| | | | |  | | By Nick Reisman, Emily Ngo and Jeff Coltin | With help from Rich Mendez
|  Rep. Jamaal Bowman faced off against opponent George Latimer in a televised debate Wednesday night. | Rich Mendez/POLITICO | Even in a relatively civil televised debate between Rep. Jamaal Bowman and his Democratic primary challenger Westchester County Executive George Latimer, there was a bristling hostility that cut through the policy talk. The Democrats squared off Wednesday night in their second TV debate on NY1 in the heated and exceeding costly primary for the Westchester-Bronx district. The faultline in the race has stemmed almost entirely from Latimer’s stance as a pro-Israel Democrat and Bowman’s criticism of the country amid the ongoing war in Gaza. But the candidates found new ways of getting on each others’ nerves. Here are five things that jumped out to us: Daylight with Biden: Bowman has been careful during the primary to highlight his support of President Joe Biden — even if he disagrees with the party’s top-of-the-ticket on the consequential issue of Israel. Bowman in the debate stressed his support for Biden and how he “stood on the same stage” with the president during a visit to Yonkers in the district. But the president’s handling of the war in Gaza is different, Bowman said. “I disagree with the president’s response to Gaza,” Bowman said. “I don’t think we should have sent new weapons to Israel.” Biden has not endorsed in the primary. All about that base: Latimer has drawn support through the primary from his fellow elected officials, his peers in the suburban enclave that have known him for years. He’s tried to use this to his advantage, with the subtext Bowman’s ties to key leaders are tenuous at best. He quizzed Bowman on whether he knows who the mayor of the suburban communities that compose much of the district. Voters, of course, could be forgiven themselves for not knowing who the mayor of Port Chester or town supervisor of Mamaroneck is, however. And Bowman almost definitely knows that. The two-term representative has instead focused on his base within the district — mostly working-class voters of color. So, wait, who is the incumbent in this race? Bowman has proudly flaunted his underdog status in the race even as Latimer tried to seize on dissembling over the now-infamous pulling of the fire alarm as a sign the representative is a “creature of Washington.” Groups that are often associated with supporting insurgent challengers — Make the Road Action, the Working Families Party — are in Bowman’s camp. Latimer, by contrast, has the backing of the establishment and a long record in public office he was glad to tick off in the Wednesday debate when it comes to bread-and-butter issues like housing and budgets. Who is funding who: An increasingly tense exchange at the end dwelled on the merits of outside money and big money. Millions of dollars are being poured into the district by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a leading pro-Israel organization and its super PAC to benefit Latimer. Many Bowman donors live not just out of the district, but out of the state. But the dispute obscures a larger truth: This primary is a proxy war amid competing forces within the Democratic Party. In one corner is the long-standing support Democrats have had for Israel for decades that in the last few years has started to fray. And in the other is a constellation of left-leaning causes and interest groups that have tried to wrest away control of the party from centrists. The zingers: Both Latimer and Bowman came armed with zingers. Or they let their barely concealed contempt for one other shine through a bit. “This dude’ll say anything,” Bowman said during one exchange. Latimer, not to let the fire alarm saga go unmentioned: “I’m going to pull the truth alarm.” — Nick Reisman HAPPY THURSDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
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Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany making a public safety announcement. WHERE’S ERIC? Calling in for a live interview on 77 WABC's "Cats & Cosby," then delivering remarks at a reception for the king and queen of the Netherlands. Afterward, Adams will be hosting a reception to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and finally, speaking at the Alofoke Radio Show celebration. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We are approaching walking speeds.” — Traffic engineer Sam Schwartz, one the average taxi speed in midtown Manhattan falling to 4.5 miles per hour last month, the lowest ever recorded for May, via The Wall Street Journal.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
Rep. Mike Lawler welcomed endorsements from key labor groups that could help him in his race against former Rep. Mondaire Jones. | Francis Chung/E&E News/POLITICO | LABOR AND LAWLER: Rep. Mike Lawler has clinched endorsements from two key local labor groups in a coup of sorts for a Republican in Democrat-controlled, union-friendly New York, according to correspondences that are first in Playbook. The Hudson Valley House member has added the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local Union 363 and the Teamsters & Chauffeurs Union Local 456 to what he called his “broad, strong coalition of labor support.” Lawler’s fight this fall against Democratic former Rep. Mondaire Jones — who argued he’s the pro-labor candidate — is expected to be one of the fiercest congressional races in the country, especially with former President Donald Trump and Biden at the top of the ticket. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is putting its considerable battleground clout to the test in the presidential election. Teamsters president Sean O’Brien has sought speaking slots at both the Democratic and Republican national conventions, and the group’s political arm made convention-related donations to both parties. Louis Picani, president of the Teamsters Local 456, cited Lawler’s bipartisan appeal in his group’s letter of endorsement, writing, “Your commitment and ability to work across the aisle shows your dedication and willingness to resolve any issues that come before you, benefiting New Yorkers as a whole.” Jones’ influential union endorsements include the Communications Workers of America, 1199 SEIU and the New York State Nurses Association. Asked about labor support for Lawler, Jones’ campaign spokesperson Shannon Geison cited votes by the freshman Republican hurting the National Labor Relations Board and said, “There is only one candidate in this race who supports the PRO Act and has a pro-worker record and that’s Mondaire Jones.” — Emily Ngo
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
Manhattan school board members couldn't rescind a measure looking to change guidelines about transgender kids in school sports. | Rogelio V. Solis/AP | TRANS SPORTS VOTE STANDS: Members of a Manhattan school board failed to rescind a controversial measure seeking to change guidelines about transgender kids’ participation in school sports at a meeting Wednesday night. Members of District 2, home to the Upper East Side as well as Stonewall Inn, the birthplace of the gay rights movement, introduced a resolution, but it didn’t pass. In March, representatives of the district overwhelmingly approved the resolution urging the city to form a committee to review guidelines allowing students to play on sports teams aligned with their gender identity. That was pushed by parent organizer Maud Maron, who may be removed from her unpaid, advisory role amid her involvement in the effort. Advocates and parents heckled speakers who endorsed the non-binding proposal the schools chancellor has rebuked. Holding posters with slogans like “TRANS KIDS DESERVE DIGNITY!,” audience members turned their backs to the speakers, coughing to disrupt them. The board president briefly suspended the public comment session, to the dismay of Maron, who wanted accountability for people who interrupt speakers with whom they don’t agree. — Madina Touré More from the city: — Texts show Adams went to extraordinary lengths to privately pacify his mentee Lamor Whitehead, as the “Bling Bishop” picked fights with his top adviser and pressed him for financial and political help. (Daily News) — The City Council heard legislation that would prevent prospective tenants from having to pay fees for brokers hired by landlords. (POLITICO) — Adams praised a reporter’s body in what wasn’t the mayor’s first comment about someone’s physical appearance. (New York Times)
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The House minority leader is deeply involved in an Assembly race to stop the DSA from increasing its foothold in the historically Black neighborhoods he represents in Brooklyn that he believes white gentrifiers are redefining politically. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | JEFFRIES V. DSA: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is locked in another electoral battle with socialists in his home district, and he’s in danger of losing, POLITICO reports. The House minority leader is deeply involved in an Assembly race to stop the DSA from increasing its foothold in the historically Black neighborhoods he represents in Brooklyn that he believes white gentrifiers are redefining politically. His preferred candidate, incumbent Stefani Zinerman, is facing opponent Eon Huntley, who has raised more money and won the support of the popular state Sen. Jabari Brisport. Jeffries has to mind his left flank as he ascends in Washington. “We need a cohesive group of individuals who are committed, and all on the same page,” Attorney General Tish James, who is also backing Zinerman, said in an interview. “And not individuals who are throwing rocks and stones and are trying to disrupt the progress that we’ve made in Central Brooklyn.” But Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posited that DSA’s messaging is catching on. “I think a lot of the alarmist rhetoric about socialism and all of that, it hasn’t been particularly effective in New York,” she said when asked to respond to Jeffries’ critiques of the political movement. “I think New Yorkers are ready to actually be able to afford where we live.” — Jeff Coltin NOT EASY BEING GREEN: Jill Stein, the Green Party’s presidential candidate, will appear virtually at the state Board of Elections today as she tries to qualify for the ballot in New York. Stein is among the third-party candidates who are trying to appear on the presidential ballot. Her campaign is pushing back on the recommendation of Board of Elections officials that 42,000 signatures Stein submitted for ballot access be tossed out. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — A proposal to allow distillers to directly sell to consumers is heading to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk. (Times Union) — Hochul’s recent opposition to congestion pricing taking effect is at direct odds with what she’s said in the immediate past. (Gothamist) — The congestion pricing “pause” has split lawmakers in the northern New York City suburbs. (LoHud)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | 
A crypto-funded super PAC will air a six-figure ad for Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman. | Mary Altaffer/AP | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: A super PAC funded by major cryptocurrency firms has cut a TV ad for Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman. The ad being released today by the super PAC Protect Progress has a six-figure buy behind it running on cable channels MSNBC and CNN. It will air between now and the June 25 House primary. Protect Progress is among a network of super PACs that cryptocurrency firm Ripple Labs and others have helped fund this election cycle and boost candidates seen as friendly to the industry. Combined, the super PAC network has raised about $160 million, according to spokesperson Josh Vlasto. Goldman, a Manhattan lawmaker first elected in 2022, faces Evan Hutchison and Bruno Gransard in a decidedly smaller primary than the six-candidate field from two years ago. — Nick Reisman More from Congress: — Allegations of racism leveled by Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who is Black, against his rival George Latimer, who is white, have become a vitriolic hallmark of the primary’s final weeks. (POLITICO) — In an eastern Long Island primary, Nancy Goroff wants another shot at Congress while John Avlon says he’s more viable. (City & State) — Democrats John Mannion and Sarah Klee Hood tangled on some issues in the first debate of their Syracuse-area primary. (Syracuse.com)
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | PROSECUTOR PICKS SUCCESSOR: First in Playbook, Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah is endorsing Susan Cacace in the competitive Democratic primary to succeed her. Cacace is “the only candidate in the race with the experience and ethics we need,” Rocah said in a statement on a mailer that Cacace’s campaign expects to hit 70,000 homes in the county today. Cacace is a longtime county judge, and an assistant DA in the office before that. She comes from a powerful family. The Yonkers city jail is named after her late father, who was also a judge. Rocah is declining to seek reelection to a second term, after unseating former DA Anthony Scarpino in 2020. Her endorsement is an important one, in a primary that’s been overshadowed by the headline-grabbing Bowman-Latimer race, but her support of Cacace isn’t a total surprise. Defense attorney William Wagstaff is a top opponent with prominent support including 1199 SEIU and the Working Families Party, but he publicly assailed Rocah in 2022, claiming she unfairly lumped his client into a gang assault case. The third candidate, Adeel Mirza, was laid off as an ADA when Rocah took office after he was sued for sexual and racial harassment by a colleague — a case he calls “frivolous.” — Jeff Coltin More from New York: — The City of Newburgh’s efforts to boot migrants from a hotel were compared in legal arguments to arresting Black activists conducting sit-ins at diner counters in the 1960s. (New York Law Journal) — People exposed to debris from ground zero on 9/11 are much more likely to develop early onset dementia, according to a study out of Stony Brook University. (Gothamist) — Two Brooklyn women recount how they began celebrating Juneteeth in their neighborhood more than two decades ago. (THE CITY)
| | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman OUT AND ABOUT — Retro Report hosted a screening on Tuesday night of the season premiere episode of Scripps News’' “In Real Life: A. Hidden War,” fronted by correspondent Sebastian Walker. Jodie Ginsberg, the CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, joined in for a panel with partners from Bellingcat. SPOTTED: Zach Toombs, Sebastian Walker, Adam Desiderio, Joshua Hersch, Craig Gordon, Bonnie Bertram, Stacey Sommer, Elise Flick, Jeb Banegas, Emily Sen, Ani Ucar, Britta Galanis, Craig Thomson and Jika Gonzales. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) … Nicole Gelinas … POLITICO’s Eli Stokols … Anat’s Reynaldo Muniz … CNN’s Jamie Zahn-Liebes … former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (8-0) … Andrew Grossman … Sarah Bartnicka … Ryan Rhodes … Morgan Pitt … Philip Rosenthal Missed Wednesday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here.
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