Anthony Izaguirre, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks during a press conference with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

Mamdani endorses Hochul for reelection as New York governor

February 5, 2026

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has endorsed Gov. Kathy Hochul for reelection, offering the moderate governor some progressive heft in her campaign for a second full term. In an op-ed in The Nation on Thursday, the democratic socialist noted their political differences, but said he’s “come to trust Governor Hochul as someone willing to engage in an honest dialogue that leads to results.” Mamdani’s support solidifies the alliance between two leaders positioned at opposite ends of the Democratic political spectrum. The young progressive became mayor by promising transformative change. The centrist Hochul has called herself a “mom governor” from Buffalo.

FILE - Speaker of the New York City Council Adrienne Adams speaks during the New York City Mayoral Candidates Forum at Medgar Evers College, April 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

New York governor picks a new running mate, as her current No. 2 moves to unseat her

February 4, 2026

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced a new reelection running mate — as her current lieutenant governor has launched an increasingly caustic primary challenge to unseat her. Hochul, a moderate Democrat, named Adrienne Adams, the former speaker of the New York City Council and mayoral candidate, as her replacement lieutenant governor pick on Wednesday, formally ditching incumbent Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. The selection of Adams could help Hochul, who is from Buffalo, bolster her downstate credibility and potentially garner support among working class Black voters in the city at a time when Delgado is angling to win over progressives.

FILE - An American flag waves on Staten Island with the One World Trade Center in the distance, Sept. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

Judge tosses lines of NYC’s only Republican House seat, as state enters redistricting wars

January 21, 2026

A judge has thrown out the boundaries of New York City’s only Republican congressional seat, ordering a redrawing due to unconstitutional vote dilution of Black and Hispanic residents. The decision affects the district held by Republican U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis in southern Brooklyn and Staten Island. Republicans plan to appeal as this case becomes part of a national gerrymandering battle. Democrats argue the current lines ignore Staten Island’s growing Black and Latino populations. Gov. Kathy Hochul has shown interest in the redistricting fight, though legislative options are limited before the 2024 elections.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul delivers the 2026 State of the State address, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Albany, N.Y. (Darren McGee/ Office of Governor Kathy Hochul via AP)

In New York, Hochul moves to thread needle between Democratic divides ahead of a contested election

January 13, 2026

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has delivered her State of the State address, pitching proposals to fight President Donald Trump’s agenda while also moving to capture progressive excitement surrounding Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The speech Tuesday in Albany came during a heavily contested election year for Hochul, where she faces challenges from both her political left and right. She is also is under mounting pressure from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party to help steward Mamdani’s ambitious agenda at the state Capitol and raise taxes on the state’s richest residents.

Hochul and Mamdani to unveil free child care plan in New York City

January 8, 2026

New York City parents may soon have access to free child care for their 2-year-olds, under a plan set to be unveiled by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The two Democrats are expected to detail the program at a news conference Thursday morning, along with a pledge from Hochul to pursue a wider, statewide child care initiative. For Mamdani, the announcement is the first step in fulfilling one of his trademark campaign promises, marking a potentially major boon for the mayor just days after he took office on promises of implementing a transformative agenda focused on making the city a more affordable place to live.

FILE - Attorney George Conway outside the New York City courthouse, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

George Conway, persistent Trump critic, is running for Congress in New York

January 6, 2026

George Conway says he is running for a U.S. House seat in New York City. Conway is an attorney who once supported President Donald Trump and was previously married to former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway. But he’s now a prominent Trump critic. He announced Tuesday that he’s entering a crowded Democratic primary to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler. Conway had recently been living in Maryland, but he said he moved to Manhattan a few weeks ago. Other candidates in the race include Nadler protégé, state lawmaker Micah Lasher, school shooting survivor and advocate Cameron Kasky and Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani reacts after speaking during his inauguration ceremony, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Zohran Mamdani promises to govern ‘expansively and audaciously’ in inaugural speech as NYC mayor

January 1, 2026

Zohran Mamdani is reveling in what he calls a “new era” for New York City. He was officially sworn in just after midnight Thursday, but politicians and other supporters gathered at City Hall in the afternoon for a larger ceremony. Mamdani is the city’s first Muslim mayor, its first of South Asian descent and the first to be born in Africa. At 34, he is also the city’s youngest mayor since the late 19th century. The democratic socialist takes office after a historic campaign made “affordability” a national buzzword across the political spectrum. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders administered the public oath of office to Mamdani today.

President Donald Trump talks to Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., second from right, while Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., far right, looks on during a bill signing ceremony with members of the 1980 U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey team Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Rep. Elise Stefanik ends her campaign for New York governor and won’t seek reelection to House

December 19, 2025

Rep. Elise Stefanik says she is suspending her campaign for New York governor and will not seek reelection to Congress. In a post on X Friday, Stefanik, a Republican ally of President Donald Trump, said “it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York.” Stefanik was facing Bruce Blakeman, the executive of Nassau County, in what was expected to be a bitter Republican primary in the governor’s race.

Rep. Elise Stefanik says she’s suspending her campaign for New York governor, won’t seek reelection

December 19, 2025

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani waves to Rita Bellevue as she waits at a bus stop in New York, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

From the subway to social media, NYC mayoral candidates make their closing arguments to voters

October 31, 2025

The final stretch of New York City’s mayoral race has candidates Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo painting two very different pictures. Cuomo has offered a closing argument centered on the premise that voters must stop Mamdani from leading the city into ruin. He says he’s the only one who can bring things back from the brink. Meanwhile, Mamdani has moved to stay on message and maintain the excitement that’s made him a national progressive star. But he remains a polarizing candidate whose thin resume, democratic socialist affiliation and criticisms of the Israeli government have made some wary of giving him the reins of America’s biggest city.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speak during a town hall on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Olga Fedorova)

Sanders and Mamdani energize supporters at town hall as NYC mayor’s race enters final stretch

September 6, 2025

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani rallied supporters at a town hall in Brooklyn, slamming President Donald Trump and boosting their shared progressive message. The Saturday night event came as Mamdani works to energize his base in the final weeks of the New York City mayor’s race. He is facing off against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who are both running as independents, along with Republican Curtis Sliwa. Sanders, an independent who represents Vermont, dubbed Mamdani “the future of the Democratic Party,” while criticizing the state’s top Democratic leaders for not endorsing him.

New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa is interviewed in a subway entrance as he campaigns, in New York, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Red beret-wearing Republican Curtis Sliwa likes his chances in a crowded NYC mayor’s race

September 2, 2025

Curtis Sliwa is the bombastic creator of New York City’s Guardian Angels anti-crime patrol group who lost his last election battle with Mayor Eric Adams by almost 40 percentage points. This time around, the red beret-wearing Republican believes the race is very much up for grabs. Even in a city where Democrats vastly outnumber Republicans, the math is different from the two-man race in 2021. With three polarizing candidates potentially splitting the Democratic vote, the 71-year-old hopes to maintain the 28% he secured last time around while picking up some backers from the other side of the aisle with his message that he’s best positioned to handle crime in the city.

Democratic mayoral candidates Andrew Cuomo, left, shakes hands with Zohran Mamdani, center, as Whitney Tilson reacts after participating in a Democratic mayoral primary debate, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

New York votes in mayoral primary as Cuomo tries a comeback. Zohran Mamdani stands in his way

June 23, 2025

New York City voters will decide whether Andrew Cuomo has done enough to make a political comeback by winning the Democratic mayoral primary. The former governor is trying to reboot his career by defeating upstart liberal darling Zohran Mamdani and a crowded field of establishment candidates in the city’s primary Tuesday. The winner will go on to face incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent, in the fall general election. Cuomo has been the front-runner throughout the race, with his deep experience, nearly universal name recognition, strong political connections and juggernaut fundraising apparatus vaulting him to the front of the pack.

FILE- Democratic mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo speaks during a Democratic mayoral primary debate, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, file)

Some candidates focus on blocking Cuomo’s path a day before NYC’s mayoral primary

June 23, 2025

Their chances of becoming the next mayor of New York City may have dimmed. Their mission now? Stopping Andrew Cuomo from getting to City Hall. In the final day of campaigning before the city’s primary election, candidates who are seen as long shots to win the Democratic nomination were urging voters to leave Cuomo off their ballots in a last-ditch effort to stymie the scandal-scarred former governor’s political comeback. The pitches came as the race has narrowed into a contest between Cuomo and 33-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. With support coalescing behind those two, at least some of the rest of the crowded field appeared intent on blocking the former governor’s path.

Anthony Weiner knocks on a resident's door while capaigning for a seat on the New York City Council, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Who’s that knocking at your door? It’s Anthony Weiner on a comeback tour

June 8, 2025

Former Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner is attempting a political comeback with a candidacy for the New York City Council. The effort comes years after his once-promising political career imploded in sexting scandals that culminated in a prison sentence after he had illicit online contact with a child. The Associated Press accompanied Weiner on a recent weekday as he knocked on dozens of doors in an apartment complex in the lower Manhattan district he’s hoping to represent. Most people he spoke with appeared happy and surprised to see him. No one pressed him about his scandals.

FILE - New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, left, holds his first news conference with Gov. Kathy Hochul after his swearing in ceremony, making him the state's first person of Latino heritage to serve in statewide office, May 25, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

New York governor’s No. 2 is challenging her in next year’s election

June 2, 2025

New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado says he will challenge his boss, Gov. Kathy Hochul, in the governor’s race next year, months after a feud between the two Democrats erupted into public view. Delgado announced his candidacy in a short campaign video released Monday. Delgado has been hinting at a primary challenge against Hochul for months and earlier this year said he would he would not run for reelection alongside the governor, ramping up speculation about his future and leading Hochul’s office to sideline him from the duties of his ceremonial post.

Anthony Izaguirre.