New York Democrats gather for 'Hochul-centric' convention

The plan at the New York Democratic convention, according to party and campaign sources, will be to convey a sense of unity in backing Hochul for a full term as governor as the person who "can do the job."

And along the way, according to several reports, she will host a high-end fundraiser Thursday night for about 20 top donors.

She faces competition from Rep. Thomas R. Suozzi of Nassau County and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, both of whom promise serious efforts to win the party primary in June.

Earlier this week the governor hinted at her approach to the race ahead.

"I'm a Buffalo Bills fan. I always have an underdog mentality," Hochul told reporters.

"You never know if there's going to be 13 seconds when you wait and something else happens," she said, a reference to the football team's defensive collapse in the final seconds of regulation time in last month's playoff game loss. "So that's my approach to life. That is my approach to all 13 elections I've been in."

One source with knowledge of the governor's approach said her acceptance speech will be directed at "strengthening the middle class and making sure New York is affordable for everyone."

State Democratic Chairman Jay S. Jacobs uses words like "upbeat," "positive" and "leadership" to set the tone for the convention at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, expected to attract some 500 people from around the state and celebrate Hochul as the new party leader after Andrew M. Cuomo resigned as governor last August.

"We have a great candidate in the first female governor who has already demonstrated her capacity for leadership and her ability to meet the challenges of the state," Jacobs said in an interview. "Our vision is to make the lives of New Yorkers better."

Clinton headlining but no Cuomo 

Although nobody is emphasizing it, the one-day political affair will suggest the New York Democratic Party is no longer the Andrew Cuomo Democratic Party.

"That's normal. It's not about Andrew Cuomo. Time moves on," said Jacobs, once a Cuomo ally. "We as a party have to look to tomorrow and not linger on what took place yesterday."

The party will showcase one of its longtime stars when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers the keynote address. The former first lady, New York senator and presidential candidate will make her first public speech in about two years, party insiders say, at a time when some speculate she could again seek the presidency.

Jacobs said Clinton will prove especially relevant because of her pioneering efforts as a woman and the celebration of Hochul as the state party's first female gubernatorial candidate.

"Hillary Clinton is certainly one of the top leaders in the national party because of what she represents and what she has accomplished," Jacobs said. "She has advanced the cause of women in politics, and she'll be there for the first woman governor in our state's history as she is nominated for a full term."

Indeed, the state convention looms as a "no muss, no fuss" affair devoid of factionalism. Delegates are expected to unanimously back for another term the rest of their incumbents: Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, Sen. Charles Schumer, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and Attorney General Letitia James, all unchallenged barring surprises Thursday. 

Erie County Democratic Chairman Jeremy Zellner said local attendees to the convention include County Executive Mark Poloncarz, Rep. Brian Higgins, Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, several other state legislators, and a strong contingent from Hochul's native Hamburg. 

Hochul sources say the governor is expected to use the convention as a "springboard" to a full campaign once the state budget is adopted in April, including visits around the state.

Hochul's rivals

Suozzi and Williams promise serious efforts to win the party primary in June. But heading into Thursday's convention, neither appears to have garnered the 25% threshold of convention support to automatically qualify for the primary ballot. That means both face the expensive and daunting task of first circulating designating petitions around the state to even join the contest.

Neither challenger predicts gaining the 25%, but neither appears intimidated. Williams gathered enough statewide signatures to qualify for his 2018 primary challenge to then-Lt. Gov. Hochul, while Suozzi succeeded in 2006 when he took on Eliot L. Spitzer for the gubernatorial nomination.

Both challengers now look to the primary. In fact, Suozzi stole some of the convention spotlight Wednesday by announcing Diana Reyna as his running mate. If elected lieutenant governor, Reyna would become the first Latina elected to statewide office in New York. She previously served as deputy borough president to Eric Adams when he was Brooklyn borough president. Adams is now the mayor of New York City.

The congressman now seems to revel in his underdog role. Party officials will not allow him or Williams to speak at the convention – only at a Thursday breakfast. He points to previous conclaves in which attorney general candidates were allotted enough votes to qualify for the ballot. He also noted his assistance for Byron Brown last year after the Buffalo mayor lost the Democratic primary and was forced to wage a write-in campaign.

"I'm not some sort of yahoo," he told The Buffalo News. "I'm a lifelong Democrat, a sitting member of Congress and someone who's done a lot for the Democratic Party, including help elect the mayor of Buffalo.

"I gave up a great honor and responsibility and that's the United States Congress," he added. "I'm doing this because I feel so strongly that the Democratic Party has lost its way and is not talking about what people care about –- crime and taxes."

He also said he does not buy the party line that Hochul has competently managed the state.

"She has the great advantage of an enormous amount of federal money that I and the rest of the delegation delivered," he said. "That doesn't take great management skills."

Suozzi has assembled a strong organization, reassembling support from his unsuccessful primary challenge to Eliot L. Spitzer for governor in 2006. While Hochul enters the campaign with $21.3 million in her campaign account, Suozzi reported a respectable $5.4 million in the last campaign finance report.

Williams, meanwhile, enters the fray after faring well against Hochul during the lieutenant governor primary in 2018. Since then, he was elected to the No. 2 post in New York City government as public advocate. He has cemented strong relations with much of the party's left wing, such as backing democratic socialist India B. Walton after she won the Democratic primary for mayor of Buffalo last June. 

"I think we have a shot," campaign spokesman William Gerlich said of making the ballot. "At the same time, we're preparing for a petition race."

Gerlich says the Williams campaign has gained backing from various left-leaning clubs and elected officials. Last week, he snared the endorsement of the Working Families Party, which theoretically guarantees him a place on the general election ballot for November and the potential to siphon liberal Democratic votes normally destined for Hochul.

Will he remain on the Working Families line should he lose the Democratic primary and possibly aid the Republican candidate?

"We're focused on getting on the ballot," Gerlich said. "That's something we'll assess further down the road."