Podcast: Making an Empire Statement

It’s fitting that in a presidential campaign that features several candidates with ties to the Empire State, the April 19 New York primary should be a decisive contest for both parties. Both Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, and Donald Trump, who leads the Republican field, will be looking to lock up their nominations in their home state – yes, Hillary qualifies as a New Yorker – which has the second-highest total of Democratic delegates at stake (291), and fourth-highest total of Republican delegates (95).

New York Democratic Party Executive Director Basil Smikle and Iona College political scientist Jeanne Zaino join Gerson Borrero and me on this week’s Slant Podcast to discuss whether New York voters might buck the emerging trends in the presidential primaries. We parse whether Trump’s polarizing campaign messaging will change the typically blue New York state to a shade of purple. Will the New York Republican establishment fall in line? On the Democratic side, can Hillary coast to victory in New York and other states without the younger voters that are flocking to Bernie Sanders?

Later on, Gerson gives us the latest “Bochinche & Buzz” from the crowded 13thCongressional District race in northern Manhattan and the Bronx, where some lawsuits might emerge in what has become a heated campaign.

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