Gov. Cuomo said Tuesday he “strongly” backs a new proposal to unite warring Democrats in the state Senate, a move demanded by left-wing activists as the governor heads into an election year.
“The state party put a proposal on the table yesterday that I strongly support,” Cuomo said in Syracuse.
“I urge both sides to stop their intramural disputes and unify, because we have real issues, like this federal issue of taxation,” he said.
Republicans have been able to maintain control of the Senate through an alliance with nine breakaway Democrats that Cuomo has endured since 2011.
The unification plan put forth by leaders of the New York State Democratic Party, predicated on a special election likely to be held after the state budget is approved in late March or early April, would bring together the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) with the 23 mainstream Democrats in the Senate.
Another renegade Democrat, Brooklyn’s Simcha Felder, caucuses with the Republicans and would also be expected to return to the Democratic fold.
Numerically, there are 32 Democrats and 31 Republicans — enough for Democrats to maintain a majority if they were unified.
The state Democratic Committee, which is controlled by Cuomo, made a proposal Monday for a power-sharing agreement between mainstream and IDC leaders.
Bronx Sen. Jeff Klein, the head of the IDC, said he’s open to a deal.
“The state party’s assurance [on Tuesday] that our progressive legislative agenda will be advanced is a victory for the people of New York. I look forward to implementing the terms that have been outlined in yesterday’s letter,” Klein said in a statement.
But Felder wasn’t prepared to go along.
“I don’t think anything much is going to change. I think this is posturing right now due to pressures being brought upon them [the IDC] by national politics. It’s a brilliant distraction,” said Felder.
Felder said Cuomo could sway him to switch sides only under one condition — agreeing to provide or finance an armed guard in every school in New York City.
“I’ll do acrobat[ic]s for the governor if he agrees to do that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Democrats still plan to run vigorous primary challenges against IDC members.
In northern Manhattan, former Councilman Robert Jackson said Tuesday he will try to oust first-term incumbent Sen. Marisol Alcantara.