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All Episodes

Dispatches from Planet Albany — 193 episodes

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Title
1

Super PAC to the rescue!

2

Senate GOP hope to hold the line (and grow)

3

Environmental report card show state lawmakers could try harder

4

Pat Ryan wants a promotion. Can he get one?

5

Mike Gianaris spent a career 'seeing around corners'

6

Ed Ra hopes to squeeze the Assembly Dems

7

A stroke can't stop Liz Krueger the 'anarchist'

8

Shelley Mayer takes over political arm of Senate Dems

9

Unions eye influence over marijuana industry

10

Into the weeds with Micah Lasher

11

Musical chairs in the state Senate

12

New York's political landscaping evoking memories of 2018

13

Your lobbyist's favorite lobbyist

14

The power of protest

15

Albany through the eyes of Patrick Jenkins

16

The shape of things to come in the Assembly

17

The secret of her success

18

NY Dems chair on primaries, November, and his future

19

The DSA's big night in New York City

20

The art of campaign mail

21

Inside the strategy of Gov. Kathy Hochul

22

2026 legislative session superlative awards

23

End-of-session vibes with Shontell

24

Capitol odds and ends with Josh and Raga

25

Answering the prayers of underdog primary candidates

26

Confirmapalooza

27

Mark Poloncarz hits the road to support local Democrats

28

NY WFP on comptroller's race, legislative primaries, and the senate's number two

29

The (LCA) show must go on!

30

Friends, frenemies and enemies in New York politics

31

The legislature's airing of budget grievances

32

More transparency considered for Planet Albany lobbying

33

Getting to 'yes' on the state budget

34

Hochul budget strategy relies on time and special interest attacks

35

The uphill battle of going red to blue in rural New York

36

Election Law 101: Ballot objections

37

Could Tom DiNapoli lose the Democratic primary?

38

Planet Albany Power Rankings revisited and budget timing accountability

39

The Planet Albany Power Rankings

40

Former assemblyman eyes Capitol comeback 15 years after departure

41

One battle after another for the Blakeman campaign

42

Assemblyman Al Stirpe unpacks budget contention and process

43

Hochul's communications director talks strategy

44

Intersection of religion and politics for Assemblyman Sam Berger

45

One-house budgets dream the impossible dream

46

Polling complaints, fast talking, CLCPA rollback and legislative process

47

Using artificial intelligence to quantify life on Planet Albany

48

The Rockefeller College path to Planet Albany

49

Minority Leader (Assemblyman Ed Ra's version)

50

All of the above with Marie French

51

WFP navigates governor's race and leadership change

52

NYC landlords find compelling messenger on social media

53

Surprise retirement shakes up Senate Democratic leadership

54

The path to (some) new congressional lines

55

Hochul's new running mate, endorsement, and Brooklyn feud

56

Are Hochul and Mamdani on a collision course?

57

Getting to know Assemblyman Brian Cunningham

58

Handicapping the odds of Blakeman's LG choice

59

Handicapping the odds of Hochul's LG choice

60

What you might have missed in the executive budget

61

No new taxes? No problem

62

About that recreational marijuana rollout in New York....

63

Drafting Lawmakers for the 2026 Fantasy League

64

How do you judge an effective state lawmaker?

65

Predictions and hopes for the 2026 session in Albany

66

The 2025 stories that could linger into 2026

67

The storylines we can't quit from 2025 (and a new game)!

68

Former budget butcher explains how the fiscal sausage is made

69

BONUS: Elise Stefanik suspends bid for governor

70

Senate Dems look to go on the offensive in Hudson Valley

71

122 bills on the governor's desk

72

Bruce Blakeman emerges as GOP gubernatorial alternative

73

Broome County GOP chair sees strong bench as path to victory in blue New York

74

The evolving gambling landscape in New York

75

Could Elise Stefanik be leading the race for governor?

76

Debunking Albany conspiracies and handicapping Hochul's LG field

77

A new chapter for former LG Brian Benjamin

78

Won't somebody think of the businesses?!?!?

79

A letter to New York Democrats

80

Navigating Planet Albany with Zohran's Bronx Assembly ally

81

Rep. Elise Stefanik officially jumps in

82

An election post-mortem for NY Democrats

83

LG Antonio Delgado's vision for the NY Dems

84

And then there were three casino projects

85

Hochul struggles to connect with Mamdani's base

86

Buying and selling Andrew Gounardes, treatment courts, and affordability

87

NY Health Act advocates hope federal chaos aids their cause in 2026

88

Former Kansas Democrat sets his sights on DiNapoli

89

Disability advocates look to flex political muscle in Albany

90

Construction Update: Work is underway at the Capitol complex

91

The growing case against Hochul's 'inflation refund' checks

92

Herding cats in the Assembly takes a responsible nerd

93

Zohran puts live-event ticket regulations back in the spotlight

94

100 dispatches from Planet Albany!

95

Mr. Jones and me look into the past

96

Lobbyists prepare for 2026 legislative session

97

NYC mayor's race thrusts sex work debate into spotlight

98

They don't make 'em like Danny Donohue anymore

99

Four years of Kathy Hochul

100

Planet Albany journalist joins the dark side

101

Longshot comptroller candidate calls 'bullshit' on status quo

102

Kathy Hochul goes on the PR offensive

103

Good government groups sidelined in NY redistricting dialogue

104

New York Dems prepare for redistricting battle

105

Political campaigns look to harness artificial intelligence

106

Shontell reflects on the Cuomo mayoral primary campaign - Part 2

107

Shontell reflects on the Cuomo mayoral primary campaign - Part 1

108

A western NY perspective on Zohran Mamdani's meteoric rise

109

Radical transparency and progressive politics at core of new polling firm

110

Where does the NYC DSA go from here?

111

The uphill battle of lobbying for kids and families

112

Assembly Republicans have joined the drafting!!!

113

The 1st Annual Dispatches Awards!

114

In the Albany lobbying trenches with Shontell Smith

115

Antonio Delgado's path to the executive mansion - Part 2

116

Antonio Delgado's path to the executive mansion - Part 1

117

Navigating the chaos of the cannabis industry

118

Beating the end of session blahs with Ken Zebrowski

119

Drafting political movies

120

The budget goes out with a whimper

121

How "Medical Aid in Dying" got an Assembly vote

122

Where's the budget?

123

Contenders, pretenders, and ascenders in the GOP gubernatorial field

124

Shontell's revenge

125

We're drafting again!!!

126

So you've died and gone to budget purgatory

127

Skoufis on failed DNC bid, 2026, and New York Dems

128

Held for consideration

129

100% chance we're talking election betting

130

The politics of the prison strike

131

So you're telling me there's a chance

132

Delgado splits from Hochul

133

Fantasy Lawmaker Draft

134

It's Caucus Weekend in Albany

135

Is the gravitational pull of Planet Albany weakening?

136

NYC polling and election calendar maneuvering

137

Not much energy in environmental conservation at the Capitol

138

Shontell's how-to guide to being a lobbyist and digesting the budget

139

A uniquely Hochul state of the state

140

Assembly Dems identify committee chairs and some 2025 priorities

141

Shontell is back and better than ever

142

A redder shade of blue in New York

143

Democrats (and Hochul) look to get their groove back in New York

144

So what if Governor Hochul has bad poll numbers?

145

Legislating 101: A Senate Democrat's freshman experience

146

New York's boring primary results

147

Legislating 101: The end-of-session sausage making

148

Legislating 101: A Manhattan Democrat's freshman experience

149

Legislating 101: Social media regulations for minors

150

Making cents of New York's financial plan

151

LIVE from Planet Albany 3.0

152

In the weeds at OCM

153

Green agenda faces uphill battle in 2024

154

It's a Dispatches potluck episode!

155

The recipe for a budget COLA

156

A cyberattack and budget framework at the Capitol

157

No pets or budget deals at the Capitol

158

NY Dems hope to regain ground with Asian American voters

159

Education 2024: The good, the bad, and shifting alliances

160

Brother, can you spare a matching contribution?

161

One-house budgets take center stage in kabuki theater

162

Whatever happened to taxing the rich?

163

Housing 2024: Let's make a deal

164

Redistricting 2024: No Democrat left behind

165

New York's marijuana marketplace 'disaster'

166

New York's costly (and behind schedule) green future

167

LIVE from Planet Albany 2.0

168

Not your typical bill signing

169

Hochul's 'common sense' budget

170

The state of the state is...

171

Gaveling in on Planet Albany

172

Searching for meaning in the 2023 elections

173

Justice for All: Unfinished business

174

Justice for All: A new sheriff in Albany

175

Justice for All: A cycle of abuse and neglect

176

Trailer: Justice for All

177

A postmortem on the 2023 legislative session

178

Another swing and miss on housing policy

179

LIVE from Planet Albany

180

Suburban Democrats flexing their muscles at the Capitol

181

MIA: Antonio Delgado and legislative ambition

182

Democrats divided on influx of asylum seekers

183

Harsh vibes from New York's marijuana rollout

184

Who is calling the shots?

185

The future of the New York Working Families Party

186

Legislature grapples with how to address sexual misconduct in its ranks

187

State's top court poised for shakeup

188

One-party rule, but competing voices on public safety in Albany

189

What it takes to win

190

Budget theater begins final act

191

And then there were three budget proposals

192

No clear center of gravity at the Capitol

193

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