All NY & NJ Dems* Support Impeachment

*Except the one who's now a Republican [Politics Brief from WNYC + Gothamist] [Keep friends and family informed. Forward the Politics Brief.]( The NY and NJ Democrats Have Made Up Their Minds on Impeachment By [James Ramsay]( Heather Ainsworth/AP Images Rep. Anthony Brindisi, the first-term Democrat representing the Central New York district that includes Utica, published an op-ed yesterday highlighting his successful partnership with President Trump. "He has signed my bills into law, one of the few freshmen he’s honored in this way," [Brindisi wrote](. "I worked with him to push a trade deal with Canada and Mexico. We also established fentanyl sanctions, cracking down on drug traffickers that flood our streets with synthetic opioids." But he then went on to say that after weeks of reviewing transcripts and studying "scholarly articles," he decided to vote "yes" on the two articles of impeachment before the House. "I believe there is sufficient evidence to move forward with a Senate trial," Brindi said, "and it will be their job to decide if the President should be removed from office." With that, nearly all the Democratic House members from New York and New Jersey are voting to impeach. The one exception — South Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew — decided to leave the Democratic party altogether. Although, as [WNYC's Nancy Solomon explains]( his switch to the GOP was about many things other than impeachment. Other first-term representatives from more moderate districts, including Max Rose (D-Staten Island), Antonio Delgado (D-Hudson Valley), Mikie Sherrill (Montclair), Josh Gottheimer (D-Bergen County), Tom Malinowski (D-Somerset County), and Andy Kim (D-Burlington County), are all voting "yes." This hasn't come without pushback. Republicans are running [anti-Delgado ads]( in the Hudson Valley. Former Rep. Claudia Tenney, who's running to regain the seat she lost to Brindisi by [only about 4,000 votes]( quickly tweeted that [Brindisi had succumbed to "raw political calculation."]( And before Rep. Sherrill had even decided how to vote (though after she co-published [an influential op-ed]( that catalyzed the impeachment inquiry), she faced her most ["unruly"]( town hall of the year. While [Cook Political Report]( currently deems her seat safe, her Republican challenger only [declared]( his candidacy a few weeks ago. After tonight's (expected) vote, impeachment will go to a January trail in the Senate, where a two-thirds vote would be needed to remove the president. And that's unlikely to happen. If these Democrats from swing districts know that a) they're supporting an impeachment process that won't come to fruition, and b) that voting "yes" could cause them to lose their seats, why do it? "I guess it has to be acceptable to simply to lay down a marker for history," WNYC's Brian Lehrer said this week on [his impeachment podcast](. "To say to future generations, yes this country was too divided to remove this president from office, but half the country did see him as a unique threat to democracy." — [reporting by Fred Mogul]( No Schools Are Among NYC's Proposed Early Voting Sites for 2020 After the city held its first-ever early voting period back in the fall, the Board of Elections received [two major pieces of feedback]( Make sure polling places are fully accessible, and don't use schools. So, City Hall presented the Board of Elections this week with a list of 53 possible early voting sites that could replace the 33 public schools used back in October and November. The problem, as parents, teachers and principals all pointed out, is that it's a pain to effectively take away a school's gymnasium or cafeteria for over a week. And in April (for the presidential primary) and June (when we hold other state and federal primaries), schools really need use of those facilities, because that's when mandatory state exams are administered. All the proposed early voting sites will need to be inspected by the city's BOE to determine if they meet certain accessibility requirements. The BOE has also set up an email address for anyone to submit addresses for possible early voting locations. ([Gothamist/WNYC]( New Jersey Lawmakers Have Restored Voting Rights to Those on Parole or Probation New Jersey's State Senate this week approved a bill that the Assembly passed back in November, meaning that once Gov. Phil Murphy signs it (and [he said he would]( about 83,000 convicted criminals who are out on parole or probation will get their voting rights back. Those who pushed for the change argued that barring parolees from voting disproportionately hurt black residents. Currently, half of the people who can't vote in New Jersey because of a criminal conviction are black. "Right now, New Jersey denies the right to vote to more black people than were denied the right to vote before the 15th Amendment," Ryan Haygood, a leading advocate behind the bill, told NJTV. If this passes, New Jersey will join 19 other states that allow parolees to vote — [including New York]( which restored voting rights to felons on parole back in 2018. ([NJTV News]( What Kind of Republican Would Long Islanders Elect to Replace Peter King? Rick Lazio, the former Republican congressman who's now considering a run in New York's 2nd congressional district, insists his party needs to go in a more moderate direction to win in affluent suburbs across the country. Lazio recently told the Wall Street Journal that the party's nominee to replace outgoing Rep. Peter King should be someone willing to work across the aisle and stay focused on issues like taxes and housing costs. But [a recent poll]( found that if Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law, ran against Lazio in the primary, she'd beat him by over 30 points. "I don’t live in that district, but I’m truly honored that anyone would consider me," [she said]( at an event last week. She's currently working on the president's reelection campaign, but hasn't ruled out a possible run. Whichever direction the party goes with its September primary — towards the middle, or towards the Trump family itself — that candidate would have to win a general election in a district where registered Democratic voters [outnumber]( Republicans. ([The Wall Street Journal]( What's on the Table for Albany in 2020? K J Payne/Flickr With the first complete Democratic majority in decades — and following a 2018 election that saw a handful of insurgent candidates unseat more moderate Democrats — state lawmakers ticked through a long list of progressive goals in 2019. In no particular order, [Democrats passed]( early voting; the codification of Roe v. Wade into state law; tighter rent reforms; the elimination of most cash bail; the Child Victims Act; drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants; and congestion pricing for the subways. Progressive goals that have yet to be realized: decriminalizing sex work; desegregating the city's specialized high schools; setting 15-day limits on solitary confinement; and bans on a variety of climate-killing products, from plastic cutlery to plastic shampoo bottles in hotels. [City & State put together a complete guide]( to what's on the agenda for 2020...which is the year I'll next be sending you a Politics Brief, because next Wednesday is Christm🎄s. Have a safe and happy holidays! Could Pelosi Have Gotten Republicans on Board This Way? Veteran reporter Elizabeth Drew argues that additional articles of impeachment could've convinced Republicans to support this. 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