DiNapoli faces new hurdle in comptroller's race: primary opponents

ALBANY — State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has never had a primary opponent since taking over the role in 2007.

This year, the question is how many he will face.

 Three Democrats now are seeking to replace the lifelong Long Islander as the state’s chief fiscal watchdog and overseer of a nearly $300 billion pension fund.

All said they are running because they believe DiNapoli has not done enough to address the challenges New Yorkers face. They pledged to use the office in a more aggressive way, including auditing the MTA, divesting from companies involved in the federal immigration crackdown and using pension funds to invest in housing.

Larry Levy, dean of suburban studies at Hofstra University, said a general sense of frustration among the public with elected officials of all kinds, combined with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s surprise victory last year, has led more candidates to run for seats.

"I think there’s a sense of possibility among people to take on incumbents who normally they’d never think of challenging," Levy said.

He noted that DiNapoli, of Great Neck Plaza, is seen as an establishment figure within the Democratic Party who is more cautious than the progressive wing would like. He also has deep ties to the state’s politically powerful unions.

"In a close race, he’s going to count on them to get out the vote," he said.

Ballot challenge

A four-way primary likely benefits DiNapoli, Levy said, with votes for insurgent candidates canceling each other out.

But one of DiNapoli's three challengers is trying to narrow the field. Drew Warshaw, a former affordable housing executive from Manhattan, filed objections earlier this month with the state Board of Elections over the thousands of signatures the two other candidates gathered.

If Warshaw is successful in having Raj Goyle, of Manhattan, and Adem Bunkeddeko, of Brooklyn, thrown off the ballot, it would leave him as the sole Democrat challenging DiNapoli, who is seeking a sixth term.

The state Board of Elections is expected to rule on the objections early next week. But the matter may come down to a judge's decision.

Goyle and Warshaw filed competing lawsuits in state Supreme Court in Albany. Hearings are scheduled for Monday.

Adam Ghitelman, a spokesman for DiNapoli’s campaign, said they welcome the challengers, noting that none has been endorsed by an elected official. "The more the merrier," he said.

'Hungry for change'

Warshaw said he decided to run because he sees the office as a way to help New Yorkers struggling to afford to live in the state. He has been critical of DiNapoli’s handling of the state pension fund, arguing that he has given too much money to Wall Street fund managers.

"When you are sitting on power and you are sitting on money, and you are not using those two things for the working New Yorkers without those two things, then you have got to step aside," he said. "This is a position that could directly address that, and that's why I'm running."

Goyle echoed that sentiment, arguing that the state comptroller position could be used to challenge the federal government’s crackdown on immigration, force utility companies to lower rates and encourage more affordable housing.

"Democrats right now in New York are hungry for change and for fighters, and we want better Democrats," he said. "Tom DiNapoli is a nice man, but the time has come for change." 

Both Goyle and Warshaw have raised more money than DiNapoli. But DiNapoli holds a slight financial edge, thanks to matching funds from the state's public campaign finance program.

With matching funds, Warshaw has raised $2.58 million while DiNapoli and Goyle have both raised over $3.15 million.

Bunkeddeko has raised $270,118.

Decades in office

DiNapoli has been involved in politics nearly his entire adult life. He made history in 1972, at the age of 18, when he won a seat on the Mineola Board of Education and became the youngest person to win public office in the state. He served 10 years.

He graduated from Hofstra University in 1976 and later got a master's degree from The New School's Graduate School of Management and Urban Professions.

In 1987, he was elected to the state Assembly to represent the 16th District in northwest Nassau County, where he served for 20 years. During that time, he twice unsuccessfully tried to win other offices.

In 2001, he lost the Democratic nomination for Nassau County executive to Tom Suozzi, who went on to win the general election. And in 2006, DiNapoli was a candidate for lieutenant governor but dropped out of the race.

DiNapoli has been one of the more popular statewide politicians during his tenure, receiving the most votes of any statewide official during two of his elections.

Former Assemb. Fred Thiele described DiNapoli as one of the most well-liked elected officials he had ever met. But he said one potential problem is the lack of primaries for higher-profile races like governor and attorney general.

"If I had a concern for Tom, it is that his primary will be the only game in town," he said. "It’s going to be hard to get the public excited about that and get people out to vote."

Low-profile job

Nearly two decades into his time as a statewide official, DiNapoli’s name recognition remains low.

In a Siena Research Institute poll last month, 30% of voters said they would vote for him, with 29% voting for someone else. And 41% didn’t know who they would vote for.

Just 20% of those polled had a favorable view of DiNapoli, versus 15% with an unfavorable view. The other 65% had no opinion of DiNapoli, who has been in public office for nearly 40 years.

The state comptroller typically doesn’t get a lot of attention unless the office is connected to a scandal, such as the one that brought down DiNapoli’s predecessor, Alan Hevesi, said Christopher Malone, the associate provost at Farmingdale State College.

"When things are going well, no one really knows what the controller does from day to day," he said. "He's gotten involved when he had to with big issues, but he's kept his head down and done his work."

Malone said the challengers are trying to take advantage of a wider populist groundswell and position themselves as a fighter for the people.

That has never been DiNapoli’s public persona, he said.

"I'm not sure that there is a chance to unseat him now," he said. "But the fact that there are a handful of candidates, flawed or otherwise, sort of tells you that the environment for change, or the mood for change, seems to be upon us."