Hochul tells Dems to play soiled

With assist from Amira McKee

YOU STARTED IT: She desires to be the gerrymanderer-in-chief.

Gov. Kathy Hochul hosted six lawmakers from Texas on the Capitol this morning — and whereas gracing them with some good ol’ northern hospitality, she additionally successfully informed the Empire State’s good authorities teams to go to hell.

The Texas Democrats had been fleeing the Lone Star State to stop their state Legislature from having the quorum essential to push ahead a Trump-led redistricting measure, which might give the state 5 extra Republican congressional seats.

The go to to Hochul’s yard showcased how the governor is enjoying a key function in escalating the political arms race to redraw congressional maps across the nation, POLITICO’s Invoice Mahoney studies.

After greeting the Texans in Albany with a breakfast of eggs, bacon and sausage, Hochul held a press convention with them within the Capitol’s Pink Room — the place she slammed New York’s personal redistricting course of for not being partisan sufficient and embraced the full-fledged gerrymandering of New York’s congressional districts.

“I’m tired of fighting this fight with my hand tied behind my back,” Hochul mentioned, when requested if she would change or disband New York’s impartial redistricting committee. “Republicans take over the Legislature? They can have at it. But until then, we’re in charge.”

“All due respect to the good government groups, politics is a political process,” she added.

Meeting Speaker Carl Heastie agreed: “It’s very difficult to say play fair when your opponents are playing dirty and using every toolbox to undermine democracy.”

Hochul desires legislators to begin a strategy of approving a constitutional modification to let New York make adjustments to its personal congressional strains. However that’s a prolonged course of and wouldn’t impression the maps any prior to the 2028 election — even when the modification is accredited by voters and the brand new strains aren’t challenged in courtroom.

“We’re sick and tired of being pushed around when other states don’t have the same aspirations that we always have,” the governor mentioned.

Mayoral candidate and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who authored the 2012 state constitutional language now limiting New York Democrats’ skills to shortly reply to Texas, wasn’t completely on board with Hochul’s hardball efforts.

“I think what Texas is doing is grossly political and just gross gerrymandering and is one of the reasons why the public turns off on government,” Cuomo mentioned at an unrelated marketing campaign occasion in Manhattan. “It could also have a dramatic effect if it goes beyond Texas. But to pass it, to do it here, you would need a couple of years. … So my guess is, by the time you could actually do it, it would be irrelevant.”

The six Texas Home Democrats — whose colleagues additionally fled to Illinois on Sunday — mentioned as we speak they had been simply stopping by means of Albany and deliberate to proceed on their journey to satisfy with Democratic governors from different states.

They wouldn’t say the place they’re headed subsequent and refused to disclose in the event that they plan to stay outdoors the Lone Star State till Aug. 19, when Texas’ particular session concludes. In the event that they don’t, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has the ability to name one other particular session instantly after the present one to convey up the redistricting invoice once more.

“To run to states like New York and Illinois to protest redistricting, it’s kind of like running to Wisconsin to protest cheese. It’s just kind of outrageous,” Abbott mentioned in response to the lawmakers Albany go to as we speak. “New York and Illinois are two hallmark states that have already done redistricting to eliminate Republicans.”

Hochul’s bare embrace of Democratic gerrymandering in response to the Texas GOP’s personal effort was condemned by New York Republicans within the state Legislature and Congress, together with Rep. Elise Stefanik, who’s contemplating difficult Hochul for governor.

“The Worst Governor in America needs to be reminded that she conveniently forgot to tell the unlawful out-of-state radical Democrats at today’s desperate press conference that she lost not once, but TWICE in her effort to illegally draw gerrymandered lines in New York to rig our Congressional elections and suppress the will of the voters,” Stefanik mentioned on X.

John Kaehny, government director of the nice authorities group Reinvent Albany, described Hochul’s transfer as making an attempt to justify destroying the village to reserve it — which can actually simply undermine democracy.

“The state of New York motto is Excelsior, which means, ‘Ever Upwards,’ not, ‘We’ll Race Texas to The Bottom and Disenfranchise Large Swaths of New York Voters,’” he informed Playbook. “Gerrymandering is without a doubt one of the most devastating ways to essentially nullify the votes of huge numbers of people, and that’s the opposite of democracy.” — Jason Beeferman

‘THE SAFEST BIG CITY’: Mayor Eric Adams touted falling crime charges as we speak in Brooklyn, dubbing final month “the safest July in our subway system in recorded history.”

Adams, a retired NYPD captain, received his 2021 marketing campaign largely on the promise that he would make a pandemic-ravaged New York Metropolis safer. Now, as New Yorkers’ public security insecurities endure, he’s returning to crime statistics — within the face of his abysmal efficiency in current polls.

“New York City is grieving this week after the tragic loss of four innocent lives — including an NYPD officer — in a senseless shooting in Midtown,” Adams mentioned in an announcement. “As we mourn, we must also find ways to turn our pain into purpose; it’s the least we can do to honor the victims. While this incident will forever be a stain on our city, it happened against the backdrop of a larger, more hopeful picture — one where the brave men and women of the NYPD continue to drive down crime.”

The primary seven months of 2025 noticed the fewest capturing incidents and capturing victims in recorded historical past, based on July crime statistics put out by the NYPD as we speak. The division’s seven main crime classes, together with homicide and theft, are down 5.6 p.c total from final yr.

Whereas Adams has blamed media protection for lingering fears over public security, a POLITICO evaluation discovered total crime within the metropolis is but to return to pre-pandemic ranges.

The mayor and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch informed reporters as we speak that they attribute their progress, partly, to the administration’s concentrate on unlawful gun elimination and gang takedowns.

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor who leads the sector in current polls, has provided totally different coverage prescriptions from the mayor relating to policing. Their divergent views have turn out to be a centerpiece within the race within the aftermath of a mass capturing that killed an NYPD officer in Midtown Manhattan final week. Mamdani has distanced himself from his earlier calls to “defund the police,” however his future with the nation’s largest police drive stays a fragile matter.

Adams took intention at Mamdani as we speak for his calls to disband the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group, the controversial unit chargeable for policing protests and responding to main public disturbances — together with the mass capturing.

“We just have a philosophical difference in the principles of public safety, and there’s a reason crime is down and jobs are up, and idealism collides with realism when you are saving the lives of people,” Adams mentioned at his press convention on the stats. — Amira McKee

IF YOU PAY THEM, THEY WILL COME: Cuomo unveiled a public security proposal of his personal as we speak — it’s designed to retain and appeal to extra NYPD recruits.

The previous governor proposed providing new recruits a $15,000 signing bonus after which layering in further retention bonuses all through their tenure. He floated the concept of recruiting retired cops to rejoin the drive, permitting them to gather their pension and a wage. Cuomo additionally proposed a city-run scholarship fund that will provide a full trip to officers and not using a bachelor’s diploma.

Sweetening the pay — which might price $250 million over 5 years — and providing different perks would assist the town rent 5,000 extra cops, Cuomo mentioned.

“It’s time to build a new New York City based on what we are dealing with and what we’ve learned,” Cuomo mentioned.

The previous governor additionally devoted a good portion of his press briefing to attacking Mamdani and poring over the state legislator’s previous assist for defunding the police. Mamdani has mentioned throughout his marketing campaign he would preserve funding for the division whereas creating a brand new Division of Group Security that will deal with duties like psychological well being emergencies.

“Either you were telling the truth then or you’re telling the truth now, but you cannot justify those two statements,” Cuomo mentioned.

The previous governor additional separated himself from the 33-year-old democratic socialist by proposing to broaden the Strategic Response Group, a controversial NYPD unit, and persevering with to have it deal with protests. Mamdani has proposed disbanding the unit and creating a brand new one designed to reply to emergencies just like the Midtown mass capturing final week. — Joe Anuta

ON YOUR RIGHT: Adams is planning on doing a fireplace chat subsequent week with the conservative Manhattan Institute as he seeks assist on the correct for his longshot impartial reelection effort.

“Governing in NYC,” a dialog between Adams and Manhattan Institute President Reihan Salam, is about for Aug. 14 on the Hilton Midtown. The outstanding suppose tank welcomed Adams’ 2021 election as a change from the de Blasio years. However even because the institute’s students have written extensively concerning the mayor — each positively and negatively — Adams has largely stored his distance from his conservative backers.

The institute has been an mental drive behind assaults on DEI initiatives and gender identification protections.

We’ll be watching to see if newly minted Manhattan Institute fellow Danielle Sassoon exhibits up, after she resigned as performing U.S. lawyer in Manhattan, slightly than adjust to the Division of Justice’s order to drop the corruption case in opposition to Adams. — Jeff Coltin

— STATEN ISLAND 4 MAMDANI: Democratic leaders in New York Metropolis’s most conservative borough are backing Zohran Mamdani over Andrew Cuomo. (New York Put up)

— ‘BASIC DECENCY’: Hochul responded to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz after he criticized her for sporting a head protecting to the funeral of a slain Muslim NYPD officer. (New York Occasions)

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