This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

As a Republican gubernatorial candidate running a campaign heavy on public safety, it shouldn’t be surprising that Rep. Lee Zeldin has chosen a longtime New York City Police Department veteran as his running mate. Alison Esposito, who has been with the NYPD since the late nineties, has limited political experience, but knows a thing or two about being in the public eye, having been featured in a controversial 2004 documentary on the NYPD.

Gov. Kathy Hochul solidified the success of the lawmakers’ hemp bill this week when she signed the legislation into law, following its passage in the legislature earlier this month. The bill, sponsored by Hinchey in the Senate and Peoples-Stokes in the Assembly, will expedite the licensing process for existing hemp farmers to grow marijuana and help “meet the demand of the adult-use cannabis market when retail dispensaries open,” Peoples-Stokes said in a statement.

Not everyone loves special elections in New York City, but whoever gets the blessing of the Democratic Party for the race definitely does. It practically guarantees they’ll get the open state legislative seat. This time around, Brian Cunningham has that distinction in the 43rd Assembly District in Brooklyn. He won the Brooklyn Democratic Party’s support overwhelmingly – thanks in part to a system of proxy voting – so he may well be headed to Albany soon. But Cunnigham does still need to win the special election and he has a spirited challenge from the WFP, so not all smooth sailing just yet.

Has any mayor made as many controversial appointments as Eric Adams? His deputy mayor of public safety was subject to a federal corruption probe, and his chief of staff had business connections to convicted money launderers. And let’s not forget his attempt to snag his brother a top position in the NYPD. But the heat has really turned up after the mayor appointed former City Council Member Fernando Cabrera and Erick Salgado to city positions despite the two pastors holding homophobic views. The decisions have sparked intense backlash from LGBTQ lawmakers and advocates, prompting a protest outside of City Hall. That hasn’t stopped Adams from sticking to his usual strategy of defending his appointees, no matter what.

Looks like the shoe is on the other foot for Mullins, the former head of New York City’s police union, the Sergeants Benevolent Association. Mullins was charged with wire fraud for defrauding the SBA by creating fake and inflated expense reports to pay for more than $1 million of his own expenses. The former union president surrendered to the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday morning and pleaded not guilty and was released on a $250,000 bond. Still, it doesn't look like there’s a chance Mullins will be able to bail out his now tarnished career.

It’s been a rocky tenure so far for Manhattan’s new DA. He has been targeted by the right – and the not-so-right – for progressive reforms that gave leniency on certain crimes. And this week, two top prosecutors working on an investigation into former President Donald Trump resigned, throwing Bragg’s most high-profile case into limbo. At least his pal from Harvard and newly announced gubernatorial hopeful Harry Wilson donated to his campaign?