Plugged In @ Hinman Straub

November 7, 2025

What’s Inside

  • General Election Recap
  • Elise Stefanik Announces Run for New York Governor
  • Assembly and Senate Mid-Year Reports
  • New York Approves NESE Pipeline Permits
  • Governor Announces Finding of Preliminary Tariff Report
  • Governor Announces Report on Maternal Mental Health
  • Governor Announces Expanded Access to Compensation for Victims and Survivors of Crime 
  • In the News
  • Coming Up 

General Election Recap 

Democrats are celebrating a series of victories today in New York State and across the country. While many of the Democratic wins in New York were largely expected, the results highlight strong voter support for campaigns centered on affordability and the cost of living.

In New York, aside from a special election to fill a vacant State Assembly seat, most of the high-profile contests were mayoral races in major cities, with particular attention on New York City. A summary of several key races is provided below.

Notably, this Election Day leaves two State Senate and two State Assembly seats vacant, each requiring a special election, as well as two open Senate chairmanships.

For unofficial results, visit the New York State Board of Elections website here. Here are some articles recapping elections throughout the state:

State Legislative Races

115th Assembly District

Democrat Michael Cashman beat his opponent, Republican Brent Davison, by less than 2,000 votes to represent parts of the North Country. Former Democratic Assemblyman Billy Jones stepped down from his position earlier this year.

Assemblyman-Elect Cashman will be sworn in shortly and will begin his term immediately.

Mayoral Races

New York City

Democratic State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani will become the 111th mayor of New York City. The 34-year-old defeated Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing the Democratic primary.

Mamdani’s transition team has been announced, which can be found here.

Albany

Democratic Chief City Auditor Dorcey Applyrs won her race against Republican Rocco Pezzulo. She will become the first African American to run the city that calls the State Capitol home.

Rochester

Current Democrat Mayor Malik Evans won another four-year term, defeating Republican Louis Sabo.

Buffalo

Democratic State Senator Sean Ryan won 72% of the vote in Buffalo. This signals a new chapter for Buffalo as the city’s first new mayor in almost 20 years.

Syracuse

Democratic Syracuse Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens defeated Republican Thomas Babilon. Owens will also make history as the first Black mayor in Syracuse’s history.

Binghamton

Incumbent Republican Mayor Jared Kraham declared victory over Democratic challenger Miles Burnett. This will be Kraham’s second term as mayor.

Other Races

Current Democratic Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal won his election for Manhattan Borough President, and current Democratic State Assemblymember Harvey Epstein won his election for NYC Council District 2.

Vacancies

Under current state law, Governor Kathy Hochul has to schedule a special election within 10 days of being notified of a vacancy, which then must take place within 80 days. Vacancies that resulted from Election Day include the following:

  • Senate District 47 (Brad Hoylman-Sigal, elected Manhattan Borough President)
    • This district represents Manhattan’s West Side, including the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, and the Upper West Side, in addition to part of Central Park.
  • Senate District 61 (Sean Ryan, elected Mayor of Buffalo)
    • This district includes parts of the City of Buffalo, the City of Tonawanda, the Towns of Amherst, Grand Island, and Tonawanda, as well as the Villages of Kenmore and Williamsville.
  • Assembly District 36 (Zohran K. Mamdani, elected Mayor of New York)
    • This district represents the Queens neighborhoods of Astoria, Ditmars-Steinway, and Astoria Heights.
  • Assembly District 74 (Harvey Epstein, elected City Council)
    • This district represents the East Side of Manhattan, including the neighborhoods of the Lower East Side, East Village, Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village, Murray Hill, Kips Bay, Tudor City, and the United Nations.

Election Day also leaves the following chairmanships vacant:

  • Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business
  • Senate Committee on Judiciary

Elise Stefanik Announces Run for New York Governor

Congressmember Elise Stefanik has officially announced her candidacy for Governor of New York, launching her campaign with strong criticism of incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul’s policies and leadership. Stefanik framed her run as a bid to “make New York affordable and safe for all,” highlighting issues such as high taxes, living costs, and crime, and claiming that New York needs new leadership to address these concerns. Her formal announcement can be watched here. 

Governor Kathy Hochul quickly responded to Stefanik’s announcement with an ad from her campaign, portraying Rep. Stefanik as an ally of President Donald Trump and referring to her as a “sellout.” The Governor defended her record on lowering costs and cutting taxes, casting the upcoming race as a battle over the future direction of the state. Her response to Rep. Stefanik’s announcement can be watched here.

Assembly and Senate Mid-Year Reports

As part of the Quickstart process, each participating entity prepares a forecast of receipts and disbursements for the current and ensuing fiscal years. This week, both the Assembly and Senate released their Quickstart reports, also known as mid-year reports.

According to the Assembly’s report, despite a slowdown in revenue collection, New York State remains in a solid fiscal position, with closing balances of $57.6 billion in the General Fund and $75.2 billion in All Funds. As such, receipts currently exceed disbursements by $723 million in the General Fund and $1.5 billion in All Funds. Both reports are linked below.

New York Approves NESE Pipeline Permits

The Department of Environmental Conservation (“DEC”) granted a state water quality permit for the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline. This new pipeline will stretch 24 miles from New Jersey, traversing Raritan Bay, to link up with the pipeline network in the Rockaways.

At the same time, Williams Co., the entity behind the NESE project, has withdrawn its request for a water quality permit related to the Constitution project, a larger-scale initiative, covering 124 miles from Pennsylvania through New York to Schoharie County.

In September, the Public Service Commission determined that the NESE project is essential for maintaining the reliability of the gas system in downstate areas, which is currently strained and depends on trucked gas during the peak of winter. National Grid, the gas company serving Long Island and parts of New York City, has signed an agreement to support the pipeline through an offtake arrangement.

New York’s authorization represents a crucial obstacle overcome for the NESE initiative. For the project to advance, New Jersey must also approve necessary permits.

Governor Announces Finding of Preliminary Tariff Report

Governor Hochul has announced the finding of the New York State Tariff Disruptions Report, a statewide analysis documenting the impacts caused by the Trump Administration’s tariff policies. The report outlines that tariffs are imposing an effective 21 percent tax on imported goods, costing New York families an estimated $4,200 annually.

Additionally, inflation is nearly 52 percent higher than the 10-year average. According to the Governor, these tariffs have generated price surges across critical sectors and are threatening to reverse years of economic growth and job creation in New York State. The report can be found here.

As directed by the Governor, New York State agencies were required to investigate and report the economic and social impacts of federal tariffs. This coordinated response, ordered through a July 14, 2025 directive from the Governor’s Office of State Operations, tasked Empire State Development and the Office of General Services with leading a cross-agency analysis covering cost increases, supply chain disruptions, and threats to jobs and small businesses across New York’s economy.

Preliminary results from this report demonstrate that tariffs have already caused measurable setbacks in multiple sectors:

  • Agriculture: Farms statewide face higher expenses for fertilizer and equipment. One farmer indicated that his business faces increases up to $20,000 annually, while milk exports have fallen 7 percent.
  • Construction: Material costs have climbed by 15–25 percent, adding around $11,000 to each new single-family home, impacting housing and infrastructure projects across the state.
  • Tourism: Reduced Canadian travel led to nearly 400,000 fewer visitors to New York in May of 2025 as compared to May 2024, cutting deeply into a sector that employs one in ten New Yorkers.
  • Health Care: Tariffs on imported equipment and pharmaceuticals have forced increased costs and caused strain on operations and have raised premiums for state employee health plans by $14.5 million.
  • Manufacturing: Input costs have risen 20 percent, cutting profit margins and delaying investments for hundreds of New York manufacturers reliant on cross-border supply chains.

Governor Hochul said:

New Yorkers are seeing firsthand what these tariffs really are — a tax on hardworking families and employers. Under my leadership, the State’s economy was growing in all areas. We achieved record tourism numbers, a private sector job growth rate that outpaces the nation, and unprecedented commitments from businesses to grow jobs. Tariffs are threatening to undermine all of this. They raise prices on everything from milk and medicine to steel and housing materials, while doing nothing to strengthen our economy. Tariffs are destabilizing markets, straining small businesses, and punishing the very people who keep our state moving.

More information can be found in the Governor’s press release here.  

Governor Announces Report on Maternal Mental Health

Governor Kathy Hochul has announced New York’s first maternal mental health report, which highlights the mental health challenges faced by pregnant women and recommends statewide improvements. The full report can be found here. The state is also providing new funding to help OBGYN, and family medicine practices support pregnant women with behavioral health needs and is organizing virtual roundtables to address these issues.

The report, created by the Maternal Mental Health Workgroup under the Office of Mental Health, outlines steps to improve care, including provider training, better mental health screenings, expanded use of doulas and peer support programs, specialized training for 988 crisis counselors, and broader access to the Collaborative Care Medicaid Program.

In addition to the report, OMH made $850,000 available to help OBGYN and family medicine practices provide behavioral health support to their patients — a recommendation included in the maternal mental health report. The funding will provide up to 17 awards statewide to expand the psychiatric collaborative care model at these practices, helping them to increase perinatal depression screening and treatment to decrease racial disparities in this care.

OMH is also hosting two virtual roundtable discussions focused on reducing the stigma around maternal mental health. Hosted in collaboration with Behavioral Health News, the roundtable discussions include one on Nov. 13 to explore the stigma around maternal mental health, and another on Nov. 20 covering the support programs and solutions available to help pregnant women.

Governor Hochul said:

As New York’s first Mom-Governor, this is personal for me — and I’ll never stop working to ensure that pregnant women across our state have the support and resources they need. Our report and ongoing efforts will help ensure all New Yorkers have access to critical mental health supports that improve outcomes for pregnant women and their children — especially among populations most at risk.

Governor Announces Report on Maternal Mental Health

This week, Governor Hochul announced expanded access to compensation for individuals who have been impacted by homicide and other crimes and victimized by financial scams. New laws increase caps on funeral and burial expenses to $12,000 and reimbursement for victims of financial scams to $2,500 and allow anyone responsible for crime scene cleanup costs to seek reimbursement, regardless of whether they lived where the crime occurred. These changes took effect on November 5 and apply to claims filed with the state Office of Victim Services on or after that date.

The Office of Victim Services now provides up to $12,000 for funeral and burial costs, doubling the previous cap. State law also no longer reduces benefits in homicide cases based on the victim’s conduct, ensuring families receive full support regardless of circumstances.

Changes also include: 

  • Expanded access to crime scene cleanup costs. Previously, an individual could only receive reimbursement (up to $2,500) if they lived where the crime occurred. Now, anyone who pays out-of-pocket for those expenses is eligible to seek OVS assistance. 
  • Increased support for victims of financial scams. Individuals younger than 18, older than 60, and/or those disabled, physically injured or meet other eligibility criteria may now receive up to $2,500 if they have been victims of financial scams. The cap on reimbursement had been $100.

Governor Hochul said:

Protecting New Yorkers from harm is my number one priority – and that includes ensuring that no one faces the emotional and financial toll of a tragedy alone. That is why I advocated for these new laws, effective today, that not only increase support for victims and their families, but also affirm our state’s commitment to standing with survivors as they pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives.

More information can be found here. 

In The News

City & State NY’s weekly Winners and Losers of this week here.

FAA orders JFK, LaGuardia, Newark flight reductions to start Friday.

Ulster town supervisor suddenly resigns two days after winning his 7th election.

Cuomo backers burned $65 per vote, including $13.3 million from Bloomberg.

NYS Dems open up to Zohran Mamdani’s tax-hike plan as primary threats loom: ‘Sends a message’.

Mamdani wants to tax the rich. Can he persuade state leaders?

Inside Hochul’s emergency plan to keep Trump out of New York.

Supreme Court to hear Trump tariff case as Canadian border traffic continues to drop.

Andrew Cuomo warns Democrats of ‘dangerous path’ in first sighting since loss to Zohran Mamdani.

Ending months of speculation, Zellner confirms he will seek Ryan’s Senate seat.

Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres faces primary challenge over his fierce Israel support.

An emboldened Mamdani sheds conciliatory tone.

Democratic N.Y. Assemblyman-elect declines to endorse Hochul.

City to offer jobs back to workers fired over COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Mamdani’s next battle: attacking inequality while balancing budgets.

Hochul bailed out by nearly $3B in extra NY tax revenue — but massive deficits loom.

Coming Up

The Assembly will hold a public hearing to examine efforts to improve transparency, fairness, and efficiency around current local government commodity procurement laws and the role of emerging technology in achieving such goals on November 12.

The Public Health and Health Planning Council’s Health Planning Committee will hold a meeting on November 12.

The Assembly will hold a public hearing to examine ways to increase veterans’ access to mental health services on November 12.  

The Senate will hold a public hearing on the cost and availability of insurance for residential property on November 18.

The Senate will hold a public hearing to discuss risks, solutions, and best practices with respect to the use of artificial intelligence in consequential or high-risk contexts, and related issues, such as classification of the types and risk levels of AI uses, frameworks for auditing AI tools for bias, and transparency improvements on January 15.