Advertisement. Advertise with us

The primary thing: vote

Commentary by Ted Potrikus

Otsego County and the whole of New York stand on the cusp of an eventful election season that begins with the June 28 primaries for the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, and state Assembly.

Because we can’t have nice things in the Empire State, we’ll have a second round of primaries on August 23; those are for state Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. And also a special election on August 23 to fill out the last few months of now-Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado’s term in the 19th Congressional District. Then another election for the 19th CD in November — in a district that will have entirely different boundaries thanks to redistricting, so one of the candidates for the special election for the 19th on August 23 is not running for reelection to that district in November, but instead will seek a full two-year term to the state’s 18th Congressional District and leave two others to duke it out for the 19th.

Thank you, state legislators who hijacked the voter-approved 2014 amendment establishing non-partisan redistricting, redrew lines you thought your party-appointed state Court of Appeals would uphold, and then whined when you got caught with your hands in the constitutional cookie jar and the Court correctly said “no thanks.” (Even their Assembly district lines got the judicial heave-ho last week, so we’ll have new ones in 2024!)

Calendar confusion aside, primaries are important. Just ask Joe Crowley. He’s the former Democrat Congressman from Queens who spent all his time a couple of years ago lining up support for his planned run against Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House instead of campaigning in his home district for his primary against some unknown kid named Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Whoops.

Elise Stefanik's staff has been stuffing my e-mail inbox with announcements touting summer primary victories for House candidates from other states who have her support. I get it – as ugly as it may seem from the outside, this is how one rises through the ranks in Washington, D.C. The halls of Congress are a crowded place with at least 535 voices clamoring to rise above the din. Those whom one supports in a primary will be those to whom one turns for reciprocal support when it’s time for leadership votes.

But my goodness she’s supporting Carl Palladino out in Buffalo in his August 23 primary for Congress. I’ll do my best to keep from name-calling, but a buffoon is a buffoon. This guy, in 2021 (2021!), called Adolf Hitler “the kind of leader we need today.”






You have reached your limit of 3 free articles

To Continue Reading

 

Our hard-copy and online publications cover the news of Otsego County by putting the community back into the newspaper. We are funded entirely by advertising and subscriptions. With your support, we continue to offer local, independent reporting that is not influenced by commercial or political ties.

Posted

Related Articles

Youth Look To Engage Peers More Fully in Elections, Governance

Seeking ways to change downward trends in youth voting, Hartwick’s IPS invited high-school students from a nine-county area to submit essays or videos identifying reasons for dissatisfaction with the political process among young people and suggesting ways to more actively engage them in democracy.…

Delgado Sworn In For Second Term

CLICK TO HEAR 'STATE OF THE DISTRICT' Delgado Sworn In For Second Term Antonio Delgado's wife Lacey and their twin sons joined him Washington D.C. last evening as he was sworn in for a second term. WASHINGTON –  Otsego County's congressman, Antonio Delgado, R-19, said he was "humbled and honored" on being sworn in for a second term last evening at the Capitol. The swearing in took place on the House floor, by groups, to observe social distancing protocols. You have reached your limit of 3 free articles To Continue Reading SubscribeLogin   Our hard-copy and online publications cover the…

Editorial: Great Choice, Governor

Editorial Great Choice, Governor [Editor’s note: This week’s edition goes to press just as the news about Rep. Delgado is breaking; we offer here a brief analysis of the situation as it stands on the morning of May 3.] For Otsego County, Governor Kathy Hochul’s May 3 announcement appointing Rep. Antonio Delgado as her new second-in-command in Albany is nothing short of politically seismic — a move that could send aftershocks throughout the entire state and even into Washington, D.C. Certainly Rep. Delgado was a Washington up-and-comer, an important part of the Democratic Party’s hopes to keep its majority in…