2018 election

Volunteers for former Syracuse mayoral candidate Juanita Perez Williams are scouring the 24th Congressional District this week in an attempt to get enough petition signatures to get her name on the June primary ballot in the race for Congress. 

Gubernatorial hopeful Cynthia Nixon brought her campaign to Syracuse this week to talk with community leaders about their concerns in a closed-door session.

Nixon, a Democrat hoping to challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a primary this fall, called the 15 or so attendees of a private roundtable in Syracuse local heroes. Afterward, she told reporters the issues brought up by these community leaders are the same she’s hearing from others across the state - like more funding for education.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, seeking a third term in office, is facing challenges both from the left of his party and from a new Republican candidate. But the two candidates, Cynthia Nixon and Marc Molinaro, share a common theme — they say they are nicer than Cuomo.

Actor and progressive Democratic candidate Cynthia Nixon said Cuomo is more than simply a hard-charging type of politician.

“We’ve all seen it,” Nixon said in an appearance in Albany on March 26. “Andrew the bully. He bullies other elected officials. He bullies anyone who criticizes him.”

Another candidate has announced he will challenge Andrew Cuomo for governor. This time, it’s Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, a Republican who offered a political indictment of Cuomo’s practices and temperament in office.

Cynthia Nixon, Democratic candidate for governor, came to Albany to critique the school funding record of her potential primary opponent, Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The funding is now being discussed in the state budget. As in all of her comments since she’s announced her candidacy, Nixon didn’t pull any punches.

Candidate for Governor of New York Cynthia Nixon delivered a blistering speech against Gov. Andrew Cuomo Monday, who she hopes to challenge in a Democratic primary.  She was immediately criticized by a Cuomo ally, who questioned Nixon’s qualifications in a controversial remark. 

Cynthia Nixon, an actress best known for her work on "Sex in the City" and a public education advocate, announced her campaign for governor of New York Monday. She wants to run in a Democratic primary against incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Nixon made her announcement in a video that shows her with her wife and children in her home, and on the streets of New York, taking her child to school and riding the subway.

“New York is my home,” Nixon said in the video, saying she grew up with her mom, a single mother, in a fifth floor walkup.

This November's Congressional elections may be the most important midterms in a generation. This week on the Campbell Conversations, host Grant Reeher talks to Dana Balter, the Democratic Party's endorsed candidate to challenge Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) for central New York's 24th Congressional District seat. They discuss her campaign, her policy positions, and her case against Katko.

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-New Hartford) announced her reelection bid at the same restaurant in New Hartford where she found out in 2016 that she would be headed to Washington, D.C. She reminisced with her an enthusiastic crowd of supporters Saturday, saying that was a turning point for the entire country.

"Even here in upstate New York where the failed corrupt policies of Gov. Cuomo have destroyed our economy there is - believe it or not - a new sense of optimism," Tenney said. 

State Assemblyman Brian Kolb (R-Canandaigua) dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination for governor last week. That leaves one fewer obstacle for gubernatorial hopeful John DeFrancisco, but he’s not ready to take on the mantle of front runner yet.

The 2018 election season is beginning, but state Republicans are still trying to settle on a strong candidate to challenge Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has said he wants to seek a third term. 

Republican State Party Chair Ed Cox said the GOP will have a “good,” qualified and viable candidate.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has not officially announced a candidacy for a third term, but has told everyone he’s planning to run next year.

But it’s hard to talk about Cuomo’s potential race for reelection next year without discussing the presidential race in 2020, and whether Cuomo will be a candidate.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing early voting in New York as part of his State of the State message, due out Jan. 3. But a top aide to the governor said it might be awhile before the proposals could become law and take effect.

The proposal would require each county to set up at least one early voting poll site during the 12 days leading up to Election Day. The sites would be open for five hours a day on the two weekends leading up to elections, as well as eight hours a day on weekdays.

There’s now one official candidate running for governor of New York in 2018, and that’s the Assembly’s Republican leader, Brian Kolb.

Republicans in the state of New York met for a planning session in Albany on Tuesday in advance of the 2018 campaigns, which will begin shortly.

The party’s leader, Ed Cox, believes Republicans have a good chance at winning statewide offices against Gov. Andrew Cuomo and others next year.

Republicans in New York face a daunting challenge in the race for governor next year. There are fewer GOP voters than ever, as the number of Republicans shrinks and Democratic ranks grow.

It’s been a busy summer for the Onondaga County Board of Elections. There were more challenges to the petition process than usual, and appeals of decisions will soon be underway. But September primary ballots are coming together.

Spring and early summer is the time political candidates go door to door asking for help getting on the ballot. Election law is very precise when it comes to who can sign petitions for particular candidates, and how election workers handle the documents.