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Reimagining the New York Democratic Party

The New York State Democratic Party has failed New York Democrats again. After a robust and much-touted 2024 organizing and political program, the apparatus has been dismantled and the State Party has returned to its role as a political football, detached from the business of winning elections.

As Chairman Jacobs’ recent comments have shown, the NY Democratic Party is not a vehicle designed to help Democrats win elections – it is designed to beat back progressive insurgents and entrench the power of whomever occupies the Governor’s mansion.

The Party has lost the trust of its base, its allies, and the voters it is meant to serve. Instead of focusing on building Democratic power, it has turned inward and become a closed system designed to protect power, not build it.

This is not a new problem, and some of the changes proposed below are not new. But as we look to right the ship after the largest rightward shift in New York in more than two decades, we have a fresh opportunity to address it.

It’s time for a new direction. New York needs a professionalized, modern, and collaborative State Party with the sole mission of electing Democrats of all stripes, at all levels, in all corners of the state.

That means (1) supporting Democratic nominees in all corners of the state, from NYC Mayor to the North Country; (2) investing in statewide, year-round organizing programs; (3) listening to and engaging with black and brown communities; and (4) supporting local Democratic committees and campaigns with robust communications and messaging support.

PARTY PRIORITIES

  • The NY State Democratic Party functions primarily as a political tool for the incumbent Governor, rather than a vehicle for electing Democrats across the state.
  • The State Party has a pattern of failing to support Democratic nominees in key races, from India Walton in Buffalo to Zohran Mamdani in NYC.
  • Collaboration is stifled, resources are centralized and used to punish dissenting counties and candidates, and new ideas and voices are viewed as threats to existing leadership, not opportunities for growth.

Proposal:

  • A Democratic Party that supports Democrats and Democratic nominees at all levels, in all corners of the state, including, but not limited to, the current Governor and their political allies.
  • Strategic and collaborative resource allocation that includes listening to local stakeholders and forging partnerships with advocacy and activist groups.

ENGAGING VOTERS OF COLOR

  • The Party has no staff, office space, programs, or other resources focused on engaging with different ethnic and racial constituencies in New York.
  • Democrats in New York are losing voters of color statewide, due in part to the State Party’s failure to invest in year-round engagement and relationship-building with these communities. This is especially damaging in NYC, where disengagement risks long-term erosion of the Democratic base.
  • State Party Constituency Caucuses exist, but are under-resourced, lack staff support, and not seen as powerful organizations, leading to limited presence or connection with the communities they aim to represent.

Proposal

  • A full-time Constituency Director and 5 part time fellows focused year-round engagement with core constituencies, taking cues and strategic direction from community leaders who have historically been ignored by the NYS Dems.
  • Investment in offices and other resources in all regions, particularly throughout NYC and in under served communities around New York.
  • Reach out to community leaders to solicit feedback, and use that to frame outreach strategies. Make on the ground presence in communities of color a top priority.
  • Partnerships with advocacy and activist groups who have been organizing in their communities for decades.
  • Expand the constituency caucus program to include disability, LGBTQ+, and other caucus groups.

LONG-TERM ORGANIZING

  • The party cycles through major staff and office build-ups during election years (e.g., 2022 and 2024), only to fully dismantle operations immediately afterward, starting from scratch two years later.
  • After the State Party’s most successful organizing and political operation in 2024, with more than 40 offices and 90 organizing staff, the operation was reduced to just 1 office and 0 organizing staff post-election.
  • Investments are short term and short sighted, focused solely on  ignoring base voters in safe blue regions Democrats trying to gain a foothold in red areas.
  • Longer term organizing initiatives – which are essential to building local political power and establishing trust in political communities – like voter registration programs, party building efforts, voter education programs, and outreach to non-political advocacy groups are impossible to sustain.

Proposal:

  • Establish a permanent team of political and organizing staff to support county and town committees statewide, including in Republican held areas in the North Country, Finger Lakes and Western NY and throughout New York City.
  • Partner with progressive political groups and advocacy organizations (including but not limited to faith-based organizations, advocacy groups, Indivisible chapters, etc.) to build year round organizing programs.
  • Develop full fledged rural and youth organizing programs, engaging directly with the Democratic Rural Conference, the NY Young Dems, the NY College Dems, and the NY High School Dems. 
  • Provide tools, training, and mentorship to build local capacity over multiple cycles tailored to the needs of local organizing communities.
  • Engage activist leaders, advocacy State Committee Members and County Party members as valuable assets in long term organizing programs, not as votes to whip at bi-annual meetings.

RESOURCES FOR CAMPAIGNS AND COMMITTEES

  • Investments in local county parties are not communicated in advance, are used as political leverage, and do not consider the input of county leaders.
  • Currently, every campaign’s data needs are handled by a single full-time staff person, who is charged with fulfilling the voter file needs for all campaigns, all county committees, as well as liaising with all 62 county BOEs.
  • Voter file errors are widespread and impact mail, digital, and organizing targeting, especially for municipal races.
  • Local committees and candidates receive no communication or finance support from the State Party, with many receiving no outreach from the State Party for months or years at a time.

Proposal:

  • Guaranteed direct support for county committees made in collaboration with local leaders and communicated in advance to allow for budgeting.
  • A robust data department with two full time staff and two part time staff to revamp the State Party’s voter file and data infrastructure, focusing on providing timely and more comprehensive responses to campaigns, increasing the accuracy of the voter file, and investing in modern data tools that can be provided to Democratic campaigns.
  • Regular, reliable communications resources, including a full time communications support staff person to provide social media toolkits and data-driven message guidance that are tailored to specific regions and communities.
  • Regular trainings and resources for committee members and candidates on social media, digital communications, fundraising, and messaging, including toolkits and templates.

COORDINATION WITH STATE AND NATIONAL ALLIES

  • The State Party lacks a functional, cooperative relationship with the relevant state and national campaign committees, engaging in turf wars over branding and authority, undermining coordination in critical races. Notably, NY Democratic Senate Campaign Committee – technically an arm of the NYS Dems –  functions all but fully independently from the NYS Dems.

Proposal:

  • Collaborate with NY Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, NY Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee, and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to build State Party-run long term political programs that benefit the candidates and members of all three organizations.

TOTAL YEAR ROUND INVESTMENTS

1 Additional Full Time Data Director

1 Full Time Constituency Director

2 Full Time Political Organizing Directors

1 Full Time Communications Director

2 Part Time Data Associates

5 Part Time Constituency Fellows

3 Part Time Political Organizers

5 Part Time Field Organizers (2 Rural Dem-focused)

3 Part Time Youth Organizers

12 Brick and Mortar Office Spaces and Accompanying Program Materials (including 5 in NYC)