Does It Matter That NY Canceled Its Presidential Primary?

Some fear Trump could then postpone the general election. [View this email in your browser]( [Politics Brief from WNYC + Gothamist] [Keep friends and family informed. Forward the Politics Brief.]( New York Canceled Its Democratic Presidential Primary. Why Does It Matter? By [James Ramsay]( [a big gym with a bunch of voting booths and no people] Stephen Nessen/WNYC Bernie Sanders [dropped out]( of the presidential race 20 days ago. He then [endorsed Joe Biden]( the last remaining candidate in the Democratic primary. And he actively asked "all Americans ... to come together in this campaign to support [Biden's] candidacy." There's reason to think he wouldn't insist on holding a primary contest during a pandemic. But after the New York State Board of Elections passed a resolution yesterday [canceling the June 23rd Democratic presidential primary]( Sanders' campaign released a scathing statement, calling the decision "a blow to American democracy." The election board's argument is that it's a public health risk for both voters and poll workers to hold elections so soon. In [about 20 of the state's counties]( the cancellation of the presidential primary — along with a lack of local intra-party races — means polling places won't have to open at all. Furthermore, state Democratic leaders see the presidential primary as unnecessary, given that it's now a one-man race. New York's recently-passed budget includes a provision [allowing for the removal of candidates from a primary ballot]( if they've withdrawn from the race. "What the Sanders supporters want is essentially a beauty contest that, given the situation with the public health emergency that exists now, seems to be unnecessary and indeed frivolous," said election official Douglas Kellner. The Sanders campaign would argue that it's not asking for a beauty contest, but two things that are far more substantial. First, it was Sanders' hope to remain on the ballot — even after dropping out — so he could keep racking up delegates to send to the Democratic National Convention (in whatever way it ends up being held). Specifically, he wanted enough delegates to get [at least 25% of the seats on several key committees]( which create both party rules and the official Democratic platform. "Talking about the need for Medicare for All ... if we want to have the ability to push the party in that direction, we need as many delegates as possible," [said Paco Fabian]( a leader of the pro-Sanders organization Our Revolution. The second thing that the Sanders campaign — and others — want to ensure is that we don't get into a habit of cancelling elections. "[Just last week]( Vice President Biden warned the American people that President Trump could use the current crisis as an excuse to postpone the November election," said Jeff Weaver, a Sanders campaign adviser. "Well, he now has a precedent thanks to New York State." Despite Trump's [recent claim]( that his "authority is total," the president can't change the date of the election on their own. Doing so [would require a law]( passed by Congress, which could then be challenged in the courts. In the meantime, most of New York is still holding congressional and state-level primaries on June 23rd. Last Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo [announced a new executive order]( directing Board of Elections offices across the state to send voters a postage-paid absentee ballot application so they can more easily vote by mail. After a rule change made earlier this month, fear of catching COVID-19 will now be considered a valid reason to put on an absentee ballot application. A Democratic Assemblymember Didn't Complete Her Paperwork. A Republican Doorman Might Take Her Place. As it stands, three-term Democratic State Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright, who represents Roosevelt Island, Yorkville, and parts of the Upper East Side, won't be on the primary ballot this June because she [didn't include cover sheets]( with her ballot petitions. That means Louis Puliafito, a 62-year-old Upper East Side doorman who's running as a Republican, could get the job without much of a contest. Seawright is fighting in Manhattan State Supreme Court to get her name back on the ballot in time for the general election. She has also said she plans to run on an independent ballot line by collecting signatures — something Gov. Andrew Cuomo has momentarily banned because of the coronavirus. Though Puliafito is a Republican, he told the New York Post that he's still formulating his political opinions on issues like taxes — and wouldn't say whether he'll vote for President Trump in November. As a member of Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, he did acknowledge the importance of a union in "helping people keep their heads above water." He also said he plans to go to Albany to fight waste and fraud. “I have to work doubly hard to earn everyone’s respect," Puliafito said. "I don’t want people to think I walked in through the back door." ([New York Post]( NJ Democrat And Possible Murphy Challenger Is Spreading Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories Union County Assemblymember Jamel Holley was already a known anti-vaccination advocate. Now, with the pandemic underway, he has started pushing similarly controversial and anti-scientific ideas about COVID-19 treatments. "Release the #Hydroxchloroquine," Holley tweeted on April 4th, referring to the drug [President Donald Trump had been pushing](. Holley also wrote on Facebook that he believed the drug saved his uncle from the coronavirus. A panel of experts convened by the NIH institute directed by Dr. Anthony Fauci has [recommended against]( doctors using the drug to treat coronavirus patients. In addition, Holley has gone after Bill Gates on social media, claiming the billionaire vaccine proponent has been paying for his [recent]( [media]( [coverage](. ("If he thinks for one second he’s going to do what he did in Africa to the US he's got another thing coming!" [Holley tweeted]( Holley, the former mayor of Roselle, New Jersey, who has been in the State Assembly since 2015, said people have asked him to run against Gov. Phil Murphy in the 2021 Democratic gubernatorial primary. He would otherwise be up for reelection next year, and Democratic insiders expect he'd keep his seat, even given his anti-vaccine and coronavirus comments. "It’s not going to threaten his reelection or his standing in the party," said former Democratic State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, who's still involved in New Jersey politics. "We don’t believe in litmus tests unless you’re a bigot and hateful." ([Politico]( How Do You Challenge An Incumbent When You Can't Knock On Doors? [Before Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became a household name, she won a primary by knocking on a LOT of doors] Jen Hsu/WNYC Anyone who [wants to be the next Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]( has a problem: [She rang a lot of doorbells]( in her quest to beat the incumbent in her 2018 primary. Unknown Democratic challengers today can't follow the same strategy because of the coronavirus. "As much credit as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez deserves for being really good at social media ... she pulled off the upset of the decade because she was going door to door," [City & State's Jeff Coltin]( told WNYC. "Convincing a voter to move away from the default of the incumbent and take a chance on the challenger — that can require some convincing. Being in person is really the way to get people to do it." Especially for new candidates in smaller, state-level races, in-person canvassing is not just important for getting voters on your side — it's useful for reminding people that there is an election going on. And in addition to canceling most in-person campaigning, the pandemic has created a fundraising nightmare. "A lot of these challenger candidates rely on small-dollar fundraising," Coltin said. "They say that has all basically dried up, now that we're having such a difficult time economically." He says that some challengers trying to win State Assembly primaries on June 23rd have effectively turned their political campaigns into constituent outreach programs, calling voters and asking how they can be of service. But those voters are not yet their constituents. It's the incumbents who can actually use the power of government to fight the coronavirus — and remind voters that they're up for re-election. [Hear the full conversation between Jeff Coltin and WNYC's David Furst](. 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