Capitol Confidential

Election Day is less than two weeks away and the fate of New York's most competitive congressional races is still a bit hazy. To help bring some clarity to the campaigns, political data analyst Noah Rudnick joined the podcast to explain his election forecasting model and explore the underlying fundamentals in the hotly contested congressional seats, including the 19th Congressional District race between Republican incumbent John Faso and Democratic challenger Antonio Delgado. The conversation explored the role campaign spending, past election results and demographics play in political prognostications, and Noah also shared his predictions for the House of Representatives elections in New York.

David Carlucci, an original member of the state Senate's Independent Democratic Conference and one of two to survive the primary night purges, joined the podcast for a look back and forward. The conversation examined the breakaway conference's founding and folding, his experience rejoining the Democratic fold and the potential for control of the chamber can flip. Carlucci also offered advice for the likely new class of millennial senators, experiencing the opioid epidemic as a town official and the fate of controversial campaign funds.

If 1992 was the "Year of the Woman," then 2018 is the "Year of Women." Across the country a record number of women are pursuing elected office and New York is seeing the same trend, with more than 100 women running for state legislative races this year. Two of those candidates, Michelle Ostrelich, a Democratic state Senate hopeful, and Mary Beth Walsh, a Republican member of the state Assembly, joined the podcast to talk about their only path in politics. The conversations also explore the need for women in government, the disparity between female Democratic candidates and female Republican candidates, the role of outside groups supporting women's political aspirations and President Donald J. Trump.  

There is widespread support for victims of child sexual abuse, but a comprehensive bill to make it easier to hold offenders accountable in criminal and civil court has failed to become law in New York. Gary Greenberg, a child sex abuse survivor, joined the podcast to talk about his advocacy for the Child Victims Act, which has been stymied by Senate Republicans. He talked about the root of his activism, the failed attempt to reach a compromise, and the importance of civil actions against perpetrators of sexual abuse.    

Going into primary night this summer, Gareth Rhodes was coming on the strong in the race for the Democratic nomination in the 19th Congressional District. He had picked up an endorsement from the New York Times and was rolling out support from major labor unions. When the ballots were tallied, though, his 6,890 votes were only enough for third place. The first-time candidate and veteran of the Cuomo administration joined the podcast to talk about his experience on the campaign trail in the Hudson Valley. The conversation explored the decision to run, what it took to start a campaign, the story behind his infamous RV and the secret of his toupee (it's not a toupee).

Twenty years ago, Chuck Schumer was facing an uphill battle to get into the U.S. Senate. Then a New York City congressman, he joined a crowded field pursuing the Democratic nomination to take on incumbent Republican Sen. Al D'Amato. Schumer handily won his primary and went on to win the senate seat by 10 points in November. Howard Wolfson, the communications director for Schumer's 1998 race, joined the podcast to talk about how they came from behind in the primary against former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, played tough in the general and flipped the seat from red to blue.  

It wouldn't be New York if there wasn't a recurring controversy surrounding political contributions. The current gubernatorial campaign has been marred by the federal probe into Crystal Run Healthcare, a politically influential Orange County firm that is responsible for $400,000 in contributions to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo re-election effort.  Times Union reporter Chris Bragg has been tracking the developments in this ongoing saga, including the civil trial, federal subpoenas and role of a Hudson Valley congressman. He joined the show to expand on his reporting, explain the scope of the drama and contemplated where the story will go next.

Suing the president, investigating police related homicides and leading multi-state actions against the federal government. Today's state attorney general job is unrecognizable from the position four decades ago, with new powers and a broader scope of office assumed in the subsequent years. The post has been shaped and reshaped by the officeholders and the times we have lived through. To shed light on the job, the Capitol Confidential podcast turned to former attorneys general Robert Abrams and Dennis Vacco. The former officeholders pealed back the curtain on their experiences, explained the different powers they exerted and reflected on how things have changed.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Cynthia Nixon sparred over corruption, their tax disclosures and a handful of progressive issues during the lone Democratic gubernatorial debate on Wednesday. The hour-long, one-on-one matchup at Hofstra University on Long Island was a contentious affair that often devolved into personal attacks, allegations of lying and canned one-liners. Nixon sought to score a knockout punch that would elevate her outsider campaign and Cuomo played defense from a position of strength in the polls. Both candidates expressed support, at least in principle, for a liberal wish list in New York that includes legalized marijuana, single-payer health and campaign finance reform. Times Union columnist Chris Churchill joined the podcast to assess what the debate means for the race, weighed in on whether you're still a person if you filed taxes as a corporation and lamented the lack of love for upstate New York from the moderators.  

The delivery of health care in New York has been in flux for more than a decade, but the current landscape was largely shaped by the Berger Commission. Created in 2005 under Gov. George Pataki, the commission was tasked with overhauling the delivery of care to New Yorkers. A year and half later, a final report was produced that recommended closing and merging hospitals all over the state. Mark Ustin, former general counsel to the commission, joined the podcast to explain the circumstances that led to the formation of the commission, how they crafted their prescription for New York and the ramifications of their work.

Cynthia Nixon and two-term incumbent Andrew Cuomo will meet once in a head-to-head primary debate before the Democratic gubernatorial primary. The matchup shares similarities with the 1982 primary debates that launched Mario Cuomo into the governor's mansion, although Nixon's road to an upset is littered with more roadblocks. Democratic consultant Bruce Gyory, former AP reporter Marc Humbert and George Pataki former adviser Bob Bellafiore joined the Capitol Confidential podcast to handicap the upcoming primary debate, offered advice to the candidates and explored the possible ramifications.  

The state's chief elections enforcement officer either had her wings clipped this week or reasonable oversight authority was finally put in place. Your opinion of the actions taken by the state Board of Elections commissioners could depend on how you view the work of Risa Sugarman, New York's election law watchdog for the last four years. Her work is now subject to new reporting requirements and the bipartisan board will have more say in the subpoenas she issues for investigations. Jennifer Wilson, the legislative director for the League of Women Voters of New York, joined the podcast to talk about Sugarman's time in office, weighed in on the new regulations for her office and contemplated what it all means for election law scofflaws moving forward.  

The state's regulator of public utilities brought the hammer down on your cable company, assuming you haven't cut the cord and live in upstate New York. The controversy has been brewing for years and it came to head at a special meeting of the Public Service Commission, which gave Charter Communications 60 days to come up with a plan to give up its internet, cable and phone business in New York. The communications giant has indicated it won't go down without a fight. Times Union business reporter Larry Rulison, who has been covering this issue since Charter acquired Time Warner Cable two years ago, explored every facet of the latest developments, including allegations of gaslighting, the prospect of New York owning a broadband company and the origin of the problem.  

In the most meta episode yet, Times Union Editor Rex Smith discusses the evolution of Capitol Confidential from a print product to a blog and now as a podcast. The interview explores the changing media landscape and what that means for the Capitol Confidential brand, which could exist on other platforms in the future, such as video. The conversation is also a trip down memory lane, as Rex talks about the people that have made Capitol Confidential special and helped establish its current identity.    

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, the Republican nominee for governor, joined host David Lombardo on a park bench outside the Capitol for this episode of the Capitol Confidential podcast. The interview touched on Molinaro's political ideology, reality television, a West Wing reunion, dialing for dollars, working in a deli and a lot more. It's a freewheeling conversation designed to solicit unguarded, human answers from a potential governor.      

The next round of redistricting is still four years away, but every election is shaped by the last time the legislative boundaries were drawn. For four rounds of redistricting, Jeff Wice was a player in New York's redistricting process. He got to experience both sides of the process, as he worked for the Assembly majority and the Senate minority. The conversation with Wice touched on on the first use of computers in the Assembly to draw lines, the role gerrymandering has played in helping Republicans maintain a majority in the state Senate, different legal challenges to New York’s legislative boundaries and the significance of a potential question on the U.S. census in 2020.

The first annual Capitol Confidential awards recognized the winners, losers and best plot twists of the 2018 legislative session. It was a fierce competition for the top awards, as the past six months in Albany had everything. There was betrayal, overdue reunions, celebrities, a changing of the guard and melodrama. This year's presentation was hosted by David Lombardo, with Casey Seiler filling in as co-host, analyst and style guru.

In 2002, largely behind the scenes, the Democratic leader of the state Senate was toppled and the rise of David Paterson began. The change in power was aided by a relative newcomer to the chamber, Neil Breslin, who joined the podcast to reflect on the last successful coup in the Capitol. He revealed the secret conversations to recruit support for Paterson, explained how the failed challenge to Sheldon Silver informed their efforts and reflected on why there was a desire in the conference to replace Marty Connor.

Saratoga County Republican operative Nick Willock joins the podcast to explain the campaign petition process, which is how candidates for elected office secure their spots on the ballot. The conversation explores the infrastructure needed to collect signatures, legal complications that can arise and Cynthia Nixon's effort to get on the Democratic primary ballot.

Associated Press reporter David Klepper talks about the shenanigans that have dominated the narrowly divided state Senate in recent weeks. The episode explores the cause of the chaos, explains the AP's approach to covering the melodrama and examines what it all means for this fall's elections to control the chamber.