How Hochul and N.Y. Dems plan to avoid another 2022; state test scores struggle

Plus: a photo of the digital billboard knocking Hochul at the State Fair.

Good afternoon — it’s Friday and National Cuban Sandwich Day.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2024

TODAY’S CAPCON:

• Hochul and New York Democrats flexed their muscles at the D.N.C. this week but face a tough fight back home. Pelosi blames N.Y. for losing the House majority.

• I now have a photo for you of the digital billboard at the State Fair knocking Hochul.

• From The Notebook: Struggling state test scores, higher unemployment, a letter to the governor and more.

🌤️ Tonight’s Weather: Albany: Partly cloudy, high 50s. New York City: Mostly clear, high 60s. (National Weather Service)

---

Hochul in 2022 (Alex Kent/Getty Images)

☑️ Hochul and N.Y. Democrats showed their strength at the D.N.C. Can they maintain it at home?

✋ Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blamed New York for losing the U.S. House majority, but Democrats here are organizing to reverse that.

Since Gov. Kathy HOCHUL came within seven points of losing the race for governor to Republican Lee Zeldin in 2022, she’s been hard at work to avoid a repeat. 

• It was the closest margin in a race for governor in New York since 1994.

And this deserves a little inside baseball from the perspective of a journalist who’s covered Democrats in New York.

Everyone in New York politics knows the state Democratic Party hasn’t always been the most … organized.