Capitol Confidential

It's that time of year again in the Capitol, when life as we know it stops and the budget process begins.  This year's season is off to a familiar start, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo offering a PowerPoint presentation in a frigid state theater packed with acolytes and lawmakers, but it's also poised to be very different. The variable heading into budget negotiations is the Democratic-controlled state Legislature, which is an unfamiliar quantity in Albany. Newsday's Mike Gormley joined the podcast to break down the big news, high drama and compelling subplots of this $175 billion high-stakes holiday.

Before the media fascination with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's (lack of) national ambition, it was his father who stirred up speculation about a White House run. In 1991, 32-year-old Terry Lynam was one of the staffers then-Gov. Mario Cuomo dispatched to New Hampshire to lay the groundwork for a presidential campaign that never came to fruition. This episode features Lynam talking about his experience in the field, the political atmosphere at the time and what could have happened if Mario ran. And when you're done, check out this New Hampshire television segment that explored this moment in history with the state's former Democratic chair.

Long before the world would meet New York State Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott through the performance by actress Bonnie Hunt, then-Gov. Mario Cuomo was looking for the first person to fill the newly created post. The original state inspector general was FBI special agent Joseph Spinelli, who joined the Capitol Confidential podcast to talk about creating the office and going after corruption in New York. The interview explores the tip line he set up, the need for procurement oversight and his own brush with Hollywood.  

At 25-years-old, Jim Skoufis was elected to the state Assembly. With six years of Capitol experience under his belt, he is making the leap next year to the state Senate, where he joins a new Democratic majority. Skoufis joined the podcast to talk about his decision to run, the congressional race that never materialized, his plans on running a robust oversight committee and the "passionate" approach he brings to his job. The conversation also touches on his recent campaign and one of his pet policy projects.

The political career of Andrea Stewart-Cousins began as a volunteer on a city council race in Yonkers, and nearly three decades later she will take on the role of majority leader in the state Senate. This evolution and much more about the Democratic leader was the subject of an in-depth profile by Times Union reporter Rachel Silberstein. This episode of the Capitol Confidential podcast features excerpts of their conversation. The interview touched on her plans for addressing sexual harassment, the role for the Senate Republicans in 2019 and how time as a journalist shaped her relationship with the media today.

New York's lawmakers are poised to get $30,500 raise in January, and an additional $10,000 in the following two years. New York Law Journal reporter Dan Clark joined the podcast to explain the process that led to the first salary increases in two decades, including the special committee created in the state budget, the buyer's remorse from the Legislature and potential legal challenges. The episode dives deep into the committee's actions and highlights the unanswered questions that could blow everything up.

Compared to serving in combat overseas, Democrat Aaron Gladd's campaign for state Senate was a walk in the park. His underdog campaign to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Kathy Marchione was waged without any muscle from Senate Democrats and in a deep red district, where Senate Republicans and special interests spent heavily to keep the seat from flipping hands. Along the way to a 10,00 vote loss (which was a much closer margin than any recent efforts by Democrats in the district), Gladd picked up the endorsement from former Republican Sen. Roy McDonald, raised a ton of money and (unsuccessfully) tried to bridge the partisan divide. He joined the podcast to talk about his decision to run, the negative attacks during the campaign, his lack of future political plans and much more.  

The highly anticipated "Blue Wave" delivered on Election Day in New York, where Democrats won an overwhelming majority in the state Senate and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo cruised to a third term in office. USA Today Network's Jon Campbell joined the podcast to explain the results and what they mean for the upcoming legislative session. The conversation addressed the races that turned the Senate from red to blue, the future of New York's third parties, and the agenda that will dominate the Capitol starting in January.

The state Senate has never been more exciting! Control of the narrowly divided 63-seat chamber is up for grabs on Election Day, and a handful of races are toss ups and more are well positioned for an upset. To breakdown the most important races the podcast turned to local reporters from Long Island, the Hudson Valley, central New York and the Capital Region for insights from the districts. The conversations explore the local issues, outside spending, voting trends and the affect of the top of the ticket.  

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.