Dispatches from Planet Albany

State Senator Jeremy Cooney has wanted to have a kid of his own since he was a kid.

And this spring the Rochester-area Democrat became a dad with the birth of his son, Aidan. 

He joined the podcast to talk about becoming an older dad, including his fitness journey, returning to work after parental leave and the multiple layers of significance to his son's full name...

A grassroots progressive movement in the Hudson Valley will get a big test of their effectiveness this November.

For the Many has gone all in on the effort to flip Senate District 39 from red to blue this fall, so we're talking about their work in the race with the Xaver Kandler, the group's political director. We're also discussing the gubernatorial primary that never materialized, For the...

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins offers parenting advice for host David Lombardo, who is expecting a daughter any day now.

The Westchester County Democrat prepared a mnemonic device based on D-A-V-E to help him be a successful parent and discusses the role of new grandparents, including the importance of spoiling their grandchild. She also notes all the babies born to sen...

Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli joins the show for an exit interview.

The Syracuse-area Democrat reflects on his low-turnout primary loss in June, his accomplishments in office, and the lack of emphasis on upstate at the Capitol. He also talks about the fallout from a failed coup by a Syracuse colleague in 2000 and reveals the one time he felt powerful as a committee chair.

Gov. Kathy Hochul may be preparing for another policy battle with the state legislature.

After successfully taking on the trial lawyers in 2026, the Hochul administration may go up against the lawyers and construction unions in 2027 to overhaul New York's Scaffold Law, according to reporting by Capitol Confidential author Dan Clark. 

We're joined by Tusk Strategie...

Politico New York reporter Bill Mahoney joins the show to discuss two Democratic leaders with very different styles.

State Sen. Rachel May is going up against the Democratic machine in central New York, including backing a successful primary to one of her legislative colleagues, while Jay Jacobs is catering almost exclusively to the party's establishment, as he looks to secure another term ...

After a long summer apart, we've got the return of Bloomberg Government's Raga Justin and Capitol Confidential's Dan Clark.

We catch up on their summer activities, including travel abroad and across America, before discussing Gov. Kathy Hochul's promotional video with Kevin Bacon and considering what should be renamed in New York besides Lake Ontario. 

And if you e...

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Blakeman needs help making up Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul's fundraising advantage, even with his campaign tapping into public financing.

Coming to the rescue is the super PAC "Strong & Safe New York."

We dive into the work of this independent expenditure with the super PAC's spokesman, Chapin Fay, who explains how they're...

Senate Republican Campaign Committee Chair George Borrello joins the show to talk about the underdog battle he's leading this fall.

The western New York Republican discusses the SRCC's goals for the midterms, peels back the candidate recruitment process, and explores the messaging the GOP hopes will connect with independent voters.

And if you enjoy Dispatches from Plane...

New York's state lawmakers have room for improvement, according to a scorecard released this summer by Environmental Advocates NY.

We broke down the findings with Katherine Nadeau, the group's deputy executive director, who also discussed the 2026 legislative session overall and how the individual grades were calculated. We also talked about the upcoming legislative session and how environ...

Congressman Pat Ryan appears to be making all the right moves for a New York Democrat envisioning statewide office.

We unpack his recent track record and potential future with Politico New York reporter Jason Beeferman, who recently profiled the two-term representative. We discuss Ryan's "patriotic populism," the landmines he might encounter on the left, his social medi...

Former Senate Deputy Majority Leader Mike Gianaris joins the show for an exit interview.

We talked with the Queens Democrat about what comes next, his battle against subsidies for an Amazon HQ, flipping the state senate, and advocating for animals. We also get the backstory on his LCA Show rebuttal video and explore his relationship with Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.&n...

Earlier this summer we talked with Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra for The Capitol Pressroom about settling in as the top Republican in the people's house.

Left on the cutting room floor was our discussion about the benefits of a good relationship with Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the potential governance challenges facing the Assembly Democrats, and my test of how well the Long Island Re...

State Sen. Liz Krueger is on the mend after a stroke this spring took her out of commission during the peak of the budget process.

The Manhattan Democrat joins the show to discuss the medical emergency and her subsequent recovery, the experience of working remotely, and her plans for 2027, including a possible shakeup at the Senate Finance Committee. We also consider the ramifications of a ...

It's a changing of the guard at the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, as Sen. Shelley Mayer takes over for the retiring Sen. Mike Gianaris.

We talked with the Westchester County Democrat about why she was the right next leader of the DSCC, potential pickups for the Senate Democrats, and whether she wants an expanded government portfolio too.

And if you enjoy Dispatc...

A bill approved at the end of the legislative session without any fanfare could be a major disrupter of New York's marijuana industry.

We explore the story behind this AFL-CIO championed measure, which would create a cannabis wage board and might ultimately contribute to consolidation of marijuana businesses. We also consider the case for overhauling New York's THC beverage landscape, what ...

Before Assemblyman Micah Lasher departs Planet Albany for the nation's capital, the Manhattan Democrat joined us for an exit interview.

We did a deep dive into his state government experience, from his time pushing Michael Bloomberg's New York City agenda nearly 20 years ago to integrating himself into the people's house after working for Gov. Kathy Hochul. We also discuss navigating the le...

Retirements, a primary defeat and other moving parts mean the leadership structure in the state Senate will be remade in 2027.

Some of the big prizes that we know about are deputy leader and chairs of the housing and labor committees, but there is also speculation that the finance post will also be relinquished by Chair Liz Krueger. To discuss how these posts might get filled, as well as th...

The shifting political landscape in New York is getting a lot of attention, but have we seen this story before?

At least to some degree, with the insurgent left and Democrats banking on an anti-Donald Trump mood, this is the same narrative that unfolded in 2018, when AOC burst on the scene, Democrats flipped control of the state senate and Andrew Cuomo cruised to re-election.

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