Politics
Brisport walks off the $$$ plank
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A FEW YEARS MAKE: When state Sen. Jabari Brisport ran for City Council in 2017, he promised that, if elected, he would forgo most of his government salary.
In social media posts, candidate questionnaires and even on his own campaign website, Brisport argued it isn’t reasonable for Council members to pull $148,000 annually when working class New Yorkers survive off far less. So he pledged in a Citizens Union questionnaire that he would cut his wage down to $47,000 — the median income in Brooklyn — and distribute the surplus to his staff so they’re “paid adequately.”
“I’m the only candidate not only talking the talk about income inequality and calling for higher taxes on the wealthy, but also walking the walk and pledging to slash my own salary to the median income of Brooklyn,” the democratic socialist said in an April 7, 2017 interview with Gothamist. “It’s a socialist plank.”
But Brisport — who’s facing a primary challenge this year — quietly walked off that plank once he actually got elected to public office.
After losing his 2017 Council race, Brisport switched gears and successfully ran for state Senate in 2020 — and he has never given up part of his legislative salary since taking office in January 2021, according to a Playbook review of payroll records.
In fact, Brisport even voted to increase pay for himself and other lawmakers in 2023, bumping the salary floor from $110,000 to $142,000, records show.
The 2023 raises made legislators in Albany the highest paid state lawmakers in the nation. Yet despite his 2017 campaign commitment, Brisport has drawn his full salary every year since being elected. As of fall 2025, he had in total raked in more than $607,000 in government salary — in addition to about $100,000 in taxpayer-funded travel stipends, records show.
When asked why he never stuck to his 2017 promises, Brisport suggested Thursday he had a change of heart upon launching his state Senate campaign in 2019.
“When I ran for state Senate I decided to focus on fighting for higher wages for working class people and making New York more affordable for everyone,” Brisport told Playbook.
Brisport, who represents a swath of Brooklyn that includes Bedford-Stuyvesant and Clinton Hill, faces a challenge in the June 23 Democratic primary from community activist Marlon Rice, who’s running on a more moderate platform than the incumbent.
Brisport is a close friend, political ally and former roommate of Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani has yet to offer an endorsement for Brisport. But a person close to the mayor recently told Playbook he plans to roll out a slate of state-level endorsements in the coming weeks. — Chris Sommerfeldt
From the Capitol
BUDGET REFORM’S LONG ODDS: This year’s budget was the tenth-tardiest in state history, leaving legislators disgruntled with the governor’s lopsided power over the process.
“Members are really tired,” said Assemblymember Anna Kelles, who’s sponsoring one of several proposed constitutional amendments seeking to reduce the governor’s powers. “It’s not just that people are angry. It’s been year after year, and it’s affected our ability to do our job.”
Still, as has been the case after contentious budget processes in years past, the odds remain long that lawmakers’ displeasure will turn into drastic changes anytime soon.
“Do I support a change in the budgetary powers? Yes, personally I do,” Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said last month. “But you pass a constitutional amendment. Now this is the tough part: Now you’re in a campaign, the governor versus the Legislature. Who’s paying for that?”
If an amendment doesn’t receive first approval by next week, it’ll be too late to enact one that applies to any budget before the spending plan for the 2031 fiscal year.
Lawmakers could pass statutory changes later this year or in January, though. They’ve discussed treating the governor like they’re treated when budgets run late through withholding her paycheck until talks are done. But that would serve as a mostly symbolic move, at least under a governor with a seven-figure household income and a mansion subsidized by taxpayers. There are also technical changes backed by budget wonks such as moving the due date to July, but those wouldn’t necessarily address the power imbalance.
“My expectation is there are going to be at least informal conversations after we’re done with session, ahead of the budget process next year, about how this process can work more fairly,” state Sen. James Skoufis said. “But it’s one of those things that, after so many years of banging this drum, I’ll believe it when I see it.” — Bill Mahoney
‘THANK YOU, GOV’: Gov. Kathy Hochul didn’t give the immigration advocates everything they wanted, but they’re not raking her over the coals for it.
“I’ll say it 100 times: New York is not a sanctuary for criminals, and we will cooperate when crimes are being committed,” Hochul said today while hailing new measures in the state budget that push back against ICE’s aggressive enforcement tactics.
The new policies include a ban on ICE agents wearing masks, a measure to block them from entering sensitive locations like schools and churches without a judicial warrant and an end to official agreements between localities and federal law enforcement, which have allowed counties to lend their jails to ICE.
But the final budget deal does nothing to prohibit law enforcement from informally tipping off ICE when someone undocumented commits a crime, something that’s explicitly prohibited in the New York for All act that advocates have pushed for.
Still, groups like Make the Road New York and the New York Immigration Coalition are joining in on Hochul’s party.
“We commend the Governor and Legislature for passing this package, and for creating new meaningful protections for immigrant New Yorkers,” said New York Immigration Coalition President and CEO Murad Awawdeh.
“This is really meaningful to us,” Make the Road New York’s co-executive director Natalia Aristizabal said during the event. — Jason Beeferman
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
WHY WFP DIDN’T ENDORSE: Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s record on Israel cost him an endorsement from the Working Families Party, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The people, granted anonymity to discuss internal party decisions, told Playbook that Espaillat’s refusal to support the Block the Bombs Act was a major problem for the party, which ultimately decided not to weigh in as he faces a challenge from democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier in NY-13. The legislation would prohibit the sale of military equipment to Israel until the country guarantees compliance with international law.
Mamdani endorsed Chevalier on Thursday night, a move that has injected energy in a race that was previously viewed as an uphill climb for the democratic socialist. She has been fiercely critical of Israel and its war in Gaza since the start of the race, and has criticized the hundreds of thousands of dollars the incumbent Congress member has accepted from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee over the years.
“I think Espaillat missed the moment,” one of the people told Playbook. “There was a moment — there still is a moment — to evolve, and he didn’t. And now he has a real race.”
The second person said the Working Families Party did appreciate how Espaillat, the first formerly undocumented person elected to Congress, has led the charge on immigration from the House, but his inability to support the weapons sale bill caused concern among its members.
Meanwhile, Hochul took the opportunity today to praise Espaillat after Mamdani’s endorsement.
“I’m not commenting on why other people do what they do,” Hochul said. “I don’t think anyone has done a better job than Adriano Espaillat, and that’s important to know. This is not intended to set up a collision course of who’s endorsing who. I support long-standing allies … and the people that I believe in. — Jason Beeferman
PAC IT UP: An independent expenditure committee backed by a prominent Albany-based lobbying firm is ready to spend big in a handful of legislative races.
New York Forward, the group backed by the firm Brown & Weinraub, is expected to spend “several hundred thousand dollars” in several races. That includes backing the state Senate bid of Assemblymember Grace Lee, who’s running for the seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Brian Kavanagh.
The group is also providing get-out-the-vote support for state Sen. Joe Addabbo and Assemblymembers Catalina Cruz, Andrew Hevesi and Jordan Wright.
“New York Forward was created to support candidates who do the hard, constructive work of governing,” said Evan Rantzaklis, who is leading the effort for Brown & Weinraub. “That means backing leaders who deliver for their districts, build coalitions, and take their responsibilities seriously. These first expenditures reflect exactly that mission.” — Nick Reisman
THE DEBATE DEBATE: One of the city’s more under-the-radar primaries seems like it won’t be getting a debate.
The New York City chapter of the League of Women Voters said it’s canceling a planned face-off between Democratic Rep. Grace Meng and former diplomat Chuck Park, who’s running to the incumbent’s left. Kai Rosenthal, the chapter’s co-president, cited “many conflicts and short timing” for the cancellation.
Park is blaming Meng.
“Over the course of a month, we accepted all of Rep. Meng’s requests for new dates, a new venue, and a shorter time, but she was still unwilling to make it work,” he said in a statement. “If she’s ready to face the public, she can name a date and time, and I’ll be there.”
A spokesperson for Meng’s campaign pushed back, saying she “worked in good faith to make a debate happen.” In an email this morning responding to the cancellation, Meng campaign manager Harry Brussel wrote that the campaign is “truly sorry to hear that the debate won’t be possible” and asked to be kept apprised “if circumstances change.”
“It’s disappointing it didn’t come together,” Meng’s spokesperson continued in a statement to Playbook. “But this has been a long campaign and voters know full well what their choices are. They know Grace works hard and delivers and that Chuck complains about process.” — Madison Fernandez
IN OTHER NEWS
— RED LINE: A contentious NY-21 Republican primary between Robert Smullen and Anthony Constantino was on full display Thursday, where sharp debate exchanges ended with a snubbed handshake. (Times Union)
— PRIME EXAMPLE: Court filings by Attorney General Letitia James and the Teamsters union in Amazon’s challenge to a New York labor law defended state action, citing yearslong delays and dysfunction by the federal labor board. (amNY)
— ACT NOW, REVIEW LATER?: New York City’s child welfare agency is facing a class-action lawsuit from families alleging it removes children without prior court approvals. (The New Yorker)
Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
Politics
It might take ‘a lightning bolt from God’ to get these Senate Democratic hopefuls to bow for independents
Democrats vying for a pair of deep-red Senate seats are facing increasingly desperate calls from within their party to step aside for more promising independent candidates.
But they say they won’t drop out — unless there’s divine intervention.
Democrats Alani Bankhead of Montana and Julian Beaudion of South Dakota both told Blue Light News they have no plans to exit the race, despite pressure from national — and even some state — Democrats to step aside. Numerouspolls, coupled with strongerfundraising and campaign operations, show independents Seth Bodnar and Brian Bengs have a stronger — if still muddied — path to victory in November.
If the Democrats stay on the ballot, it will be almost impossible to claw these seats away from Republicans in Mountain West states that President Donald Trump dominated in 2024.
“I’m a person of faith. If a lightning bolt from God struck me and was like, ‘Alani, get out of the race,’ sure,” Bankhead told Blue Light News when asked if anything would change her mind. Otherwise, she said there’s “absolutely nothing.”
Beaudion has a similar resolve: “To be clear, we are not considering dropping out of the race,” he told Blue Light News.
By digging in, the Democrats could imperil their party’s hopes of regaining Senate control in an already uphill cycle. There’s broad agreement across the many factions of the Democratic Party that a crowded race relinquishes any hope of victory. Bengs has argued that Beaudion remaining on the ballot jeopardizes his chance of winning this fall against GOP Sen. Mike Rounds. Bodnar has maintained he has a viable path either way, and he could be helped out if the Libertarian candidate in the race pulls votes from Republican Kurt Alme.
The deadline to withdraw in South Dakota is Tuesday, and Montana’s is shortly after, on Aug. 10. Democrats across the ideological spectrum in Washington and their home states are calling on Bankhead and Beaudion to step down to help their party bank-shot a Senate majority, with the idea that a victorious independent candidate could caucus with a future Democratic majority — or at least not party up with Republicans.
“The math is inescapable. If it’s impossible for a Democrat to win, it is vital that the Democrats step aside and give the independent at least a shot of beating the Republican,” said Matt Bennett, a co-founder of the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way. “Beating the MAGA Republicans is priorities one, two and three. Who we beat them with is pretty far down the list.”
Democrats have already had some luck setting up one-on-one independent vs. Republican matchups in other Trump-won states. The Democratic candidate in Nebraska withdrew to pave the way for independent Dan Osborn — though an ongoing court case from a Democratic anti-abortion pastor could complicate things. And Idaho’s Democratic nominee recently dropped out in favor of independent Todd Achilles.
“Knowing that your campaign is not gonna break through, and just being able to recognize that is probably the hardest thing of all,” Achilles said of Democrat David Roth’s decision to step down. “I do appreciate what David did in Idaho.”
Bankhead and Beaudion insist they can win, even despite the headwinds. Bankhead expects to ride the anti-incumbency and pro-outsider wave into office, and Beaudion credits his relationships with voters throughout the state.
“Nobody ever knows what’s actually going to happen in an election,” Bankhead said. “The people decide on November 3.”
But Idaho and Nebraska Democrats reached a conclusion that Bankhead and Beaudion did not: The party’s brand is so tarnished in their states that the “D” label on the ballot line provides no viable path to victory.
“I am a professional partisan Democrat, and I have every incentive to be on the Democrat’s side here,” said Pat Dennis, president of American Bridge 21st Century, an opposition-research firm. “But ultimately, the priority is to take the Senate majority away from Republicans. In some states, that path is very difficult to impossible for a Democrat. In those cases, it is both strategically and morally correct to take the path that is most likely to achieve the goal we’re going for.”
Faiz Shakir, a longtime adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), did not go as far as to call for Bankhead and Beaudion to step aside. But he agreed that there’s real opportunity for independents who aren’t stuck with the Democratic brand’s baggage.
“Being someone who’s not associated with the two-party system right now helps you greatly in many parts of this country, particularly those that have much more rural and conservative tendencies,” said Shakir. “There’s frustration and anger with Trump, and there’s not as much of a love and appreciation for the Democratic Party.”
Shakir also said that competitive races in these red areas — even if the independents can’t pull off a win — could force Republicans to pull much-needed resources out of battleground races in order to defend their turf.
But he also offered a warning to his party: Talking too much about the independents’ strong fundraising and establishment backing risks tying them to the “donor class” and turning them “into a worse version of what people assumed of a Democrat.”
“You gotta give them the space to be both independent in mind and in spirit,” he said. “The argument for them is truly that they are building a movement in the state that people are hungry for, and that in the support of those people, they’re finding resonance. And that would be the argument for a Democrat to step aside.”
Republicans, meanwhile, are working to paint the independents and Democrats as one and the same. They’re also trying to elevate the Democrats in an attempt to stop the independents from gaining more traction: Trump on social media attacked Bankhead in July, ignoring Bodnar entirely.
“Democrat-backed independents all support the same socialist policies and middle-class tax hikes that made Democrats toxic across the country,” Joanna Rodriguez, the communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said in a statement. “Republicans will defeat them in November.”
The inside calls for Beaudion and Bankhead to step aside aren’t just coming from Washington. Many local Democrats in Montana and South Dakota have said publicly they should not continue their campaigns. Nancy Keenan, the former executive director of the Montana Democratic Party who has endorsed Bodnar, wrote in a June op-ed that “there is not a viable path for a Democratic victory in this race.”
Bennett, the Third Way co-founder, went further, saying if Democrats fail to flip the Senate in November, the blame would lie at the hands of Bankhead and Beaudion.
“If we fumble away a majority because these no hope candidates are too vain to get out of the race, that’ll be a political calamity,” he said. “These people need to understand that they will become pariahs.”
Bankhead doesn’t see it that way.
“I’m not swayed by it because I’m not here for power and money,” she said. “It’s still the old, rich D.C. powerful political circles that are trying to keep more progressive candidates out of the fight so they can maintain the status quo.”
FCC chair Brendan Carr on Trump, free speech and his threats against broadcasters
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Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and his team are discussing dropping out of the crowded Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.
The conversations come as Democratic officials in the state brace for damaging media reports about Barnes expected to hit in the coming hours. Barnes and his team have been on calls Thursday to discuss how to proceed, according to the people, granted anonymity to share private details.
The primary had become increasingly messy as more moderate leaning Democrats like Barnes have tried to stave off Democratic socialist Francesca Hong’s rise, worried her victory could boost presumed Republican nominee Tom Tiffany. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ endorsement of David Crowley — who reentered the race in the final stretch — further complicated the moderate coalition.
A spokesperson for Barnes’ campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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