DAYS THE BUDGET IS LATE: 43
PRIMARY COLORS: Republican Assemblymember Robert Smullen sat down with Rep. Elise Stefanik five years ago to talk about a rural development bill, but instead he made a bold claim: He intended to challenge her in a GOP primary.
The previously unreported meeting, according to two people with direct knowledge of the private conversation who were granted anonymity to discuss it, occurred in July 2021.
Smullen never followed through with a Stefanik primary challenge. And in a statement, he denied ever planning to challenge her for the nomination.
“I’ve never planned to primary Elise Stefanik,” he said in a statement. “I have too much respect for her, her leadership, and the job she has done fighting for NY-21 and Upstate New York.”
According to the people, the sitdown occurred as Republican House members in deep blue New York were bracing for what was expected to be a challenging round of redistricting. Smullen’s primary threat against Stefanik was based, in part, on the potential of her home being drawn out of the sprawling North Country seat she’s represented since 2015.
“To have the audacity to do that — to not read the room, but also not read the polling,” one of the people said. “By the end of the meeting he was set straight.”
It also came months after Stefanik replaced then-Rep. Liz Cheney as the Republican House conference chair following the Wyoming Republican’s emergence as an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump. Stefanik had previously emerged as a prominent Trump ally in Congress.
Yet Smullen over the years has donated frequently to Stefanik’s campaigns — including thousands of dollars between 2020 and 2024.
She also frequently appeared alongside Smullen at events, like at an October 2022 fundraiser for his Assembly reelection campaign as well as a rally a month later.
“I have known Elise personally for years, supported and donated to her campaigns, and appreciated her support for me during my own races,” Smullen said. “Like many elected officials and political allies do over the years, we had conversations about the future and the importance of continuing strong Republican representation for this district someday. That is very different from this narrative POLITICO is trying to create.”
He added, “What is especially disappointing is that my opponent and his operatives are trying to drag Elise into a primary she has made clear she is staying out of so voters can make their own decision.”
Smullen also told Playbook that Stefanik comforted his family when his son was hospitalized and later died after he was struck by a car.
“During the hardest time in my family’s life, Elise was there for us while my son AJ was in the hospital and after we lost him. Those are not the actions of people involved in some fabricated political feud,” Smullen said. “I am focused on earning the support of voters across NY-21 and fighting for the conservative values that unite Republicans across Upstate New York.”
The state lawmaker is now running for the House seat Stefanik is vacating this year, competing for the nomination against Republican Anthony Constantino, the Trump-endorsed candidate in the June 23 primary.
Stefanik has not endorsed in the primary to succeed her. But her support is highly coveted by both Republican candidates.
She’s represented the House district for the last decade, building up a base of ardent supporters and aligning herself closely with the president’s MAGA movement.
Stefanik bowed out of running for reelection after scuttling a short-lived bid for governor.
Her decision not to run for another term has ignited a heated Republican primary to succeed her in a ruby red House seat that Trump has handily won three times.
Constantino, the CEO of the merchandise and printing company Sticker Mule, has marshaled the backing of Trump-allied luminaries like political operative Roger Stone, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and retired Gen. Michael Flynn.
His candidacy has split Empire State Republicans, however.
The New York Republican Committee in April formally endorsed Smullen — a rare nod by the party’s statewide leadership in a GOP primary. — Nick Reisman
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
HOCHUL FILMS VIDEO FOR LASHER: Gov. Kathy Hochul, Rep. Jerry Nadler, Assemblymember Micah Lasher and political strategist Morris Katz all walked into a bagel shop.
It’s not the start of a joke, it’s what happened Tuesday at Tal Bagels on 90th and Broadway.
The three elected officials were spotted with the wunderkind political strategist filming a video together for Lasher’s run for Congress, according to two Playbook spies and a third person who confirmed the events. State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Council Member Gale Brewer were also there.
Lasher is running for the Manhattan seat held by Nadler, his former boss, and was already endorsed by Hochul, also his former boss, last month.
But the soon-to-be released video will mark a unique level of involvement for Hochul in the race.
In the 2024 Democratic primaries, Hochul held a strict no-primary-endorsements policy, even though she privately fundraised for some candidates. Now, she’s filming Katzian videos over lox & schmear for Lasher in a competitive primary, where he’s up against Assemblymember Alex Bores, Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg and anti-Trump commentator George Conway.
The meeting also shows a sort of détente in the political consulting world. In the bruising battle in neighboring NY-10, Katz’s Fight Agency is backing former city comptroller Brad Lander’s primary challenge of Rep. Dan Goldman, whose campaign is powered by consultants Haley Scott and Mark Guma.
Guma and Scott both work on Lasher’s campaign, which now can officially count Katz as a partner.
Behind the scenes, Katz, a key strategist on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s campaign, has already been boosting Lasher. In February, POLITICO reported Katz was making calls to progressives to line up support for Lasher, identifying himself as “Morris Katz with the mayor” on the phone.
In a statement, Lasher spokesperson Caroline Crowell celebrated how the great bagel confab represented a unity between the rival consultants.
“Team Lasher is thrilled to welcome Fight Agency to our team that includes powerhouses Mark Guma and Haley Scott,” Crowell said. “We can’t wait for you to see what we’ve been cooking up. Stay tuned!” — Jason Beeferman and Irie Sentner
RELATED: It’s unclear if Mamdani is going to wade into the primary for Nadler’s seat — and there haven’t been any significant signs that he will. But in an interview with the New York Editorial Board, Bores said he would “love” to have the mayor’s endorsement.
“I haven’t talked to him about an endorsement,” Bores said, adding that he would “welcome his endorsement, just like I welcome the endorsement of any voter in the district.”
“That’s a little lukewarm,” journalist Ben Smith replied.
“Given the opportunity to ask and, yes, I would love to have his endorsement, but I don’t expect that he will get involved in this race,” Bores, who often likes to mention that he and Mamdani were basketball buddies in Albany, continued.
Bores has raked in some eye-catching progressive endorsements, including from Our Revolution, the group founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
At a recent forum at a synagogue, both Bores and Lasher were asked if they regretted endorsing Mamdani in the general election; neither said no, but both qualified their support for the mayor, who has drawn the ire of some Jewish voters. NY-12 has a prominent Jewish constituency. — Madison Fernandez
From the Capitol
CLOCK’S TICKING: The state Capitol is starting to take on some post-budget vibes — despite the fact that budget talks haven’t yet concluded.
“This is later than usual,” Assemblymember David Weprin said of this year’s spending plan. “It took a long time till we were going to start doing regular bills because we thought we were going to have a budget relatively on time. Once that became a reality, we started taking up more regular bills.”
The advocacy focus in the halls near the Legislature’s chambers has increasingly moved away from last-minute budget pleas to stand-alone bills. Weprin joined former Charlotte Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist today to push for more insurance coverage for stuttering. Other groups pushed for bans on data centers, a herbicide prohibition and new regulations on gun safes.
Both houses of the Legislature, meanwhile, are increasingly spending their days plowing through dense agendas.
“Would I have wanted to be at this point in session?” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said while announcing a consumer protection package Tuesday. “No, I would hope as always that we were able to get an on-time budget and that we were able to accomplish what we needed to accomplish sooner than now. But that has not stopped us from paying attention to the things we care about.”
But time is still clearly running out — even if the budget is wrapped up next week, there will only be eight remaining session days. “We’re just going to run out of time,” Assemblymember Anna Kelles said.
And while legislative leaders have been adamant that June 4 will remain the last day, that pinch is stirring talks of overtime.
“I think we will have some special session after our session ends before the end of the year to do some bills we haven’t done,” Weprin predicted. — Bill Mahoney
FROM THE DELEGATION
BELTWAY VITRIOL: Rep. Mike Lawler called antisemitic insults hurled at him by William Paul, the son of Sen. Rand Paul, “reprehensible” and “fucking disgusting.”
NOTUS reported on Wednesday that last night, the younger Paul “confronted Lawler about Rep. Thomas Massie’s GOP primary election in Kentucky next week” and said that if he loses, it’s going to be because of “your people” — which he followed by saying “you Jews.”
Speaking to reporters in Washington, Lawler said Paul “went on a roughly 10 minute diatribe about Israel and about Jews, about Paul Singer and accusing Jews of being responsible for so many things, playing right into the typical antisemitic tropes that so many people rely on.”
Lawler is not Jewish. His district, just north of New York City, has a large Jewish population.
“It speaks to a larger issue, obviously, in society and what we’re seeing among young people and what we see online,” he said. “This is the level of hatred and vitriol, frankly, that some of my Jewish colleagues experience, but many of my constituents experience.”
Paul responded to the incident in an X post, writing that he “had too much to drink and said some things that don’t represent who I really am. I’m sorry and today I am seeking help for my drinking problem.” — Madison Fernandez
IN OTHER NEWS
— WALDEN IN THE WATERS: A coalition of wealthy donors has raised over $1 million to oppose Mamdani’s agenda. (The New York Times)
—COURTSIDE CONGESTION: The Knicks’ playoff run could collide with World Cup transit restrictions, creating a major commuting problem for Penn Station. (Gothamist)
—MAYOR TAKES AIM: Mamdani is urging state regulators to block Western Union’s $500 million merger with Intermex, warning it could raise costs for immigrant New Yorkers. (Semafor)
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