THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?
SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do).
- The Transport Workers Union has launched an aggressive advertising campaign describing Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul as politically “radioactive” and “toxic.”
- Union President John Samuelsen says the organization spent $60,000 on initial ads and allocated another $120,000 for television advertising.
- The feud follows Hochul’s veto of subway staffing legislation and comes after the union previously supported her financially.
LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time).
Kathy Hochul has a new political problem in New York. And this one doesn’t come from Republicans. One of the state’s prominent labor organizations has decided that the Democratic governor is so politically toxic that even members of her own party would rather keep their distance.
The Transport Workers Union of America has launched an aggressive advertising campaign portraying Hochul as “radioactive” just as voters begin casting ballots in the November midterms. That’s a remarkable description coming from a union that previously supported her.
TWU President John Samuelsen confirmed to the New York Post that the organization spent approximately $60,000 on its initial round of advertising, with another $120,000 set aside for statewide television ads.
The union is also planning hundreds of thousands of mailers targeting union households.
And the effort didn’t begin from scratch last week. State campaign finance records cited by the Post indicate that the union’s political organization has spent more than $450,000 on television advertising since July. That’s an impressive amount of money for an organization that once considered Hochul an ally. The advertisements focus on what the union sees as the governor’s deteriorating standing within her own party.
They point to Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi’s decision to skip a campaign event with Hochul and highlight Democratic congressional candidate Cait Conley’s comments during her recent encounter with Republican Rep. Mike Lawler.
When Lawler said Hochul “has got to go,” Conley appeared to agree. Readers may remember that encounter because Lawler and Conley also delighted spectators with an impromptu dance-off at a street fair. Apparently, the dancing was bipartisan. Their feelings about the governor may have been, too.
The union’s anger isn’t just about embarrassing campaign footage. At the center of the dispute is Hochul’s decision to veto legislation requiring conductors on all New York City subway trains. Union leaders argue that the requirement would strengthen worker and passenger safety. Hochul contended that the mandate could impose approximately $10 million in annual costs while reducing transit service flexibility.
That position did not exactly endear her to workers whose jobs are directly affected by the legislation. Samuelsen has accused the governor of abandoning working people and taking positions hostile to organized labor.
Now the dispute is playing out in television commercials as Hochul seeks reelection.
Her campaign is pushing back. Hochul’s representatives emphasize her long association with organized labor and note that more than 30 other unions have endorsed her.
When a former supporter starts spending six figures telling voters you’re toxic, that asset has turned into an advertising expense.
There’s another irony here for Democrats.
Republicans have spent months attacking Hochul’s record on taxes, crime, energy and government spending.
Now a major labor organization is attacking her from within the traditional Democratic coalition, giving critics a fresh set of accusations without requiring a Republican candidate to write them.
The campaign is also creating an uncomfortable situation for Democrats running in competitive congressional districts.
Those candidates would prefer to talk about their own priorities. Instead, they’re being asked whether they want the governor anywhere near their campaign events.
Hochul’s supporters insist she remains a strong advocate for workers.
The Transport Workers Union has reached a dramatically different conclusion — and is paying to make sure New Yorkers hear about it.
DBS WIRE SOURCES (I’ve got all day).
- New York Post — Transport Workers Union calls Hochul radioactive and launches advertising campaign
- New York State Board of Elections — Campaign finance disclosures and political spending records
- New York Governor’s Office — Official policy announcements and executive actions
