Siding with Trump-friendly Senate Republicans could be a smart strategy for state Sen. Jose Peralta, but the move has drawn outrage from some of his Jackson Heights constituents.
When news spread that the Democratic senator had shifted his allegiances to the Independent Democratic Conference, which aligns with the Republicans to control the Legislature’s upper chamber, locals already outraged about President Donald Trump were overwhelmed by what they saw as a betrayal, said Susan Kang, a political science professor and Jackson Heights resident.
“Many of us were coming off of a weekend of protesting around the inauguration and smaller local actions protesting cabinet appointments…so hearing that our supposedly progressive state senator was going to caucus with the Republicans was too much for many of us,” she wrote in an email.
article continues below advertisement
She and others demanded a meeting with Peralta, she said, and after rejecting his offers for individual meetings, were promised a town hall-style forum at the Jewish Center of Jackson Heights tonight at 6 p.m. The flier reads: “Why is our State Senator aligning with Senate Republicans, who want to bring the Trump agenda to New York State?”
Kang said in the short term, Albany needs to protect immigrants from Trump’s policies, “so we don’t want our state senators caucusing with Republicans who introduce bills like” S3848, a proposal to force the city to release data on applicants for IDNYC cards. And with the Trump administration and Congress threatening to cut health care funding and abortion protections, state level support will be paramount, in her view.
Six of the eight IDC Democrats are from the city, including Jeff Klein of the Bronx, Marisol Alcantara of Manhattan, Jesse Hamilton of Brooklyn, Tony Avella of Queens and Diane Savino of Staten Island. Klein formed the group in 2011, citing dysfunction in the regular Democratic conference.
Alcantara and Hamilton, both from heavily minority and liberal districts, joined the IDC just before Trump was elected and seem to have escaped the wrath of their left-leaning constituents.
Senate Republicans have opposed policies favored by Democrats, such as abortion protections and ethics reforms. The IDC argues that it helps build support for such bills, noting that Republicans control the chamber anyway thanks to their alliance with Sen. Simcha Felder, D-Brooklyn. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., an ally of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, blamed Felder for Republican control at a Crain’s breakfast last month.
But Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams blamed the governor himself, a Democrat who is seen to benefit from the split legislature and Senate.
Siding with Trump-friendly Senate Republicans could be a smart strategy for state Sen. Jose Peralta, but the move has drawn outrage from some of his Jackson Heights constituents.
When news spread that the Democratic senator had shifted his allegiances to the Independent Democratic Conference, which aligns with the Republicans to control the Legislature’s upper chamber, locals already outraged about President Donald Trump were overwhelmed by what they saw as a betrayal, said Susan Kang, a political science professor and Jackson Heights resident.
“Many of us were coming off of a weekend of protesting around the inauguration and smaller local actions protesting cabinet appointments…so hearing that our supposedly progressive state senator was going to caucus with the Republicans was too much for many of us,” she wrote in an email.
She and others demanded a meeting with Peralta, she said, and after rejecting his offers for individual meetings, were promised a town hall-style forum at the Jewish Center of Jackson Heights tonight at 6 p.m. The flier reads: “Why is our State Senator aligning with Senate Republicans, who want to bring the Trump agenda to New York State?”
Kang said in the short term, Albany needs to protect immigrants from Trump’s policies, “so we don’t want our state senators caucusing with Republicans who introduce bills like” S3848, a proposal to force the city to release data on applicants for IDNYC cards. And with the Trump administration and Congress threatening to cut health care funding and abortion protections, state level support will be paramount, in her view.
Six of the eight IDC Democrats are from the city, including Jeff Klein of the Bronx, Marisol Alcantara of Manhattan, Jesse Hamilton of Brooklyn, Tony Avella of Queens and Diane Savino of Staten Island. Klein formed the group in 2011, citing dysfunction in the regular Democratic conference.
Alcantara and Hamilton, both from heavily minority and liberal districts, joined the IDC just before Trump was elected and seem to have escaped the wrath of their left-leaning constituents.
Senate Republicans have opposed policies favored by Democrats, such as abortion protections and ethics reforms. The IDC argues that it helps build support for such bills, noting that Republicans control the chamber anyway thanks to their alliance with Sen. Simcha Felder, D-Brooklyn. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., an ally of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, blamed Felder for Republican control at a Crain’s breakfast last month.
But Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams blamed the governor himself, a Democrat who is seen to benefit from the split legislature and Senate.
Sign up for the Morning Insider email and receive political news and musings every morning at 6 a.m.
More Newsletters ›
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
