2021: A Changing Landscape for New York in Washington & Albany

Donald Trump’s campaign and election energized, empowered, and emboldened New York’s Progressives and, in turn, transformed New York State politics. It helped power a blue wave in the 2018 midterm elections, ending decades of almost uninterrupted Republican control of the New York State Senate. Unified Democratic control in Albany meant radical change across the state, especially regarding:

• Voting (early voting, registration changes);
• LGBTQ rights (Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act);
• Immigrant protections (Green Light Law);
• The environment (the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act);
• Workers (farmworkers’ right to unionize, prevailing wage requirements);
• Criminal justice reform (bail reform, public review of police discipline records);
• Housing (tenant protections);
• And so on.

What impact will Joe Biden’s election have on the electorate? . . . on progressives? Will rolling back Trump policies and incremental change be enough for progressives? Much will depend on what happens in Georgia tomorrow (more on that later). However, the center/moderate versus progressive/far-left dynamic is one of the biggest things we are watching in 2021.

These are just some of the topics we dive into in our policy and politics preview for 2021.