Max Politics

A debate among the three Democratic candidates for Manhattan Borough President: Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Keith Powers, and Calvin Sun. The debate was hosted on June 3 — exactly three weeks to primary day — at New York Law School by its Center for New York City and State Law, and moderated by Max Politics host Ben Max, who is also the Center's program director. (Ep 503)

The hosts of the FAQ NYC podcast - Christina Greer, Harry Siegel, and Katie Honan - joined host Ben Max for a big 2025 New York City mayoral primary election preview at New York Law School on May 29 in front of a live audience. They were joined by 2021 Democratic primary runner-up Kathryn Garcia for the first 30 minutes of the program, then the four hosts talked about the 2025 mayoral race and took a bunch of great questions and comments from some of the 150 New Yorkers in attendance. They talked state of the race, candidate strengths and weaknesses, ranked-choice voting, and much more. (Ep 502)

Kathy Wylde, the longtime President and CEO of business group The Partnership for New York City, joined the show to discuss how New York City is doing, challenges around city and federal governance, the 2025 race to be the next Mayor, her recent retirement announcement (effective June 2026), and more. (Ep 501)

Political strategists Tyrone Stevens and Jon Paul Lupo joined the show to discuss the state of the race for Mayor of New York City with one month until primary day, which is June 24. With host Ben Max, they assess the Democratic primary for mayor, variables that could shift the race down the home stretch, potential strategies to help candidates break out, and more. Both guests have extensive experience in New York City government, politics, and campaigns, including on major mayoral campaigns in the 2021 Democratic primary. (Ep 500)

In part two of our miniseries on Andrew Cuomo's record as Governor of New York, we examine his policy record over his ten-and-a-half-year tenure (January 2011-August 2021). Jon Campbell, a longtime state politics reporter now with WNYC/Gothamist, joined the show to recount and examine Cuomo's policy record over the course of his nearly three terms as the state's chief executive and put it into the context of Cuomo's 2025 bid to become Mayor of New York City. This is the second in a series of Max Politics episodes that will examine Cuomo's record as Governor and bid to become Mayor — the first episode focused on Cuomo's leadership and governance style. Cuomo has been invited to appear on the show himself but has yet to accept the invitation. Stay tuned for other episodes in this series and additional conversations on the 2025 NYC elections. (Ep 499)

Longtime journalists Bill Hammond and Nick Reisman joined the show to discuss Andrew Cuomo's record as Governor of New York, with a focus on Cuomo's leadership style. Cuomo, leading the polls in the 2025 Democratic primary for Mayor of New York City, was Governor from January 2011 to August 2021. Hammond - formerly of the New York Daily News and now at the Empire Center - and Reisman, formerly of Capitol Tonight/State of Politics and now at Politico New York - have both covered Cuomo for many years and, in this discussion, help host Ben Max recap Cuomo's decade in power. This is the first in a series of Max Politics episodes that will examine Cuomo's record as Governor and bid to become Mayor. Cuomo has been invited to appear on the show himself but has yet to accept the invitation. Stay tuned for other episodes in this series. (Ep 498)

Join Max Politics and FAQ NYC for a live double-podcast, primary election preview event on Thursday May 29, 5:30-7:30pm, at New York Law School! Hosts Ben Max, Christina Greer, Katie Honan, and Harry Siegel will provide the latest analysis of the race to be the next Mayor of New York City and highlight other key races to watch ahead of June's primaries. There will be special guests and plenty of audience participation, refreshments and more. Join us! RSVP at this link: https://nyls.wufoo.com/forms/qxmjtbs0nexll7/

New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber spoke with host Ben Max at a live event at New York Law School for Law Day, May 1, hosted by NYLS' Center for New York City and State Law. Strauber spoke about the important role DOI plays in ensuring ethical and effective government, DOI's role in the indictment of Mayor Eric Adams and her take on the dismissal of those charges, and much more. (Ep 497) url: nyc-doi-jocelyn-strauber-corruption

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards joined the show to discuss his 2025 State of the Borough address and agenda, major issues and opportunities facing Queens and the city, and the unfolding mayoral race. (Ep 496)

Political strategists Rebecca Katz and Jason Ortiz joined the show to discuss the state of the mayoral race and much more with two months to go until primary day, which is June 24, 2025. Katz, a co-founder of Fight agency, and Ortiz, a co-founder of Moonshot Strategies, are both veteran political strategists in New York and beyond. They joined the show to analyze the Democratic primary field for mayor, the city's political mood, lessons from past mayoral races that apply in 2025, and much more. (Ep 495)