Candidates make final push to voters in key New York primary races
NEW YORK -- It's the August doldrums for politicians campaigning in what, because of a stunning redistricting snafu, is the second political primary of the summer.
And while the outcomes in a number of key races will greatly affect the political clout of the New York delegation, the primaries, so far, have not generated a lot of voter enthusiasm. After all, it's vacation time for many.
"Turnout is definitely going to be a factor and this was always the concern when the judge moved the primary to August," political consultant Basil Smikle told CBS2's Marcia Kramer on Monday.
READ MORE: New York delegation could lose seniority, strength in Congress after August primary election
Smikle is talking about the elephant in the room. The biggest concern for the candidates running in a number of high-profile hotly contested congressional races in New York is how do you get voters to the polls at the end of August?
The lack of enthusiasm was evident in the low number of people who took advantage of the state's early voting.
- Statewide, about 292,000 voted early this month, a drop of 20,000 from the June turnout
- In the city, 76,335 voted early, a drop off of about 10,000 from June
- About half of the votes, 36,852, were in Manhattan, which has two of the hottest primaries
"I want to go back to Congress to make sure that women are in the constitution so they cannot roll back the rights that we already have," Rep. Carolyn Maloney said.
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The 15-term congresswoman, who chairs the powerful House Oversight Committee, is in the fight of her life in the newly redrawn 12th Congressional District, facing off against Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Suraj Patel.
"We're the only campaign presenting a plan for the next decade," Patel said.
But in that race, it's going to be who gets their voters to the polls and if younger voters turn out for Patel.
"Nadler has been leading. He's got the support of Chuck Schumer and then Maloney has courted Hillary Clinton. It's gonna be so close. The concern, I think, that a lot of those voters have is that they don't cancel each other out," Smikle said.
READ MORE: Poll gives Rep. Jerry Nadler edge in NY-12 primary with Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Attorney Suraj Patel
Meanwhile, Nadler's old seat, the 10th Congressional District, has many people vying to replace him.
A recent Emerson College poll has former federal prosecutor Dan Goldman in first place. He was the lead counsel in the House impeachment of Donald Trump. He is followed by Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, first term Congressman Mondaire Jones, and City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera.
At the end of the day, the delegation New York sends to Washington next January could lose both power and experience. It's not just the Nadler-Maloney race. Several sitting congress people are battling for their political life, and Long Island will send at least three new faces to the capital.