William Bell/Gotham Gazette
Mollie Fullington (l) and Rebecca Katz discuss the mayoral race so far.
Even if it doesn’t quite feel as though the campaign for mayor has truly begun, the calendar says the September 12 primary is a mere six weeks away, and the signs that summer is beginning to give way to fall are all around.
Department stores are ramping up the back-to-school sales. Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline is a few hours away. And a new poll out Monday shows the race for mayor is tightening, though mainly because Mayor de Blasio’s appeal seems to be slipping, not because his opponents are winning over more voters. Meanwhile, what has become the key policy topic in the race, the subway crisis, continues to grind on.
Rebecca Katz, a long-time Democratic consultant who helped de Blasio become mayor, and Mollie Fullinton, an experienced Republican operative who recently worked for Paul Massey, joined the Max & Murphy podcast on Monday to discuss the race.
Why didn’t a higher-profile candidate step up to challenge de Blasio? How did the media affect Paul Massey’s chances? What are the potential inflection points over the next three months that might change the trajectory of the race? Does it matter whether de Blasio is likeable? Does Sal Albanese’s challenge hurt or help the mayor?
Listen below for the answers and more.
One thought on “Max & Murphy: Top Strategists Break Down the Race for Mayor”
This debate while interesting to political insiders is largely symbolic. Mayor de Blasio and all the city-wide candidate incumbents will be re-elected. The more probing question is how the Democratic regulars have elections locked up in the city with the assistance of de Blasio supporters like NY1 and Brian Lehrer NYC giving the mayor a weekly segment which amounted to political advertising for the incumbent. The fear of Trump, the control of democratic political machines, the inadequate campaign finance, and the mainstream media as accomplices has led us to this point. Even folks like Max from Gotham Gazette only goes to establishment liberal mainstream radio and television while pretending to advocate for reform. The straphangers advocates have been silent parroting the Governor and Mayor while the subway system falls apart. When all is said and done “a people get the government they deserve” and as such if you are happy with what we have begin the celebrations today, if you aren’t then lament that NYC has no oppositional party frameworks. Perhaps a case for a Constitutional Convention?