Shannon Ryan

(Upstate) New Yorker covering all things New York in DC for @ny1 @spectrumnewsdc @capitaltonight

[Jon Campbell @JonCampbellNY]

Shoutout to the real sickos watching this debate as Knicks pregame content.

[Shannon Ryan @_shanryan]

“We have a campaign that we need to win,” said Claire Valdez when confronted for the second time during the @NY1 debate about her decision to accept super PAC money. Valdez initially campaigned on the promise that she would not accept super PAC money.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed Valdez, a member of the DSA and New York State Assembly, despite Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez tapping Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso to succeed her.

[Shannon Ryan @_shanryan]

“I’m not committed to voting yes or no,” said Valdez.

“I’ll have to win first,” said Won.

Reynoso said, “We can’t spend time on talking about whether or not Hakeem Jeffries will be the next Speaker of the House. Because he will be. And what we will do is if we don’t for him, we become a pariah in Congress. You won’t get any resources into New York 7. What we need to make sure we do is push him to the left when we have a seat at the table. And what [the other candidates are] going to be doing is threatening their seat at the table and losing resources for [residents of] New York 7.”

[Spectrum News NY1 @NY1]

During a 7th Congressional District #NY1Debate, Antonio Reynoso, Claire Valdez and Julie Won were asked if they would support Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker if Democrats take back the House.

[Bernadette Hogan @bern_hogan]

All 3 are a “no”

[Shannon Ryan @_shanryan]

I texted George Santos asking if the SOTU accusations against him were accurate and requested he send a statement. He replied, "Kalshi is a danger to their users. They do not protect user privacy and should not be trusted with user financial and sensitive personal data."

Santos is under federal investigation, according to the Associated Press, for publicly claiming that he planned to attend the State of the Union address while allegedly placing bets on Kalshi wagering that he would not show up.

Santos was released from prison last October, having served time for a slew of financial crimes.

[Shannon Ryan @_shanryan]

In a meeting with the New York City DSA weeks prior to his formal endorsement of Darializa Avila Chevalier Mamdani was asked if he had made any deals that would “prevent” him from endorsing any of their candidates.

I am told he said no.

[Shannon Ryan @_shanryan]

“Velázquez said she will never again take the mayor’s word on anything — whether it be about politics or policy — at face value. And she pointed directly to his broken promise to Espaillat.”

[Chris Sommerfeldt @C_Sommerfeldt]

New: Mamdani's commitment to back Rep. Adriano Espaillat for reelection was at first so ironclad they shook hands on it last summer, Rep. Nydia Velázquez tells me.

Mamdani broke his promise last week by endorsing Espaillat's democratic socialist opponent. https://t.co/Ub8AkQkClW

[Shannon Ryan @_shanryan]

Zeldin will make an appearance discussing Long Island research developments on destruction technology for PFAS — a group of forever chemicals.

In May the EPA introduced a $1 billion plan to address forever chemicals in drinking water. The plan, which included rolling back some regulations, sparked controversy.

Zeldin has defended the effort stating that the EPA is proposing to "rescind and restart" the regulation of certain chemicals, criticizing Biden-era actions on the matter.

[Shannon Ryan @_shanryan]

Scoop: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin will appear alongside Congressman Mike Lawler, who is seeking reelection, in the Hudson Valley this Sunday.

The joint EPA event comes roughly two weeks after President Donald Trump campaigned with Lawler in Rockland County.

Lawler’s district is regarded as one of the most competitive swing districts in the country.

Zeldin's appearance with Lawler is part of a several-day trip Zeldin is taking through his home state of New York.

On Friday, Zeldin will make appearances on Long Island. On Monday, he will stop in Binghamton and Syracuse.

[Bernadette Hogan @bern_hogan]

tbt: https://t.co/yg3C5EbWLV

[Andrew Solender @AndrewSolender]

Talarico's campaign is leaning into the "Talafreako" label from the GOP:

[Shannon Ryan @_shanryan]

"The New York State Legislature will introduce two constitutional amendments this week that would change the state’s redistricting process..."
@bern_hogan @coolhand_luke88

https://t.co/X4JAckaLPm

[Andrew Desiderio @AndrewDesiderio]

Cornyn has been in the Senate for 24 years & has raised $400+ million for Senate Republicans. He was GOP whip during first two years of Trump’s first admin. He came just a few votes short of becoming Senate majority leader 18 months ago.

His loss to Paxton tonight — and by such a wide margin — is another reflection of the widening gulf between Trump’s grip on the GOP base & his waning influence with Senate Republicans in Washington.

[Shannon Ryan @_shanryan]

A few factors, beyond Trump’s endorsement, that likely hurt Cornyn:
1. Texas has open primaries — meaning you do not register with a party when you register to vote. Instead, when you show up at a polling location you simply decide whether you want a Democratic or Republican primary ballot. If there is a runoff you must stick with that party.
2. Several Dems told me they typically vote in Republican, not Democratic primaries. As one friend stated, they feel the “stakes are higher.” However, this year the Democratic primary was stacked with two heavyweights — Talarico and Crockett. This meant that more moderate voters, that would have typically supported Cornyn, voted in the Democratic primary instead and were ineligible to vote in this runoff.
3. Many Dems preferred Paxton to Cornyn as a candidate because they felt his corruption scandals and more extreme politics made him easier to beat.
4. Runoffs typically experience lower voter turnout — meaning the people who cast their vote are typically more extreme. This is obviously in greater alignment with Paxton’s brand of MAGA-extremism.

[James Talarico @jamestalarico]

I want to thank Senator John Cornyn for his years representing our state. 

We don’t agree on everything, but we both still believe in public service.

To Senator Cornyn’s supporters: you have a place in our campaign.

[Ryan Chandler @RyanChandlerTV]

Cornyn concedes alongside his family, reflecting on 40 years and 18 consecutive elections, now capping his career in public office. He vows to support the Republican ticket.

[Andrew Solender @AndrewSolender]

NEW: The AP calls #TX18 for freshman Rep. Christian Menefee. He has unseated 11-term Rep. Al Green.

[Andrew Desiderio @AndrewDesiderio]

Schumer/Gillibrand reflecting Dems’ elation about tonight’s result in the GOP runoff —

“While Republicans are facing their nightmare scenario, tonight Democrats are one step closer to winning a Senate majority, and in November, Texas will send James Talarico to the Senate...”

[Jacob Wasserman @jacob_wass]

Exclusive: Rep. Thomas Massie is vacationing with Marjorie Taylor Greene in Costa Rica.

TMZ DC obtained a photo of Massie and Greene alongside their significant others during a beachfront dinner Tuesday night.

https://t.co/fZP8sjCb71