Primarily about New York

Daily Point

Full steam ahead?

New York’s April 28 presidential primary looks like a losing proposition.

“I would say that a postponement is likely,” state Democratic Party head Jay Jacobs told The Point. 

Jacobs, a close ally of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, himself a friend of former Vice President Joe Biden, said there is “discussion around the question of Bernie dropping out and whether or not that negates the need to even hold a primary at all.” 

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders isn’t quite at that point, with his campaign vowing on Tuesday to compete in New York in April.

Even still, there are other possibilities for a tweaked primary. Some legislators and state Attorney General Tish James have pushed for expanded use of absentee ballots — legislation filed by Bronx Assemb. Jeffrey Dinowitz would temporarily authorize the use of absentee ballots by those worried about coronavirus, a bid to get around potential state constitutional questions. A bill by Bronx/Westchester State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi would accomplish something similar. Top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa said this week that the office is looking into the issue. 

The Dinowitz legislation also would shift the primary to June 23, something supported by the New York State Elections Commissioners Association, which represents the state’s boards of elections professionals. The association sent out a letter Tuesday calling for postponement, more absentee voting, and more power for elections officials to consolidate polling places to create more safety and flexibility for personnel.

It wouldn’t be the first election shift due to COVID-19. Local elections, including village races on Long Island, have already been postponed, plus the special election for Queens borough president, which should have been happening as you read this.

—Mark Chiusano @mjchiusano

Talking Point

Support squad

Primary confusion means another venerable political tradition is up in the air: seeing which hometown heroes will be delegates for which candidates. 

The Dinowitz legislation, for one, proposes a simpler ballot that doesn’t include candidates and delegates who have suspended their campaign. 

But for now, we can take a look at the list of names who would be serving as delegates to the Democratic National Convention. 

Some of them are extended family members of President Donald Trump, according to paperwork filed with the state Board of Elections. 

That includes Trump children Donald Jr., Eric, Ivanka, and Tiffany, plus partners Lara and Kimberly Guilfoyle. (Naturally, they’re supporting the patriarch.)

On Long Island, Trump delegates include Reps. Lee Zeldin and Peter King, plus Suffolk party head Jesse Garcia, Islip Town supervisor Angie Carpenter, Islip GOP chairman William Garbarino, Nassau County party head Joe Cairo, and Town of Hempstead Councilman Bruce Blakeman. 

Delegates on the Democratic side break down along lines that have become familiar as the party battles out its future. For former Vice President Joe Biden, Long Island voters will see the likes of Babylon Town Board member DuWayne Gregory, State Sens. Monica Martinez and Kevin Thomas, former congressman Steve Israel and CD2 hopeful Jackie Gordon. 

Among those lining up for Sen. Elizabeth Warren are Liuba Grechen Shirley, who ran an anti-establishment primary against Gregory in 2018 and then lost to King; and Jackie Duodu-Burbridge, who lost her bid for Suffolk County Legislature on the Working Families Party line against former Gregory staffer Jason Richberg. 

Then there’s Anthony Simon, general chairman of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, whose union recently endorsed Zeldin’s reelection bid. 

Personally, however, Simon will be a delegate for the other party, behind Biden. 

—Mark Chiusano @mjchiusano

Pencil Point

Don't look

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Final Point

The show must go on

Amid all of the virtual cooking classes, museum tours, and theatrical performances, there’s one ongoing live event that you can keep an eye on even as you’re staying home, or at least keeping your social distance. 

The New York Islanders’ hockey season may be indefinitely postponed, but fans and others can watch the continuing construction at Belmont Park, as a new arena for the team rises. A live cam presents a bird’s-eye view, from the cranes to the construction trucks to the individuals still at work — clearly keeping their own social distance.

And the progress is significant. The steel is up, and the frame of the arena is clearly taking shape. 

It may not be as exciting as an Islanders’ power play, but it’s a reminder that in the future, there will be games still to play and wins still to celebrate.
For your own Belmont live cam respite, click here.

—Randi F. Marshall @RandiMarshall

An earlier version of this Point item incorrectly stated in which district Jackie Gordon is running. The item has been updated to show that she is running in the Second Congressional District."