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.
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