Cuomo Pushes Simcha Felder To Give Democrats Senate Majority
State Senator Simcha Felder Image by New York State Senate
New York governor Andrew Cuomo has personally asked Democratic state senator Simcha Felder, who has caucused with Republicans, to reunite with the Democrats so the party can retake the majority, the New York Post reported.
“The governor asked me to consider being part of the family,” Felder said, referring to the Democratic party.
If Democrats win both seats in upcoming special elections, they will have the numerical majority — that is, if Felder flips.
While Felder said that he would consider leaving the Republican Party if he had a reason to, he reportedly told Cuomo that there was no point in talking about him switching sides until after the April 24 special elections.
Felder, who represents areas in Brooklyn with large Orthodox Jewish communities, has been known to use his leverage in the divided senate to push issues important to him and his constituency. He faced criticism for holding up agreement on the $168 billion budget last month in a disagreement over state regulation of yeshivas.
Contact Haley Cohen at hcohen@forward.com
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
