Why an early voting problem could spell trouble for NY Republicans this year

Plus, Hochul deploys the National Guard to NYC subways. [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] [NY Republicans have an early voting problem. Could that spell trouble in 2024?]( More than twice as many Democrats as Republicans voted early by mail in the race to represent the 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House, a Gothamist analysis of the voter data for the special election found. And about a third more Democrats than Republicans opted for in-person early voting ahead of Election Day. New York state has seven competitive congressional races that could ultimately decide which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives, and Republicans in New York are acknowledging that they have an early voting problem that needs to be fixed ahead of November’s elections. “We had President Trump basically in 2020 telling us not to do early voting, certainly downplaying it, and I think too many Republicans are still caught on that,” said Peter King, a former Republican congressmember from Long Island for three decades. [Read more about the early voting problem.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- More politics stories to know this week What else is happening around New York City Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced 750 National Guard soldiers would be deployed to New York City subway stations to check riders’ bags as part of a new crackdown on transit crime. [Read more.]( A group of NYC Councilmembers unveiled a package of bills that would stop landlords from using illegal construction and city vacate orders to move tenants far from their homes and ultimately pressure them to leave. [Read more.]( Earlier this year, the city’s school food program was forced to drop several beloved menu items, like cookies and chicken dumplings,due to budget cuts. But on Wednesday, Gothamist learned that officials plan to announce the return of those popular options. [Read more.]( In other budget news, NYC is on track to trim projected spending on migrants by $1.7 billion through next June, according to the mayor’s office. [Read more.]( What’s going on in Albany Gov. Hochul is really leaning heavily into national politics and her position as the de facto head of New York’s Democratic Party. [Read more.]( George Santos announced that he’s running for office again, serving as a reminder to New Yorkers of how low the bar is to run for Congress. [Read more.]( Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is filing a lawsuit against state Attorney General Letitia James after she demanded that he rescind an executive order banning trans women from participating in women’s sport leagues at facilities run by the county. [Read more.]( Former New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin is again facing felony bribery and fraud charges after a federal appeals court stepped in Friday to reinstate them. [Read more.]( What's new in New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim won his seventh Democratic Party county convention on Monday, continuing his dominance over first lady Tammy Murphy at conventions. [Read more.]( Despite his popularity with rank-and-file Democrats, Kim still faces an uphill battle in the fight for endorsements. On Thursday, Murphy won the Somerset County Democratic Committee’s endorsement. [Read more.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- [the logo for the Brian Lehrer daily politics podcast]( [No “Red Line” For Biden on Gaza War Military Aid]( In the wake of the State of the Union, and amid further developments in the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, we take stock of Biden's foreign policy. [LISTEN]( Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential political coverage and more. [DONATE]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.