Dispatches from Planet Albany

Campaign mail is still a critical tool for candidates, but only if it's done strategically and with the right messaging.

To discuss what effective campaign mail looks like in 2026, host David Lombardo checked in with political consultant Trip Yang. He talked about the goals of campaign mail, who to target, the photos that get under the skin of opposing candidates and how he's using artifici...

Politico New York Albany Bureau Chief Nick Reisman joins host David Lombardo to discuss insights and observations he gained from an extended one-on-one interview with Gov. Kathy Hochul.

They discuss how to prepare for this type of conversation, the governor's relationship with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Hochul's approach to negotiating immigration reforms that made it into the ...

Capitol Confidential author Dan Clark, Bloomberg Government reporter Raga Justin and host David Lombardo hand out superlative awards for the 2026 legislative session.

Tune in to find out who won class couple, least popular, most memorable and other major recognitions for their work in Planet Albany. 

And if you enjoy Dispatches from Planet Albany, please leave us a...

Tusk Strategies Partner Shontell Plummer joins host David Lombardo to reflect on the final days of the legislative session, including what the Democratic majorities prioritized and how the calendar got squeezed by the late budget.

They discuss surveillance pricing protections, grade the session "vibes," and reflect on the right-wing kerfuffle over the "gestating parent" legislation. 

Sometimes you record a 52-minute podcast and you end up cutting it down by 60 percent.

That's what happened in this lean episode with Assemblymember Josh Jensen and Bloomberg Government's Raga Justin, which touches on the governor's LCA Show rebuttal and fallout from the "cool kids" discussion earlier this year. 

What got cut out? Who can say. 

With primary elections less than a month away, trailing candidates have limited means of shaking up their races.

But what if they had a magic wand that could deliver a coveted endorsement, a key issue to run on, or the support of an important voting bloc? 

We play out this hypothetical experiment for some of the state and federal candidates with uphill battles betw...

While state lawmakers are expected to be bogged down with hundreds of bills during the final days of the legislative session, state senators will likely also have to contend with dozens of confirmations from Gov. Kathy Hochul.

It's not clear whether the process will look any different than past years, given the lateness of the budget, but the safe bet in Planet Albany is that history will r...

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz is looking to make waves outside of Western New York.

The Buffalo Democrat launched a political action committee this year to support candidates running for local offices around the country, which he believes is key to rebuilding the Democratic bench for higher offices in the future. 

He joins the show to talk about his influenc...

We're diving back into the world of New York's liberal third party.

New York Working Families Party Director Jasmine Gripper joins the show to explain why they're sitting out the Democratic primary for state comptroller, highlights efforts to reshape the state senate in June, and reflects on potential next deputies for Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

And ...

With the 124th Legislative Correspondents' Association Show fast approaching, host David Lombardo and recovering journalist Liz Benjamin discusss whether the event should exist, review highlights from past performances and talk about the key to good jokes.

They touch on Liz's famous cameo in a video from then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, reflect on the past use of drag, and reveal how little practice...

New York politics is littered with marriages of convenience.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have enjoyed an unlikely - but mutually beneficial - alliance for nearly a year, despite their ideological and stylistic differences. And those types of collaborations, which might not seem obvious at first glance, are critical to successfully wielding power in Planet Albany...

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a general agreement on the budget on Thursday morning, but Democratic state lawmakers are calling foul, arguing that major questions still need to be resolved.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie went so far as to tell reporters that he's never approaching the budget process like this again. For more on the legislature's grievances, we checked in with Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, a Brooklyn Democrat, who ha...

The intentions of organizations and individuals looking to influence state government could become clearer in the future.

Pending legislation would require interests that are lobbying state policymakers to declare whether they support something, oppose it, or their support is contingent on changes. The current rules just require a disclosure that you're lobbying on a specific bill or regulation.

Doug Clark, a co-managing partner of...

Finalizing a state budget requires varying degrees of compromise from the governor and legislature.

But knowing when and where you have to give and when your negotiating partners will give a little more or won't budget another inch, is a key aspect of executing this annual dance in Planet Albany. To understand the budget choreography, host David Lombardo spoke with two veterans of the state budget process, Shontell Plummer, a partn...

The state budget is three weeks late and a deal does not appear imminent.

Eventually all the pieces for a final budget will fall into place - seemingly all at once - but we wanted to explore how Gov. Kathy Hochul is approaching that point, as she utilizes one of her favorite tactics and one new one. To analyze these machinations we spoke with Nick Reisman, the Albany bureau chief for Politico New York. 

And if you enjoy Dispat...

The race for an open Assembly seat in Trump Country is getting an unusual amount of coverage because Republican Marc Molinaro has chosen to mount his political comeback in the district.

But Democrat Thomas Boomhower is hoping to disrupt the script and is running a longshot campaign, which will first require a primary win in June. He visited the studio to talk about the components of a potential upset, explain how his mom inspired h...

Now that campaign signatures have been collected and submitted for ballot access, we're entering the phase of the election calendar in New York when candidates wait to see if they'll withstand any administrative or legal challenges to their petitions.

To learn about this process we talked with Adam Fusco, one of the small cadre of election lawyers in the state, who explained how he looks for defects, navigating the courts, and why ...

The general consensus is tha state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is the prohibitive favorite to be the Democratic nominee in November, when he seeks a fifth full term in office.

But we wanted to explore the variables and conditions that could lead to a Democratic outsider pulling off the biggest statewide upset in more than three decades, so we're checking in with Alex Elmasri, vice president of operations and growth for The Parkside Gr...

Tusk Strategies Partner Shontell Plummer responds to last week's Planet Albany Power Ranking discussion by explaining the ebb and flow of power at the Capitol and identifies who was underrated and overrated on the lists. 

She also takes a victory lap for her prediction of a budget that would be at least four weeks late.

And if you enjoy Dispatches from Planet Albany, please leave us a rating and consider becoming a recu...