New York State attorney general, comptroller races heat up

ALBANY — State Attorney General Letitia James and state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, both Democrats, are touting their records of battling public corruption and global warming as they campaign for reelection on Nov. 8.

Their Republican challengers — attorney Michael Henry for attorney general, and Paul Rodriguez, who has worked in the global financial markets, for comptroller — say they're running to end what they call James's and DiNapoli's “weaponization” of the posts to push progressive policies.

James at her campaign kickoff called herself, "unbought, unbossed and unrelenting in the pursuit of justice … in the public sector and the private sector" no matter how powerful the adversary.

Henry said he's out, “to work to restore people’s faith" in the attorney general's office.

“People are tired of crime, tired of corruption … tired of the mass exodus of our friends and family" to other states, Henry told Newsday.

DiNapoli, who is seeking a fourth term, cites his management of the state's $246.3 billion public worker pension fund, saying it needs guidance by an experienced hand in order to make a post-pandemic recovery.

“We’re bringing the pension fund to a very strong status at a time when the markets are very turbulent,” DiNapoli told Newsday.

Rodriguez said he would put his private sector experience in the financial industry to use as comptroller.

“I was an equity analyst for stocks,” Rodriguez said in an interview. “I was trained … to avoid that whole area of conflicts of interest.”

As the election nears, however, polling and campaign finance data foreshadow an uphill climb for the challengers in both races.

A Siena College Research Institute poll on Sept. 28 found James had a 53% to 37% lead over Henry, while DiNapoli was ahead of Rodriguez by a margin of 52% to 29%.

As of the Oct. 7 state campaign filings, DiNapoli had $1.9 million in his campaign account, compared with Rodriguez’s $3,173.

James had $4.5 million on hand compared with Henry, who had $146,212.

Attorney General's race

James, 64, of Brooklyn, who is seeking a second four-year term, has drawn attention for high-profile lawsuits and enforcement actions.

In 2020, James sued the National Rifle Association, accusing leaders of fraud, "self-dealing" and other abuses. James's probe remains active.

James also sued former President Donald Trump, three of his adult children and the Trump Organization for fraud for allegedly inflating Trump’s net worth.

Trump's lawyers say James is seeking to criminalize behavior that is common in the real estate development industry, and that banks approved loans based on asset records the Trump Organization provided.

James also led two high-profile state cases that led to the resignation in August 2021 of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

James directed a probe into women's' sexual harassment complaints against Cuomo that found their accusations credible, and led to lawsuits by some of them against Cuomo.

James also probed Cuomo's handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes, including his guidance to nursing home operators to accept recovering patients even if they were still infected with the virus.

James' report boosted the tally of deaths of nursing home residents from COVID-19 compared with the running totals Cuomo had provided the public. 

James declined to be interviewed by Newsday for this story.

Henry, 42, of Astoria, Queens, a commercial litigation attorney, said James has “weaponized” the attorney general’s office for political purposes by bringing lawsuits against Trump and his business.

Henry has said he wants to remake the attorney general's office to focus on bolstering law enforcement statewide.

He said he would press for repeal of the 2019 law backed by Democrats that ended cash bail for most nonviolent felonies, and oppose other measures that restrict the use of force by police.

Henry also said he would seek to begin his own criminal investigation into deaths in nursing homes at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic during Cuomo's tenure. 

Henry said he also would probe connections between campaign contributions and awards of state government contracts.

“I would evaluate [cases] independently — evaluate it through a clear lens,” Henry told Newsday. “I do not want to make prejudicial comments.”

Henry also said he would press the Legislature for more funding for local law enforcement. 

“I want to work to restore people’s faith with the office,” Henry said. “People are tired of crime, tired of corruption … tired of the mass exodus of our friends and family" to other states. ”

Comptroller's race

DiNapoli, 68, of Great Neck Plaza, the longest-serving statewide elected official, was appointed in 2007 by the State Legislature to fill a vacancy after Comptroller Alan Hevesi resigned.

During his three full terms since then, DiNapoli often has clashed with legislative leaders and governors of his own party — most publicly with Cuomo.

“In our audits and our reports, we have not always made friends with folks in our own party, particularly in the governor’s office,” DiNapoli told Newsday.

DiNapoli tangled publicly with Cuomo over state contracting.

That prompted Cuomo to pressure the legislature to remove the comptroller’s century-old authority to “pre-audit” state contracts.

DiNapoli supported a bill passed by the legislature to restore that oversight.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is considering whether to sign the measure into law. 

“I think we have proven our independence,” DiNapoli said.

The comptroller also is the sole trustee of the state’s pension fund.

In July, the independent Pew Charitable Trusts reported that New York was one of three states, along with Tennessee and Washington, to have unfunded pension liabilities equal to or less than 1% of total assets — a key indicator of a strong public pension system.

“We’re bringing the pension fund to a very strong status at a time when the markets are very turbulent,” DiNapoli said.

Rodriguez, 53 of Brooklyn, says the comptroller's office and other state agencies need to be more responsive to taxpayers — and that can only happen with two-party control of government.

“When you don’t have a good two-party system, you don’t have checks and balances,” Rodriguez told Newsday. 

Rodriguez said, if elected, he would support legislation to create a “blackout period” during which companies and their executives couldn’t make campaign contributions while seeking government contracts.

Rodriguez said state contractors routinely contribute to the campaigns of officials with the power to award contracts, “and the fact that this doesn’t seem to raise an eyebrow for people is one of the problems with Albany.”

Rodriguez said he has 25 years of experience in global financial markets on Wall Street and in advising small businesses.

He said that taught him how to prudently manage large investment funds and how to efficiently govern large organizations such as the state attorney general's office.

Rodriguez was born in Queens and raised in Puerto Rico, with Spanish his first language.

An economics major, he attended Northwestern University in Chicago, then transferred to the University of Georgia where he graduated.

He said he also worked as a financial adviser in Texas, Mexico and Europe.

Rodriguez ran unsuccessfully for New York City comptroller in 2021 on the Conservative Party line.

He also ran for Congress in 2004 on the Republican and Conservative lines, losing to Democratic Rep. Nydia Velasquez. 

“I think with that diverse upbringing I had, I actually have more of a perspective of suburban and rural areas,” Rodriguez said, referring to issues on Long Island and upstate.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.