The New York Primary Elections are on Thu, Sep 13th. We’ve learned in recent years that primary elections are very important; the results of those elections bear on issues like who the superdelegates are at the Democratic National Convention.
I’ve been doing some web research on the candidates. I found Ballotpedia to be a very useful resource, in that it let me know who’s running. This district finder let me identify for the first time which are my Congressional and Senate districts, both Federal and State. Hey, I’ve only been living here for 30 years. How did you expect me to know?
What follows are my current impressions of the candidates who will appear in contested Democratic Primary elections on my district’s ballot. Feel free to (politely) disagree with my views and reasoning.
The Democratic Gubernatorial Primary is between Andrew Cuomo and Cynthia Nixon. For me, it’s a tough choice. I like Nixon’s policy positions, even if they’re a bit focused on NYC issues. However, recent events have soured me on voting for inexperienced politicians solely on the basis of their celebrity. On the other hand, I don’t like Cuomo going to bed with the IDC.
Verdict: At this moment I’m slightly more in Nixon’s favor. I wish she’d run for a lesser office than Governor to gain political experience; if she wants improvements in the NYC subway, why not run for Mayor? I’ll follow the news for the next month and see if the balance shifts.
New York Attorney General: This is certainly an election I should know more about, especially with four candidates competing for the nomination.
Verdict: Again, a tough call given my general ignorance of the politics involved. After reading Ballotopedia’s links, I plan to vote for Zephyr Teachout, mainly for her anti-corporate stance.
New York State Senate: I’m in NYS Senate District 38; the race is between David Carlucci and Julie Goldberg
Verdict: Another tough call. I think I’ll go with Goldberg, as education is an important issue for me. Also, I don’t like Carlucci’s IDC connection, even if he says he’s trying to end it.
All the other elections in this upcoming Democratic Primary are uncontested, at least in my district.
Argh! Am I making the right choices? Are there any right choices? Argh!
Oops! I didn’t see the contest for Lieutenant Governor. It’s Jumaane Williams against Kathy Hochul in the Democratic Primary.
And yet again, it’s a tough choice; they seem even in my eyes. I’m going to give Williams my vote, but it’s a very slim margin.
For those of you keeping score at home: Every person I voted for lost. Oh, well.