’m watching the speaker’s race closely – particularly which candidates are most visible and who they’re meeting with. I’m also paying attention to who is lobbying for jobs in the new mayoral administration, or lobbying to keep their current jobs for the folks that currently work in the Adams administration.
Buckner: Speaker’s race. Speaker’s race. Speaker’s race. And potential transition team members for the next mayor.

What’s the biggest thing you’re watching in state politics?
Borelli: The opposite of ass-kissing – the Hochul trash-talking. My Democratic friends will trash the governor and predict her demise. “She’s really vulnerable with (fill in the demographic) ...” “If Ritchie really ran, she’d be toast …” “Labor is D.O.N.E. done with her …” And in one year’s time, she’ll probably be headlining the same dopey overcrowded and under-beveraged event at the El San Juan as the newly reelected governor, and those same folks will claim it was never in doubt.
Perez: The movements of state Sen. Jessica Ramos and Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas. That’s shaping up to be one of the most talked-about races in the city. Also paying close attention to who makes the rounds angling to take on incumbents in Bed-Stuy and Bushwick areas that have seen major changes recently in terms of the voting population.
Buckner: The candidates that the Democratic Socialists of America will be challenging across the state given the rise of Mamdani.

What makes this Somos different from past ones? 
Reyes: This is the first Somos that will be taking place after we have captured the full grasp of the Trump administration’s attack on federal funding, democracy, the rule of law and even the community that the conference is meant to celebrate and uplift. On top of that, we’ve got 68 legislative workshops, the first-ever continuing education course, and an exciting lineup of events, performances and speakers.
Yang: This is the first Somos that combines these factors: We will have a new mayor, a new speaker, Trump 2.0 and the fight for congressional control in full swing. At a very least, it’s a recipe for interesting late-night bar conversations.

What are you watching in the New York City Council speaker race?
Borelli: The free drinks – I’m watching for free drinks. It will be interesting to see which speaker wannabees throw parties, who shows up for who, and whether they spring for top shelf. Though I no longer have a vote, I have an opinion: one that can be influenced by Tito’s and a good spread. I am only half-kidding, as the bigger the party and the more members and market-makers at the event, the stronger the perception of one’s chance.
Johnson: I’m so excited to be watching and not participating!
Yang: The ideological makeup of the next council with the next mayoral administration. Oftentimes, the council is more progressive than the mayor. That may be the reverse in 2026.

What are you watching in the midterms?
Reyes: How the results of the New York City and suburban local elections may provide insight into what the 2026 political environment will look like.
Borelli: Chi Ossé versus Hakeem Jeffries will be a made-for-TV knock-down, drag-out brawl. But will it happen? The other race that will be talked about for sure is the Nadler replacement. There will be a lot of attempts to read the palm leaves on that one based on who shows up and works the rooms. 

What are you watching in the governor’s race?
Borelli: I wish Republican candidates would show up. I’ve been at plenty of Somoses when I was the only registered Republican in attendance. I’m not sure why many of my colleagues have always treated this as a Dem-only thing. Show up!
Johnson: I don’t really see it as much of a race at this point. Gov. Kathy Hochul will continue to lead New York for another term.
Buckner: If Democrats – socialist, progressive, moderate and more conservative – will coalesce around the current governor.
Yang: If Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado can gain any traction in his long shot gubernatorial campaign. I doubt it, given most Democratic power brokers’ support for Hochul’s reelection, but I’m interested in seeing if he tries to make the effort to persuade insiders.

What should people pack to bring to Somos?
Reyes: An umbrella. It always rains.
Borelli: Think of it like a spring break, if the point of spring break was to not see the other guests in the hotel in their bathing suits. Pack a sport jacket, Advil, some good deodorant, and leave your ego and self-importance at home.
Perez: Guayaberas and sunblock.
Buckner: Sunglasses, a portable charger, comfortable shoes and sunscreen.
Yang: Comfortable clothes and shoes for hot weather!
Johnson: SPF 80 suntan lotion and Orville Redenbacher popcorn!