Max Politics

Max Politics

Max Politics is a New York politics podcast hosted by journalist Ben Max featuring in-depth interviews with elected and appointed officials, candidates, advocates, and others about New York City and State politics and policy. Produced at New York Law School and its Center for New York Law. Get in touch: benmax25@gmail.com -------- Intro/outro music is Live-It by Ketsa. source (Free Music Archive) and license type (CC BY-NC-ND)

Episodes

Analyzing the Hochul-Blakeman Debate & State of the Governor’s Race, with Bob Hardt

October 14, 2026 • 49 mins
Bob Hardt, New York political director for Spectrum News, joined the show to analyze the lone debate between Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and her Republican challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, which took place October 13 on Spectrum News. Hardt and host Ben Max discussed key moments in the debate, areas of disagreement between Hochul and Blakeman, how each candidate performed, and the broader state of the gubern...
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Saritha Komatireddy on Her Run for New York Attorney General

October 14, 2026 • 50 mins
Saritha Komatireddy, the Republican and Conservative parties' nominee for New York Attorney General in this year's election, joined the show to discuss her bid to unseat Letitia James and her vision for becoming the state's chief legal officer. The race is one of many state, federal, and local elections on the ballot this fall, with Election Day on November 3, 2026.
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Tom DiNapoli on His Case for Reelection as New York State Comptroller

October 8, 2026 • 48 mins
New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, a Democrat who has been the state's chief fiscal officer since 2007, joined the show to discuss his case for reelection, respond to criticism by his Republican opponent, Joseph Hernandez, and assess key elements of how New York is doing.
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Joseph Hernandez on His Run for New York State Comptroller

October 6, 2026 • 38 mins
Joseph Hernandez, the Republican and Conservative parties' nominee for New York State Comptroller in this year's election, joined the show to discuss his bid to unseat Tom DiNapoli and his vision for becoming the state's chief fiscal officer. The Comptroller's race is one of many state, federal, and local races on the ballot this fall, with Election Day on November 3, 2026.
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Council Member Shekar Krishnan on Regulating Screen Time, Digital Devices, & Ed-Tech in NYC Schools

September 30, 2026 • 59 mins
New York City Council Member Shekar Krishnan - a Queens Democrat, public school parent, and chair of the Council's oversight and investigations committee - joined the show to discuss a recent hearing he co-chaired on screen time, digital devices, and education technology in New York City Schools. The conversation on this theme also included Krishnan's new policy agenda, recent announcements by the Mamdani administration, and what's...
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New York Congressional Races to Watch, with Jeff Coltin & Sophie Krichevsky

September 23, 2026 • 59 mins
Journalists Jeff Coltin and Sophie Krichevsky of City & State New York joined the show to discuss the U.S. House of Representatives races to watch in New York for the 2026 general election. They joined host Ben Max to break down races in several New York districts - including the 3rd, 4th, 17th, 19th, and beyond - as well as broader themes of this election cycle, key dynamics at play including the gubernatorial race at the top ...
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Experts Discuss Technology & Democracy, Civic Engagement, Artificial Intelligence, & More

September 18, 2026 • 62 mins
This special edition of the show is audio of a live event: an expert panel on technology and democracy moderated by host Ben Max that was part of New York Law School's second annual civics summit. The panel includes John Avlon (journalist, author, and chair of good government group Citizens Union); Ryan Hayward (chief of staff at the Offices of the NYS Inspector General); Oscar Romero (chief information officer at the NYC Civic Eng...
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The 25th Anniversary of 9/11, with Nicole Gelinas & Harry Siegel

September 10, 2026 • 57 mins
Journalists Nicole Gelinas and Harry Siegel joined the show to discuss the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, how the city has and hasn't changed since, Mayor Mamdani's approach to the anniversary, the rebuilding and growth of Lower Manhattan, and more.
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2 Months to Election Day, with Grace Ashford & Nick Reisman

September 3, 2026 • 64 mins
Journalists Grace Ashford of the New York Times and Nick Reisman of Politico joined the show with two months until Election Day 2026 to discuss key races and themes of this year's election in New York. The conversation has a special focus on the race for Governor between Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and her Republican challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, but also touches on several races for Congress and key factors ...
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The Elizabeth Street Garden Saga & Other Housing News, with David Brand & Annemarie Gray

August 26, 2026 • 56 mins
Journalist David Brand and housing advocate Annemarie Gray joined the show to discuss the saga over Lower Manhattan's Elizabeth Street Garden, which recently hit a major inflection point that may signal a final resolution leaving the garden a public park and advancing housing development at alternative sites. Brand, a housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, and Gray, executive director of Open New York, joined host Ben Max to disc...
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The City Council Progressive Caucus Agenda, with Co-Chairs Tiffany Cabán & Sandy Nurse

August 11, 2026 • 62 mins
The co-chairs of the New York City Council Progressive Caucus, Council Members Tiffany Cabán and Sandy Nurse, joined the show to announce the release of the Caucus' legislative agenda for the current term (2026-2029). The 13-bill priority agenda includes bills dealing with public safety and policing, housing, worker protection, and much more. Cabán of Queens and Nurse of Brooklyn are co-chairs of a 23-member Progressive Caucus that...
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Reformers Set for Takeover of Brooklyn Democratic Party

August 6, 2026 • 67 mins
Three leaders of the reform movement in Brooklyn Democratic politics — Julio Peña III, Caitlin Kawaguchi, and Tony Melone — joined the show to discuss the future of the Brooklyn Democratic Party. In June, the “Brooklyn Can't Wait" coalition won enough District Leader positions to elect a new county party chair, and that majority announced its intention to back Peña III for the powerful post. He outlined his vision...
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Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg on the Mamdani Administration's Housing Plan

July 29, 2026 • 64 mins
Leila Bozorg, New York City Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning, joined the show to discuss the Mamdani Administration's "Block By Block" housing plan, the city's multi-faceted housing crisis and various strategies to address it, key policies and programs underway and others in development, and more. (Ep 608)
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The New York Editorial Board on Mayor Mamdani's First 200 Days & More

July 28, 2026 • 87 mins
In this special episode, hear members of The New York Editorial Board - a group of veteran journalists that includes Max Politics host Ben Max - discussing Mayor Zohran Mamdani's tenure thus far and broader political and policy trends. Nine of the Board's 11 members participated in a live event hosted by ABNY - the Association for a Better New York - on July 23, 2026 at The Greene Space. The conversation includes several audience q...
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City Council Speaker Julie Menin on Economic Development, Public Health, & More

July 23, 2026 • 47 mins
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, a Manhattan Democrat, joined the show to discuss economic development, the city's handling of a Legionnaires' disease outbreak, a pay boost for school aides, a potential ban on horse carriages in the city, and more. (Ep 606)
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Micah Lasher on Winning the NY-12 Primary, Democratic Unity, & What Comes Next

July 14, 2026 • 66 mins
Assemblymember Micah Lasher joined the show to discuss his win in the Democratic primary for New York's 12th Congressional District (much of the East and West Sides of Manhattan), where he beat a crowded field of competitors to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, as well as Democratic Party unity, political trends in New York, and some of the policy issues he wants to focus on in Congress. (Ep 605)
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Taking Stock of Mayor Mamdani's First 6 Months, with Matt Wing

July 9, 2026 • 62 mins
Strategist Matt Wing joined host Ben Max to analyze Mayor Zohran Mamdani's first six months in office, which included staffing up his administration, his first state and city budget cycles, attempting to follow through on major campaign promises, dealing with unexpected challenges and key relationships, celebrating a Knicks championship, and getting involved in a series of Democratic primary races. (Ep 602)
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Jordan Wright on Winning His Assembly Primary, Uptown Politics, & More

July 5, 2026 • 51 mins
New York State Assembly Member Jordan Wright, a Democrat representing Manhattan's 70th Assembly District, based in Harlem, joined the show to discuss his win over a DSA-backed challenger, shifting Uptown and Democratic politics, the results in the overlapping 13th Congressional District (where Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat), and more. (Ep 601)
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Arpit Gupta on Opposing Mamdani's Rent Freeze & Securing the Future of Rent-Stabilized Housing

June 30, 2026 • 65 mins
Arpit Gupta, a member of the New York City Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) and an associate professor of finance at NYU's Stern School of Business, joined the show to discuss his lone dissenting vote as the RGB approved a rent freeze for rent-stabilized tenants, fulfilling a key campaign promise made in 2025 by Mayor Mamdani. Gupta also discussed a variety of aspects of the city's rent-stabilized housing stock and system, and what come...
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Julia Salazar on the Growth of DSA, the Future of Democratic Politics, & More

June 28, 2026 • 58 mins
State Senator Julia Salazar, a Brooklyn Democrat and democratic socialist, joined the show to discuss the growth of NYC DSA, how democratic socialists work outside and within the Democratic Party, the NY-7 congressional race where she had allies on both sides of the primary, and more. (Ep 599)
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