Teachout and Hochul also endorsed
State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins is facing a democratic primary challenge on September 13 from county legislator Virginia Perez. Stewart-Cousins is on the precipice of become Senate Majority Leader and would make history as the first African-American woman to hold that position and the first leader from Yonkers to hold that post.
Perez claims that Stewart-Cousins has been more focused on her responsibilities as democratic conference leader in the senate than her duties for the people of the 35th District. Stewart-Cousins has responded by listing her accomplishments for the people of the district and the state, on a number of progressive issues including gun safety laws, easing voter registration laws and protecting women’s health.
Some of Stewart-Cousins’ initiatives have been stopped by the Senate majority, led by Republican leader John Flanagan. Senate Republicans, together with a handful of renegade Democrats, have formed a majority for the past six years and have denied Stewart-Cousins her right to be majority leader.
That is not the fault of Stewart-Cousins. But we disagree with Perez’s assertion, that the people of Yonkers would be better served with her representing them in the State Senate. Actually, we do not know what the outcome of a Perez upset victory would mean for the people of the 35th District, or the people of Westchester and New York State. Perez has stated: “I will work hard with everyone across the aisle in order to deliver for our Senate district and our residents… the same way I have been doing on the County Board of Legislators.” Will Perez join with other renegade Democrats and Republicans to form a majority if elected?
We have been unable to get an answer from Perez to this question, because she has refused any interviews or serious conversations with the media. The people of Yonkers have been waiting for the day when Sen. Stewart-Cousins will serve as Senate Majority Leader, and all of the power that the office entails. We are not ready to welcome that day.
Stewart-Cousins has the support of every other democrat on the county board, every democratic elected official in Yonkers, and the unions and community groups in the district. They also know and respect her service to Yonkers, and realize that the republican led State Senate has starvedx Yonkers in education aid.
Perez’s campaign has not properly explained why democrats should vote for her and change course. We find no reason to turn away from giving Stewart-Cousins that opportunity to lead and represent Yonkers as one of three most powerful people in the room. Her seniority is a good thing for the voters and we endorse Sen. Stewart-Cousins in the Democratic primary Sept. 13.
We also endorse Zephyr Teachout in the democratic primary for Attorney General. –holly from here down is a lot of the west endorsement edited–
The race for attorney general has four Democrats running to replace Eric Schneiderman and instantly become a national figure as the top law enforcement officer in New York and the leader of the legal fight against President Donald Trump.
The four Democrats include NYC Public Advocate Tish James, Leecia Eve, Zephyr Teachout and Congressman Sean Maloney. We remove Eve from consideration because of her ties to corporate America as a lobbyist.
We also remove Maloney from consideration because he is running for the Office of Attorney General while also running for his seat in Congress. While this may be legal, it is not ethical, in our view. Make up your mind, Mr. Maloney, and pick one office before asking the people of New York for your vote. We also do not agree with the tone of Maloney’s television commercials, in which he calls for taking a baseball bat to Trump supporters. No candidate for AG should mention physical violence in a TV ad or mailing.
That leaves James and Teachout. James is the preferred candidate of Cuomo and the Democratic establishment in New York. While capable and well known in New York City, James’ independence has been called into question with her support from the governor.
Teachout is our preferred candidate because we believe she would be the most independent attorney general candidate in state history. The New York Times, in its endorsement of Teachout, wrote: “The office is a potential firewall against an out-of-control president and a historically corrupt New York State government… Albany has long been a chamber of ethical horrors. Ms. Teachout has written the book on political corruption – literally – and is recognized as a national expert on this scourge.”
We agree and are reminded that Teachout ran an independent race for governor against Cuomo four years ago, which would give her a little more “additional credibility and distance from a governor who remains all too cozy with the donors, contractors, union leaders and influence peddlers who dominate Albany and beyond,” wrote the Times.
We believe that all of us New Yorker’s pay a “corruption tax” in this state. If elected, Teachout might be able to cut into that tax and give us a unique type of tax break. While we do not agree with her comments and threats to arrest Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, she is the best Democrat in the race and the most independent to serve as attorney general.
Finally, we endorse Kathy Hochul for Lt. Governor. Incumbent Kathy Hochul is running for re-election. She is being challenged by New York City Councilman Jumanji Williams, who said, “I have been causing as much trouble in the council and the city as possible in the past nine years.” He is a self-described “activist-elected official” and former Bernie Sanders delegate, has been arrested while campaigning and protesting, and has positions on several issues that do not coincide with Nixon.
Hochul, who has served the governor, and our state, well over the past four years – including several visits to Yonkers. We do not make an endorsement for Governor in the race between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Cynthia Nixon.
Regardless of your views, Yonkers democrats should get out and vote on September 13, a Thursday and a different date than usual on the election calendar.
