NYC Wants YOU to Work the Polls

From WNYC + Gothamist [Politics Brief from WNYC + Gothamist] 15 Days Until the General Election + [Add to Cal]( [Keep friends and family informed. Forward the Politics Brief.]( The Women Who Could Decide a Long Island House Race By [James Ramsay]( Republican Congressman Pete King, a 25-year incumbent representing central Long Island, isn't guaranteed a win. His district—New York's 2nd—is increasingly diverse. It's home to slightly more Democrats than Republicans. And King's Democratic challenger, Liuba Grechen Shirley, has out-fundraised him. To tip the vote next month, Democrats are hoping that momentum from the #MeToo movement—and anger over the Kavanaugh hearings—will energize suburban women, [the same way it has over in New Jersey](. But [as WNYC's Jessica Gould reports]( not everyone interpreted the hearings the way Democrats expected. Outside a salon in Seaford, N.Y., a group of women taking a vaping break—who asked not to be named—told Gould that they're growing skeptical about #MeToo. "How many times has a guy slapped your ass and walked past you and thought it was funny?" one asked. "For me, I blow it off." "Yeah," her friend responded. "Because your end game is not trying to ruin a guy's life." It's women like these, who identify as independents, that Grechen Shirley's camp has two weeks to win over. New York City Wants YOU to Work the Polls Especially if you speak Bengali, Korean, Mandarin, or Spanish, and/or if you're a registered Republican (the state requires a bi-partisan staff of poll workers). The city's Board of Elections wants a staff of around 34,000 people, and the recruitment effort is still going. If you can work from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Election Day, do consider it. The gig pays $300. ([WNYC News]( Trying to Flip South Brooklyn's 'Personality Seat' Republican State Senator Marty Golden, a former cop who has represented the stretch between Bay Ridge and Marine Park for 16 years, is an entrenched local figure. Even his opponents acknowledge that he's "a master of retail politics" who "shows up for everything." But with the district's demographic makeup rapidly changing, Democratic challenger Andrew Gounardes is hoping policy, rather than personality, drives new voters. ([Gothamist]( Who's Funding These Anti-Hugin Ads? A super PAC called Patients for Affordable Drugs (P4AD) has become a major player in New Jersey's Senate race, spending $3.3 million on ads attacking Republican Bob Hugin's record as a former pharma executive. The founder of P4AD is a cancer survivor who spent years taking an expensive drug made by Hugin's old company. Nearly all of P4AD's money, however, came from a separate organization run by a Texas billionaire, leading the Hugin campaign to dismiss the PAC as "a partisan front group." ([WHYY]( So They Will Debate, After All Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his Republican challenger, Marc Molinaro, weren't going to have a debate. Then Cuomo (sort of) offered to have a debate over the radio, which Molinaro promptly rejected. Finally, Cuomo agreed yesterday to a televised event. And just like that, the two gubernatorial candidates will debate tomorrow afternoon, and it'll air on tape delay at 7 p.m. on WCBS' radio and TV stations. ([New York Times]( ICYMI: Hitting the Streets in the Trump Era Since the election of President Trump, millions of Americans have taken to the streets for one reason or another. Some have been red-state public school teachers striking for better work conditions. Some have been been 17-year-olds protesting gun violence. Some have been Trump fans, standing in lines to get into a rally. The Takeaway's Amy Walter spent an hour surveying these groups to see how, or if, their activism will affect midterm election results. [LISTEN]( [You have Questions - We Have Answers - Ask A Reporter]( Take Action [Voter Guide]( [Ask a Reporter]( [Listen]( [Read]( Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. [Donate]( Copyright © 2018 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: New York Public Radio 160 Varick Street New York, NY 10013 [unsubscribe]( [update preferences]( [privacy policy](