JACOBS VS. DARLING: Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs is feuding with a junior Assemblymember who insists the party is deceiving and retaliating against her in her bid to become the sole Democratic state senator in Nassau County. Jacobs, who also heads Nassau’s Democratic Party, is suggesting the lawmaker simply used the party’s resources to arrive at the perch she enjoys today. The brewing battle between Assemblymember Taylor Darling and Jacobs involves accusations of dishonesty, disloyalty and deception. To understand the Democratic state Senate primary between Darling and County Legislator Siela Bynoe — a salacious election that’s flown under the radar — you need to understand how Darling got her start in the Democratic Party. In 2018 Darling, who at the time went by Taylor Raynor, surprised political insiders when she unseated former Deputy Speaker Earlene Hooper, the political veteran and right hand to former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. The party and Jacobs had put resources behind Raynor to unseat Hooper. “Taylor became an Assemblymember by virtue of the support that the party provided her, both in terms of volunteers and financial contributions,” Jacobs said. “You start with the party, but after that it just appeared that the party was no longer of the same value to her once in office.” But now the party and Darling seem to be at odds. Darling told Playbook that the Jacobs-controlled state and county Democratic party has undergone a coordinated effort to thwart her campaign and boost Bynoe — while simultaneously communicating to her that they are staying neutral in the race. That includes accusations that the party sought to circulate Bynoe’s petitions and not hers and that she hasn’t been granted the same access to voter information databases crucial for targeting voters. She also alleges the party has been generally unresponsive to her queries and requests. “Initially we were told there was going to be party neutrality, and that really hasn't been the case,” Darling said. “Our ability to gain information that is readily available in other counties when people are running for office, we've had difficulty with that. We've had some party loyalists approach people working on our team in an aggressive manner in the field, the party chair has maxed out my opponent with his own personal money, and the way certain labor has moved, it's very telling,” she added. Jacobs denied the accusations, saying everything requested by Darling’s campaign was provided “immediately.” While the party has taken no official position, Jacobs has donated $5,000 of his own money to Bynoe. “Taylor, I think, is mischaracterizing what happened with the petitions,” he added. What is the source of the beef? Darling believes the party has aligned against her because of her refusal to support "special interests," but she wouldn't name those interests to Playbook. “All I can say is that if you look at the fundraising between Siela Bynoe and Taylor Darling, I think you're going to find far more lobbyists and special interests having donated to Taylor Darling's campaign than Siela Bynoe’s,” Jacobs said. (Darling’s contributions from pro-charter school groups were in last week’s Playbook) Meanwhile Bynoe, despite holding the part-time local job of County Legislator, has received high-profile endorsements from Rep. Tom Suozzi and former County Executive Laura Curran. She didn’t want to get involved in the feud. “I am not involved in any of this political maneuvering or conversations that are happening at this point,” Bynoe said. Darling, whose Assembly district resides entirely within the Senate district, received the backing of outgoing incumbent Kevin Thomas. Other members of the Legislature outside Nassau County have also endorsed Darling. She also denied Jacob’s charge that she hasn’t valued the party the same since she was elected, saying “I don’t value dishonesty and deceit, I don’t value bullying.” — Jason Beeferman | 
