NY-21 Race and the Election of the DNC Chair
And if you are a NY-21 voter who is not currently registered as a Democrat, find a handy link to change your party registration!
Go out and whoop it up this weekend. You made it through week one of the second Trump presidency. Only 1,456 more days to go. Click to find a handy day-counter.
The week of January 27-31, 2025 should be action-packed.
Where are we with the Special Election in NY-21?
In NY-21 we are edging closer to the point at which the Special Election kicks off. Reminder: for that to happen, Stefanik’s nomination to be our nation’s UN Ambassador has to be confirmed by a floor vote in the Senate. She has to get Trump to sign the document. She will then resign from her congressional seat. NY Gov Kathy Hochul has to call a Special Election. The respective parties will then announce their candidates.
On the Democratic side, I’m told we are down to four of us still under consideration. I have lost count how many Republicans have expressed interest. In some ways it doesn’t matter. In talking with members of the press, they believe that Stefanik and Trump will announce the nominee in a joint statement. I don’t know. I don’t pretend to understand the inner workings of MAGAs.
I have had a few highlights in the press. Thank you to Jeff Cole at Watertown Ch 7 and to Kate Lisa with Spectrum 1.
Politics is all about people
It is my sincere belief that politics is all about people. For that reason, I am spending about 2-3 hours a day on “call time”, not just for the purpose of fundraising, but to ask people if they can talk to me about issues, platform, and messaging. Clearly the Democrats have lessons to learn. I want to hear from people what they think about how to correct the prior mistakes.
I’m running on a platform to show voters how Democrats put food on the table, gas in the car, and keep a roof overhead. Some voters think that is perfect. Others want to talk about climate change (always high on my priority list), women’s issues, LGBT rights, and the border.
“Paula — are you fundraising?”
One voter asked if I was fundraising. “Why yes I am. Can I send you a link?”
“Well”, she said, “I just get bombarded with email, text, and Facebook ads from such-and-such a candidate, who says that he is the Democrat running for NY21. Why aren’t you doing that?”
Quick answer: this is what I can live with.
Ethically and morally I have a problem with hitting my supporters up repeatedly as if they are ATM machines at a time when we really do not know who the nominee will be.
I am, indeed, fundraising. Some of you reading this have been faithfully donating to my campaign, and it is much appreciated. I referred the inquiring person to my Substack, my website, and I offered to send a link.
Democrats have a BS meter
I am really aware that Democrats have a very sensitive BS meter. I just don’t think it’s right for me to go hard and heavy into fundraising, and hold myself out as the chosen nominee, when that is simply not the truth. It’s not who I am as a person. It’s not who we are as a party.
My ethical and moral position, and my decision to engage in “soft” fundraising while we are in the wait-and-see period could very well cost me the nomination. The county chairs may decide that my fundraising is lame, and that they want to advance someone else’s name to the ballot. That is a risk I need to take in order to stay true to my core beliefs. And if that happens, I assure you that I will promote that other person’s candidacy on social media, in the spirit of Democratic party unity.
My candidacy presents the best path forward in NY-21
I maintain that my candidacy presents the Democrats in NY-21 the best path forward. Repeatedly during the general election, voters expressed that they wanted to see the same candidate run in multiple cycles. In such a large district, it’s hard for people to get to know the candidate otherwise. I got more votes than any other candidate has gotten in the NY21 race, despite the challenges of a congressional district map that pumped an additional 50,000 registered Republicans into the district in February 2024, causing our record raw numbers to be matched with a drop in margins. I know this district, its data, its geography, and its volunteers, better than any other prospective candidate for the Democratic line on the ballot. I’m solidly middle class, a proud union member. I understand the struggles firsthand how hard it is to put food on the table, gas in the car, and keep a roof overhead.
Accountability
Once elected, I will hold myself accountable to voters through regular Town Hall meetings, presence in the district (all 15 counties) and Zoom meetings.
Thousands of upstate New York Democrats worked really hard to get seats flipped in districts that are adjacent to NY21. I know. There were many occasions when volunteers would say, “Nope. Can’t canvass for you. I’m driving over to help out with the campaigns in _____’s race.” Understood. The state party conveyed the importance of the seats in the coordinated campaign.
Upstate Congressional votes on The Laken Riley Act
But – golly gee – the first week that these Red-to-Blue winners are in Congress, they voted with the Republicans on the Laken Riley Act! That’s the act that opens the door for law enforcement to detain undocumented immigrants accused of even minor crimes.
Want someone deported? Just tell a law enforcement officer that you think they look like someone who may have done something wrong. Once that person is arrested, they can face deportation immediately upon release – even if they are innocent of the alleged crime. No due process. No innocent until proven guilty. The immigration law does not follow what they show you on TV crime shows.
The votes on the Laken Riley Act were upsetting to the people who worked hard to get these Democratic representatives elected. It would be nice to hear from them how they came to their respective conclusions as to how to vote. Maybe if they explained themselves, their supporters could see things from a different perspective.
Honestly – I’m tired of calling various local and state elected officials and getting voice mail. Don’t they have interns? Does anybody EVER answer their phones once they move into the congressional office buildings? I can tell you from experience, just having a live human on the other end of the line is showing respect, and it’s something I intend to provide once I am in office.
My two cents: accountability is key to rebuilding our Democratic Party.
The race for DNC Chair
In addition to the Special Election getting more definition next week, we also have the Democratic National Committee (DNC) vote for party Chair. They (448 members of the DNC) will vote on February 1 at the party’s winter meeting. This seat was previously held by Jaime Harrison, who announced on November 6, 2024, after the party suffered bruising defeats in the general election, that he would not seek re-election.
The DNC Chair’s responsibilities are broadly defined in the party’s rules. They are to remain impartial when the Democratic party is in the process of choosing presidential nominees. They are to work with state and local party officials as cheerleaders, fundraisers, administrators, and recruiters. More than that, in my opinion, they set the tone for how we are going to build our party’s platform. Interestingly, Indivisible, which is not a part of the Democratic party but is, instead, a great partner organization, has an excellent explanation of the DNC Chair’s responsibilities here.
There have been a lot of candidates who have gathered the required 40 nominations to officially run for DNC Chair. There is a list here on Wikipedia. Not pictured on that Wikipedia page is Dr. Quintessa Hathaway from Arkansas, who presents a platform that has much more focus on civil rights, voter registration, and building Democratic coalitions in the South than the other candidates.
Thus far, the front runners seem to be Ken Martin, from Minnesota; Ben Wikler, from Wisconsin; and Martin O’Malley, from Maryland. Each has their ideas about how to move forward in terms of fundraising, overall tone of the party, and how to win back voters.
New York had a contender
New York Senator James Skoufis was seeking the nomination, but has now withdrawn. He realized he simply did not have the votes. I heard Sen. Skoufis speak at a DNC Chair nominee panel sponsored by the Democratic Rural Conference. He mentioned a conversation with Assembly Member Billy Jones, who was widely speculated to be a pick for the congressional race in NY-21. After Jones decided not to run, Skoufis called him and asked if anyone from the national party had reached out to him to ask about NY-21. Jones’ response: no. Skoufis thought this was puzzling, given the importance of the Special Election.
I was able to speak on the phone with Sen. Skoufis. I explained that this kind of sympathetic-but-nonetheless-brushoff from the state and national Democratic parties in NY-21 is something we are really familiar with. He expressed soft outrage, and the hope that a new DNC chair will turn things around, especially for rural districts.
Are Democrats ready for a populist DNC Chair?
Faiz Shakir is a latecomer to the race for DNC chair. Formerly the Campaign Manager for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, Shakir asks the existential questions out loud. Where are we going to get voters? And what are we going to really deliver in order to earn their support? Shakir proposes stepping out of the normal Starbucks-sipping venues of well-educated, upper-income circles, and returning to our populist, middle class, union member roots. “We cannot expect working-class audiences to see us any differently if we are not offering anything new or substantive to attract their support.”
What does this have to do with you, me, or the race in NY-21?
The Special Elections will be held within weeks of the election of the new DNC chair. Whoever emerges as the new chair will want to prove themselves quickly.
My hope, of course, is that the race will garner national attention and support, especially from the DNC.
But we still have a voter registration problem in NY-21.
Despite any state or national party leader’s personal inclination, there still needs to be solid strategy behind investment in the race in NY-21.
Democrats have a voter registration problem in NY-21. In the coming weeks you will hear more from me on that topic.
We have a deficit of some 81,000 active Democratic-leaning voters in NY-21, compared with active registered Republican-leaning voters. If you vote in NY-21 and you are not registered as a Democrat or as a member of the Working Families Party (WFP), I ask you to consider changing your party registration. It isn’t difficult to do, and there is time to do so.
This is why the state and national parties skip over NY-21.
The numbers in NY 21 tell the story as to why the party has been reluctant to put us in a well-supported coordinated campaign as they did in our neighboring congressional districts. In NY-21, we have:
213,743 active Republican + Conservative Party voters
132,559 active Dem + WFP voters
145,971 active Blank or Independent voters
If you are one of the Blank or Independent voters (or if you are a registered Republican who votes Blue!) you can make a big difference in rebuilding the Democratic Party in upstate NY by changing your voter registration. Any positive movement in voter registrations into the “Blue” category will certainly help us to get state and national party support.
Here is a link to the New York State site to change your voter registration online.
Stay tuned. I’m gonna keep teaching and preaching about this topic.
Til then, manage your news so you stay informed but not overwhelmed, and stay warm!
Interestingly... I have thought about a joint announcement of the democrat candidate and a working relationship.
ª that is to say that when the candidate is announced prominent Dems who have run before, would be part of the support system for the special eleciton candidate
ª one of the frustrations I have had that every two years there are candidates, when they lost they moved on... (You did mention in your tv interview that you had contact with some of the past candidates)
ª as sickening to see the gQp goosestep to the hmpy trmPEDO, it is just as disturbing to watch how un-united the democrats are... (as the Michelle Wolf says (to paraphrase).. dems find a way to lose)
That unified front... and I probably am wrong about this.. hasn't felt real to me in ny21... I don't remember many High Profile Democrats campaigning here (I seem to remember maybe Chuck Schumer)... and I guess there is a fear that say a Kathy Hochul
Governor of New York would be a negative if she campaigned in ny21..
It kind of repeats what I say when I say the dems don't know how to unite
I think the use of populist.... is not understood by the democrats... hint, it isn’t who the billionaire democrats like.
I agree with Faiz Shakir...
///the fact that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lost to a democrat who could not do half of what she could... is worse that the constant demonizing by fox (https://www.foxnews.com/media/aoc-complains-jon-stewart-normalized-trump-so-much-more-dangerous-second-term) when your own party demonizes you, who needs fox////
besides registering democrats.. all democrats need to be active...
personally I think we should be calling our county chairs
https://www.nydems.org/about/counties
and seeing what they are thinking as far as selecting a candidate?
NYS dem chair Jay S. Jacobs (https://www.nydems.org/about/leadership)
sorry to ramble.
there are groups you can move and those you can’t.. the magQholes© don’t care about hmpy trmPEDO pardoned cop killers.. you can’t move those...
and (I don’t care how harsh this is) all the republican candidates support the cop killers
that is to be repeated until the republicans with a brain and hopefully common sense; and the independents and the non-voting democrats - - - > hear it
I’m registered as Working Families Party. I hope that means that people with no party registration are more open when I stump for Paula Collins.