| | | | |  | | By Jeff Coltin, Nick Reisman and Emily Ngo | | Presented by |  | | | With Timmy Facciola
| | 
“New Yorkers need someone who will make the city and the state a beacon of hope in an otherwise despairing time,” said Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who's gunning for Gracie Mansion. | Jeff Coltin / POLITICO | NEW YORK MINUTE: Conversations at Somos about winning the Latino vote have gotten pointed, POLITICO reports from San Juan, after President-elect Donald Trump’s gains among that demographic helped fuel his win on Tuesday. The talks will continue, with receptions and parties on political players’ calendars through Saturday night. PARTY LIKE IT’S 2018: Mayor Eric Adams isn’t coming to Somos. But he needs to look out for a blue wave. After Donald Trump’s last win, progressive energy swept insurgents like Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie into office, unseating incumbents they branded as “Trump Democrats.” Now Adams is trying to avoid the same fate, from some of the same people. “I’ve done it before and I can do it again,” Ramos, now a mayoral candidate, said to Playbook. “In 2018, when voters chose to go in a different direction in response to Trump, we got some of the most forward-looking affordable housing legislation that we’ve seen in half a century,” Myrie said, making his own pitch for mayor. “We got some of the strongest voting rights in the entire country. We got some of the most important climate mitigation legislation that we’ve seen.” There’s widespread agreement among the chattering class at Somos that Trump could find a way to intervene in Adams’ federal criminal case — which the former president has derided as political persecution — or pardon him if he gets convicted. “He has a soft spot for the mayor,” Council member Diana Ayala said about Trump. “I think they have a complex. And that brings them together.” Much less clear is Trump’s effect on Adams’ reelection campaign. The mayor is taking a magnanimous approach to Trump’s win, talking to the president-elect Wednesday and speaking about finding common ground — betting that an increasingly conservative citywide electorate will appreciate his deliberate avoidance of demonizing the Republican. And there are early signs the resistance energy that met Trump in 2016 isn’t materializing. “There’s a sense of resignation,” a Democratic consultant said at Somos. “The pussy hats aren’t getting dusted off.” But the fact is Adams would still need to get past Democratic primary voters that still overwhelmingly oppose Trump — and challengers say he’s not the man for the moment. “New Yorkers need someone who will make the city and the state a beacon of hope in an otherwise despairing time,” Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani said. “And to be worthy of hope, it means, at the very least, you call out that which is creating despair. Not aligning yourself to it, to varying degrees.” Some players at Somos saw an opening for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who fended off a challenge from Cynthia Nixon in that post-Trump progressive wave — and who could run on machismo and standing up to Trump. Overall, Adams wasn’t popular before, and Trump coming in won’t help that, argued Comptroller Brad Lander, another mayoral candidate. “I don’t think people will like having a mayor, wondering ‘is he doing that because he’s seeking a pardon?’” he said. “And I think that will continue to contribute to a concern about trustworthiness.” — Jeff Coltin HAPPY FRIDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | A message from Uber: New York City Uber riders pay $700 Million in taxes and fees annually* That’s more than the entire budget for New York City Parks Department. *Based on trips originating from NYC in 2023. Learn more. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? In Puerto Rico for Somos and making an announcement on strengthening ties with the island. WHERE’S ERIC? In New York City with no public schedule. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "We Saved America.” — Unsolicited text from billionaire Republican donor and businessperson John Catsimadtidis in a text thread that included Nick, Jeff and the Rev. Ruben Diaz.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
Gov. Kathy Hochul's spokesperson said she's “is ready to work” with President-elect Donald Trump on anything that helps New York. | Julia Nikhinson/AP | #RESISTANCE IS FUTILE: Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to fight the new Trump administration on core areas important to liberals — the environment, gun control and rights for labor and LGBTQ+ people. And some Democratic strategists worry the posturing, only a day after Trump’s victory, is a mistake. “I would not have taken a sharp, aggressive stance out of the gate on day one,” said Jason Elan, a Democratic operative who has worked for Hochul, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Rep. Tom Suozzi. “It’s ok to remind people that you’re going to protect them, but it does a disservice when you need the federal government.” Democrats recall the early days of 2016, when an online movement of left-leaning advocates, voters and elected officials portrayed themselves as “the resistance” to the first Trump presidency — vowing to counter his policies in blue states. But that was when Trump’s electoral college win over Hillary Clinton was a devastating surprise, especially to blue state Democrats. This time, Trump cruised to victory and was handed a mandate. In New York, Trump received 43 percent of the statewide vote, the highest share for a Republican since 1988. “If we don’t make significant changes that red wave is going to rise and we’re in danger of losing a statewide race,” Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine told Playbook. Levine said Hochul’s move to reassure nervous New Yorkers was worthwhile. But he believes broad policy changes from Democrats are needed, especially on issues like public safety. “People need to know that local government has the ability to protect the people who live here,” he said. “There’s a lot of fear, enormous fear.” He added, “I don’t think there’s a contradiction between stepping up and protecting people and saying we’ve got to make some changes in the way we’re governing.” Hochul has taken a firmer line on issues like crime, moving to scale back the controversial cashless bail law and strengthening efforts to combat retail theft. She also signaled an intention to work with Trump when possible. “However, if you try to harm New Yorkers or roll back their rights, I will fight you every step of the way,” she said. “New Yorkers are resilient — we fought the first time around and we'll fight again.” Hochul spokesperson Avi Small added that the governor “is ready to work” with Trump on anything that helps New York. “Gov. Hochul is fighting on behalf of all New Yorkers, regardless of who they voted for on Tuesday,” he said. “There's a lot at stake for New Yorkers over the next four years, from federally-funded projects like Micron and the Second Avenue Subway to fundamental freedoms like the right for women to control their own bodies.” — Nick Reisman
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
Diane Savino, a top intergovernmental affairs aide to the mayor, insisted that legislators who criticize Adams are still receptive to working with City Hall. | Jeff Coltin/POLITICO | CIUDAD DE SI: Even with Adams officially skipping out on the conference, top aides are on the ground in San Juan working, with a major focus on lobbying City Council members to pass the City of Yes for Housing plan. Nate Bliss, chief of staff to First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, is doing so with a literal black eye, in an apt metaphor for Adams’ political standing. (Surfing accident, not a lobbying mishap, thankfully.) But Diane Savino, a top intergovernmental affairs aide to the mayor, insisted that even legislators who criticize Adams are receptive to working with City Hall. “Despite some people’s public commentary, at the end of the day, they have a responsibility to the City of New York. What they’d say to you, is not what they’d say to me,” she said. “And I think they’re afraid of me.” More than a dozen top Adams aides are coming in the mayor’s stead, City & State reported, including City Planning Commissioner Dan Garodnick, a top dog on the City of Yes. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — The city will end a contentious program that provides debit cards to migrant families to purchase food. (New York Times) — Advocates for street vendors fear migrants will be targeted through new Sanitation Department powers granted by a ballot proposal. (Gothamist) — A federal judge threatened to hold Rudy Giuliani in contempt after the former mayor missed a court-imposed deadline to surrender his assets, including a Mercedes convertible. ( POLITICO)
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | |  Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said both she and President-elect Donald Trump want to stop congestion pricing. | Emily Ngo/POLITICO | WHAT REPUBLICANS WANT: Beef up border security. Kill congestion pricing. Pass the SALT. New York Republicans want the new order in Washington to address what could be pivotal issues for them when they stand before voters again in 2026 — and potentially hold together a growing coalition of suburbanites and urban voters of color who supported Trump. “I hope he will deliver on congestion pricing,” New York City Council member Joe Borelli told Playbook. “It will reinforce his base in the suburban counties with congressional seats he’ll want to hold on to. That and raising the SALT cap will serve him well. I also think he will find more satisfied customers in the city who want to start deporting migrant criminals.” Delivering on those provisions could be tricky. Changing the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions, a component of a 2017 tax package Trump signed in his first administration, is not expected to be an entire repeal. The cap remains a key concern for New York City suburban voters who pay some of the highest property taxes in the country. “It’s starting to become a national problem because of people trying to find more affordable places and they’re inadvertently making it more expensive,” Assemblymember Matt Slater said. And congestion pricing — the controversial $15 toll program meant to leverage $15 billion in bonds to pay for mass transit infrastructure improvements — remains in limbo. Hochul is expected to introduce an alternative at the end of the year. Democrats in the state Legislature believe a vote for a new program could happen in early January before Trump is inaugurated. But even that timing could be tricky, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said. “I’ve personally spoken with President Trump on this issue and he believes the same as I do,” she said. “We will have the ability to stop this thing.” — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — Plans are underway to address MTA funding, Hochul says. (NY1) — Republican Scott Bendett turned back a challenge from Democrat Chloe Pierce in an Albany-area Assembly seat. (Times Union) — A state Supreme Court struck down New York’s version of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act. (Spectrum News)
| | | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | |  House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries celebrated flips by John Mannion, Josh Riley and Laura Gillen this week. | Getty Images | WINS IN NY, WAIT NATIONALLY: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has much to tout when it comes to how House Dems fared in New York this week, but he won’t know until next week at the earliest which party will control the chamber. He name-dropped colleagues in his New York victory lap Thursday. “Certainly, the biggest Democratic wins were right here in New York,” he told NY1 . “We’re so thankful to the coordinated campaign effort that was put together from the very beginning in the aftermath of the 2022 elections, led by Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senator Gillibrand, the New York congressional delegate, Jay Jacobs, the state party chair, our union friends and allies. It was an all-hands-on-deck effort.” Jeffries noted that Dems reversed their 2022 losses with a February special election win by Rep. Tom Suozzi and flips this week by John Mannion, Josh Riley and Laura Gillen. He said his party will still have strength in numbers, even if fortune doesn’t favor them in Arizona, Oregon and California, where race results are still pending. “Both sides believe that whatever happens with the majority in the next Congress, that Democrats will be no shorter than 212 to 214 votes,” the Brooklyn Democrat said. “And we still have a clear pathway to taking back the majority.” — Emily Ngo IN NY-04, DEMS DUG IN: Dems showed up for Laura Gillen, whose upset of Rep. Anthony D’Esposito on western Long Island was made official Thursday. In addition to campaigning for her and appealing to key constituencies, as Playbook has reported, they canvassed and contributed financially. Hochul, who headlined some county party fundraisers, helped raise $400,000 in Nassau County. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who was core to the building of the Dems’ “coordinated campaign,” raised $27,000 for Gillen and stumped with the former Hempstead Town supervisor right before the election. The coordinated campaign made 648,000 calls for her and knocked on 198,000 doors in the district. Battleground New York, the coalition of labor and left-leaning groups, was a force in NY-04, focusing in part on Asian and other non-white voters essential to a Dem win. The group registered 9,300 voters and canvassed 321,000 people, including 50,000 in the four days before Election Day. — Emily Ngo More from Congress: — Rep. Elise Stefanik is being considered for the United Nations ambassadorship. (POLITICO) — Rep. Tom Suozzi says Democrats lost votes for supporting “biological boys” playing on girls’ sports teams. (City & State) — After Dem loses, Sen. Chuck Schumer is set to lose his long-sought majority leader job. (NY1)
| | | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | | — More New Yorkers are hiring personal chefs, which has become cheaper than takeout. (Gothamist) — A rubber plant in Buffalo is closing, which could cost more than 1,500 jobs. (Buffalo News) — Mass deportations by the new Trump administration could end the city’s reliance on motels. (Crain’s New York)
| | | | A message from Uber: Ever thought about what it’s like to drive for Uber in New York?
Uber Drivers earn $32 per hour.* And that’s before incentives and tips
They also get benefits including dental insurance, vision coverage, mental health support, and workers’ compensation through the Black Car Fund and Driver Benefits Fund.
*Average earnings per online hour from January - July 2024 based on trips originating from NYC
Learn more. | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MUST SEE TV: POLITICO’s Emily Ngo was a guest Thursday on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” whose host Ronny Chieng helped remind viewers that New York Playbook is essential reading. Thanks, Ronny! MAKING MOVES: Emmet Teran is now executive director of the City Council Progressive Caucus. He was previously comms director to Council member Alexa Avilés. MEDIAWATCH: Natalie Munio has been promoted to communications manager at MSNBC. She most recently was a senior publicist at the network. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: ABC’s David Muir … Blackstone’s Wayne Berman … Beau Yaccino of FTI Consulting … NYT’s Emma Fitzsimmons … LISC’s Valerie White … Weston Loyd … Peter Kadzik … Alan Harper Finch … Katt Riley … Ashley Higgins … Shushannah Walshe … (WAS THURSDAY): Laurie Tobias Cohen ... Avi Zenilman Missed Thursday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here.
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