Max Politics

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)

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)

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)

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)

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 comes next for the roughly 1 million rent-stabilized apartments. (Ep 600)

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)

Brad Lander joined the show to discuss his win in the Democratic primary for New York's 10th Congressional District (Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn), where he defeated Rep. Dan Goldman, Democratic Party unity, political trends in New York and nationally, and some of the substantive issues he wants to focus on in Congress. (Ep 598)

Jay Jacobs, chair of the New York State Democratic Party, joined the show to discuss the results of the 2026 state and congressional primaries, preview the general election, assess Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani, and examine Democratic Party division, unity, and policy. (Ep 597)

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams joined the show to discuss the results of the 2026 federal and state primary elections in New York City, the continued rise of Zohran Mamdani and the DSA, the future of the Democratic Party, and more. (Ep 596)

Three journalists from City & State New York joined the show to discuss New York state legislative primaries to watch in the June 2026 elections. Jeff Coltin, Rebecca Lewis, and Holly Pretsky spoke with host Ben Max about a variety of interesting and competitive Democratic primaries for the State Senate and Assembly, broader themes of these primary elections like Mayor Mamdani's endorsements, and more. (Ep 595)

The co-chairs of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America (NYC DSA), Grace Mausser and Gustavio Gordillo, joined the show to discuss the 2026 primary elections, NYC DSA's priority races and electoral strategy, Mayor Mamdani's endorsements, and more. (Ep 594)

Raj Goyle, a candidate in the June 2026 Democratic primary for New York State Comptroller, joined the show to discuss his campaign platform, why he believes Comptroller Tom DiNapoli should be replaced as the state's chief fiscal officer, his views on a variety of policy and budget matters, and more. (Ep 593)

Michael Lange - a writer, strategist, and organizer - returned to the show to discuss the major New York City-based congressional primaries to watch in the June 2026 elections, just ahead of the start of early voting (June 13-21) and primary day (June 23). Lange, who writes The Narrative Wars on substack, and host Ben Max discussed Mayor Mamdani's endorsements, DSA's growing electoral efforts, and other interesting themes of the primaries, as well as specifics in the Democratic races in New York's 13th, 7th, 10th, and 12th House districts. They also touched on the State Comptroller primary, and more. (Ep 592)

Host Ben Max is joined by FAQ NYC podcast co-hosts Harry Siegel and Christina Greer to break down the Knicks' historic comeback win in game 4 of the NBA Finals and 3-1 series lead, putting the team and city one win away from the Knicks' first championship since 1973. (Ep 591)

New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli joined the show to discuss his case for reelection, first to be the Democratic nominee via the primary that is taking place in June 2026, where he is facing challenges from Drew Warshaw and Raj Goyle. DiNapoli, who has been Comptroller since 2007, is seeking another four-year term as the state's chief fiscal officer, and discussed his record in office, response to the criticism from his challengers, positions on policy and budget matters, and more. (EPp 590)

Drew Warshaw, a candidate in the June 2026 Democratic primary for New York State Comptroller, joined the show to discuss his campaign platform, why he believes Comptroller Tom DiNapoli should be replaced as the state's chief fiscal officer, his views on a variety of policy and budget matters, and more. (Ep 589)

Chris Herring and Jonathan Fishner joined the show to discuss the Knicks and their run to the 2026 NBA Finals, New York as a basketball city, echoes of the '90s Knicks in this team, this Knicks-Spurs finals matchup, and more. Herring is an NBA reporter and author of the book "Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks," and Fishner is a former Knicks writer and lifelong New Yorker and Knicks fan.

Housing experts Annemarie Gray and Alex Armlovich joined the show to discuss Mayor Zohran Mamdani's new "Block by Block" housing plan to create and preserve 400,000 units of affordable housing over the next decade, while addressing broader development, tenant protection, homelessness, NYCHA public housing, and more. Gray is executive director of Open New York, a former city government housing and planning official, and was a key figure on Mamdani's transition committee. Armlovich is a Senior Fellow at the Niskanen Center and Housing Program Officer for the Abundance and Growth Fund at Coefficient Giving. He's also a former member of the city's Rent Guidelines Board. (Ep 588)

This special episode features audio from the Abundance Candidate Forum in the Democratic primary for New York's 10th Congressional District, held at New York Law School on the morning of May 19, 2026. The forum was moderated by host Ben Max, and features consecutive one-on-one interviews with challenger Brad Lander (former city comptroller), then Rep. Dan Goldman. The forum was co-sponsored by Abundance New York and NYC New Liberals. The conversations focused on a variety of issues, especially key tenets of the abundance agenda like housing, transit, green energy, and faster government delivery of projects. (Ep 587)

State Senator Erik Bottcher and Assembly Member Keith Powers, two Manhattan Democrats and former City Council Members, joined the show to discuss their transition into the State Legislature (they were both elected in February special elections), their first state budget negotiations as legislators, how Mayor Mamdani is doing, and more. Bottcher represents the West Side's 47th Senate District while Powers represents the East Side's 74th Assembly District. (Ep 586)

Journalists Nick Garber and Annie McDonough joined the show to discuss Mayor Zohran Mamdani's $124.7 billion Executive Budget, released on May 12, 2026, that took a very different approach than his prior budget plan, in part thanks to a lot of help from Governor Hochul and the State Legislature. Garber (of New York Focus), McDonough (of City & State New York), and host Ben Max discussed how Mamdani's budgeting approach has shifted, how his top priorities are faring, some of the city's fiscal challenges ahead, and more. (Ep 585)

Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Democrat and democratic socialist running for Congress in New York's 13th Congressional District, joined the show to discuss her primary campaign against Congressman Adriano Espaillat. The district includes much of Upper Manhattan (East Harlem, Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, etc) and a section of Bronx (Fordham, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge, etc) and the primary is in June. (Ep 584)

David Freedlander, a features writer for New York magazine, joined the show to discuss the Democratic primary in New York's 12th Congressional District, which encompasses much of Manhattan's East and West Sides and is currently represented by retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler. The race, which Freedlander just dissected in-depth in New York, features four leading candidates: Micah Lasher, Alex Bores, Jack Schlossberg, and George Conway. The conversation also touched on other interesting New York and national political trends. (Ep 583)

State Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, a Queens Democrat, returned to the show to discuss the status of state budget negotiations and key issues on the table like aid to New York City, tax rates, and a variety of policy matters that Governor Hochul and the Legislature are negotiating. The state budget, expected to be a massive $260 billion spending and policy package, is a month late, but negotiations are progressing with a lot on the line for New Yorkers and Mayor Mamdani's agenda. (Ep 582)

Jeff Coltin, Editor-in-Chief of City and State New York, joined the show to discuss Mayor Mamdani's endorsements in several 2026 races, key congressional and state races to watch in this year's elections, and more. (Ep 581)

This special edition of the show is a candidate forum in the Democratic primary for New York’s 12th Congressional District, which includes much of Manhattan’s west and east sides. The forum, moderated by host Ben Max, included 7 candidates running in the June primary and trying to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, including: Micah Bergdale, George Conway, Chris Diep, Laura Dunn, Jack Schlossberg, Nina Schwalbe, and Patrick Timmins. Two other candidates - Micah Lasher and Alex Bores - decided not to participate at the last minute after having previously confirmed. The forum was hosted by the American Constitution Society New York Lawyers Chapter along with its Fordham Students Chapter, and the NYC Bar Association and its Election Law Committee. (Ep 580)

State Senator John Liu, a Queens Democrat and chair of the Senate's New York City Education Committee, joined the show to discuss the status of state budget negotiations, major policy items the Governor and Legislature are navigating, state aid to New York City, and several education issues, including potential adjustment of school funding formulas, an extension of mayoral control of city schools, and changes to class size reduction requirements. (Ep 579)

Veteran journalists Sally Goldenberg of The New York Times and Bob Hardt of Spectrum News NY1 joined the show to discuss Mayor Zohran Mamdani's first 100 days in office, his celebratory rally marking the occasion, the highs and lows of his tenure so far, and what comes next. (Ep 578)

New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Westchester Democrat who has led the Senate since 2019, joined the show to discuss the status of state budget negotiations as the Senate and Assembly majorities and Governor Hochul work to agree on a spending and policy plan. The state fiscal year began April 1, but the parties have passed budget extenders to pay the state's bills while they negotiate the roughly $265 billion spending plan that will also include a variety of major policy decisions, how much aid the state gives New York City, and much more. (Ep 577)

New York City Council Finance Chair Linda Lee, a Queens Democrat, joined the show to discuss the Council's response to Mayor Mamdani's $127 billion preliminary budget for next fiscal year (FY27, which begins July 1), top Council priorities, how the two sides of City Hall differ on closing the city's budget gap, what the city is asking for from the state, and more. (Ep 576)

New York City Comptroller Mark Levine, a Democrat, returned to the show for further discussion of the city's difficult budget picture and how to fill the multi-billion-dollar budget gap that Mayor Mamdani inherited — including on savings, spending, tax policy, state aid to the city, and more — as well as discussion of the importance of economic growth in the city and key pillars to a city economic development strategy. (Ep 375)

State Senator Gustavo Rivera, a Bronx Democrat and chair of the Senate health committee, joined the show to discuss state budget negotiations with under two weeks until the April 1 start of the new fiscal year. The conversation touched on major areas of negotiation among Governor Hochul and the two Democratic majorities of the State Legislature including climate and energy regulations, tax rates, Medicaid and other health policy and budget issues, mayoral control of New York City schools, and more. (Ep 574)

Experts Howard Slatkin and Annemarie Gray joined the show to discuss housing priorities for the Mamdani Administration, the city's overall housing policy and political climate, the push for state-level environmental review reform to speed housing development, and more housing policy specifics. Slatkin, executive director of Citizens Housing and Planning Council, is a former top official at the NYC Department of City Planning, and Gray, executive director of Open New York, is a former housing and planning official in the NYC Mayor's Office. (Ep 573)

New York City Council Member Lincoln Restler, a Brooklyn Democrat, joined the show to discuss making city government work, his priorities for the new term, a recent hearing on the city's Streets Plan and the expansion of bus, bike, and pedestrian infrastructure, his bill to create the Department of Community Safety that Mayor Mamdani has promised, and more. (Ep 372)

Julie Won, a Democratic candidate for Congress in New York's 7th Congressional District (which includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens), joined the show to discuss her campaign to succeed the retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez in the House of Representatives. Won is a City Council member from Queens running in this June 2026 primary. (EP 571)

Jasmine Gripper and Ana Maria Archila returned to the show to discuss their work leading the New York Working Families Party, progressive politics and efforts to influence state policy-making, Mayor Mamdani, Governor Hochul, and endorsements in 2026 Democratic primaries including New York's 7th and 10th congressional districts. Gripper and Archila have been co-directors of the NYWFP for the last few years, and Gripper has now become sole state director while Archila just left party leadership to soon join the Mamdani administration as Commissioner of International Affairs. (Ep 570

Claire Valdez, a Democratic candidate for Congress in New York's 7th Congressional District (which includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens), joined the show to discuss her campaign to succeed the retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez in the House of Representatives. Valdez is a state Assembly member from Queens and Democratic Socialist running for Congress with the support of NYC-DSA and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The primary is in June 2026. (Ep 569)

New York City Comptroller Mark Levine, a Democrat just elected to the citywide position of chief financial officer, joined the show to discuss Mayor Zohran Mamdani's first budget plan, just after Mamdani released the $127 billion preliminary budget for Fiscal Year 2027 (which begins July 1, 2026). Levine discussed the city's fiscal and economic health, his initial reaction to Mamdani's budget plan (which includes a property tax increase unless the city gets more revenue through state-approved tax increases), and the next steps in the budget process. (Ep 568)

Jon Paul Lupo — a political strategist and former Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for Mayor Bill de Blasio — joined the show to discuss Mayor Zohran Mamdani's first state budget testimony in Albany (which occurred Feb. 11, 2026), how mayors prepare for so-called 'Tin Cup Day,' mayor-governor and mayor-legislature relationships, city budget challenges, the mayor's priorities, and more. (Ep 567)

Antonio Reynoso, a Democratic candidate for Congress in New York's 7th Congressional District (which includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens), joined the show to discuss his campaign to succeed the retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez in the House of Representatives. Reynoso, the Brooklyn Borough President and a former City Council member, has been endorsed by Velázquez, among others. The primary is in June 2026. (Ep 466)

Andrew Rein, president of nonprofit Citizens Budget Commission, joined the show to discuss the budget challenges Mayor Mamdani faces and how to address them, where Mamdani is right and wrong in his explanation of the city budget (which included a 1/28/26 press conference to blame former Mayor Adams), the new mayor's push for increased taxes on high earners and corporations, and more. (Ep 564)

Dan Garodnick — outgoing Director of the Department of City Planning and Chair of the City Planning Commission — joined the show to reflect on four years of significant progress addressing New York City's housing crisis, key zoning and planning accomplishments of his tenure, what should come next on these fronts, and more. Garodnick, a member of the MTA Board and a former City Council member from Manhattan, was appointed planning chief by Mayor Eric Adams and worked closely with former Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and other top housing, planning, and economic development officials. (Ep 563)

Rep. Dan Goldman, a Democrat representing New York's 10th Congressional District, joined the show to discuss his bid for reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives in the district that spans Lower Manhattan and a swathe of Brooklyn. He's facing a challenge in the June 2026 Democratic primary election from former city comptroller Brad Lander. (Ep 562)

Brad Lander, former New York City Comptroller and 2025 mayoral candidate, joined the show to discuss his campaign for Congress in New York's 10th Congressional District, which includes Lower Manhattan and a swathe of Brooklyn. Lander is challenging Rep. Dan Goldman in the June 2026 Democratic primary for one of New York's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. (Ep 561)

Ben Furnas and Sara Lind — leaders of Transportation Alternatives and Open Plans, respectively, and members of Mayor Mamdani's transition committee — joined the show to discuss ideas for creating a more livable city with improvements for how people get around, use outdoor space, and enjoy the city. They discussed ideas and expectations for Mamdani on street safety, open space, traffic, bike lanes, outdoor dining, use of the curb, and much more, and touched on how Mayor Adams did on those issues. (Ep 560)

Diane Savino — recently a senior advisor to Mayor Eric Adams (2023-25) and previously longtime state senator (2005-22) — joined the show to discuss her work in the Adams administration and the former mayor's legacy, the start of Zohran Mamdani's mayoralty, how government works and doesn't, the state-level passage of Medical Aid in Dying legislation that she worked on as a senator, and more. (Ep 559)

Urban historian Thomas Dyja and political strategist Dr. Basil Smikle Jr. joined the show to put Eric Adams' mayoralty and Zohran Mamdani's inauguration into modern historical context. They joined host Ben Max to discuss the meaning of the Eric Adams era and its impact on the city, how Adams fits in the modern pantheon of mayors, and the meaning of Mamdani's election to succeed Adams, including the hopes and questions about his budding mayoralty. Dyja is the author of several books, including New York New York New York: Four Decades of Success, Excess, and Transformation. Smikle Jr. has been involved in many political campaigns in New York, is a former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, and is currently a professor in and director of the master's program in nonprofit management at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies, among other roles in politics and academia. (Ep 558)

Tom Allon — longtime journalist, publisher of City & State magazine, and former informal advisor to Eric Adams who helped him with "mayor school" – joined the show to consider Adams' tenure and legacy as Mayor of New York City. (Ep 557)

Vijah Ramjattan, Executive Director of the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes in the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, joined the show to discuss the office's efforts to prevent bias-based crimes, what makes the difference in increases and decreases in hate crimes, the importance of education and community-building, and more. (Ep 556)

Betsy Plum, Executive Director of Riders Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group, and a member of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's transition committee, joined the show to discuss Mamdani's campaign promise of "fast and free buses" in New York City, how to really speed up the city's notoriously slow buses, whether free buses is the right goal and how to get there if so, and more. (Ep 555)