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Good morning from New York City, where today marks a bleak anniversary.
On the morning of July 13, 1863, an unruly mob attacked the Ninth District Draft Office, causing a fire that would destroy an entire city block before turning their ire on the City’s African American community. The initial enthusiasm of the Civil War had faded by 1863; recruiting struggled, and a draft was instituted. The draft took effect on July 11. Enraged that the wealthy could buy their way out of service with three hundred dollars (more than a year’s wages for most Americans), the rioters ransacked and burned the mansions of the wealthy along Fifth Avenue.
The mob terrorized African Americans across the city, beating and murdering the innocent, destroying property; the official death toll was 119, though most historians think many more were killed.
In one of the most horrendous acts of violence, the mob set the Colored Orphan Asylum on fire and prevented firefighters from reaching the blaze. Over two hundred children were inside. Miraculously, the children were all rescued. |  |
The War had exposed deep fault lines and racial tension, especially between poor and immigrant whites, fearful of losing their jobs to African Americans if slavery were to be abolished. The draft brought all of that out, providing a spark that ignited the largest civil uprising in our nation’s history.
 Photograph by Granger | The violence, looting, burning of homes and businesses, attacks on police as well as countless African Americans, would not be put down until the arrival of Union troops on July 16th . |
The soldiers arrived from Gettysburg, only ten days after the magnificent Union victory.
As we contemplate how far America still has to go, it is worth remembering how far we have come, as well as those who paid the price along the way.
As Thomas Jefferson once said, “Can we get back to politics now?”
Let’s start with another big win for New York Attorney General Letitia James: a federal judge denied a bid by Kalshi, one of the largest prediction market platforms, to prevent New York from enforcing state gambling laws against the platform.
Kalshi argued, unsuccessfully, that its platform offers “event contracts” and should be regulated by the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) rather than subject to state gambling laws. In her order, U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres wrote, “There is nothing preventing Kalshi from obtaining a license pursuant to New York law and establishing a category of New York market participants that does not discriminate within that New York-resident category.” Torres also noted that New York’s interest in preserving the integrity of sports, preventing gambling addiction, and protecting against the proliferation of unregulated event contracts “heavily” outweighs Kalshi’s interest in ensuring the primacy of federal law.
In a joint statement, James and Governor Kathy Hochul wrote, “New York’s gambling laws are designed to protect consumers. Kalshi tried to ignore them. Yesterday, they lost in court. We will continue to hold all gambling platforms accountable to the law—and that includes prediction markets.” Kalshi still has legal remedies, and, frankly, the larger issues here will not be resolved until and unless the United States Supreme Court takes up the issue; in the meantime, another win for Tish.
In New York City, elected officials are one step closer to receiving an 18.2% pay increase following a hearing by the City Council’s Committee on Governmental Operations, which featured speakers largely in support of the pay hike. The proposed legislation stemmed from a recommendation by the three-person Quadrennial Advisory Commission, which noted that city lawmakers have not received a pay increase since 2016, falling well behind the rate of inflation. The legislation would also establish a process to automatically increase salaries going forward to avoid another 10-year gap and keep pace with the cost of living.
What do you think? Who should determine pay increases for elected officials? Have your say in our poll below!
Keenly aware of the optics of lawmakers giving themselves a raise while many New Yorkers are struggling financially, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Council Speaker Julie Menin made the politically adroit decision to announce that they would not accept a pay raise. As Mayor, Mamdani currently earns $258,750 while Menin pulls in $164,500 as Speaker. Whether that insulates them from voter ire remains to be seen. Reinvent Albany, a good-government watchdog group, did not take issue with the pay raises, but spoke out against future automatic raises, arguing that they would render the Quadrennial Advisory Commission moot. Reinvent’s Senior Policy Advisor, Rachael Fauss offered, “The provision would effectively eliminate all public input regarding elected official salaries if a Quadrennial Advisory Commission is not formed.”
Nassau County Executive and GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman made news last week by touting a poll showing him trailing Hochul by a mere 6 points. The poll, conducted by the firm co/efficient for the right-leaning Coalition to Protect Nassau Taxpayers, shows Hochul leading 47% to 41% among likely General Election voters, with 12% undecided. In a statement, Blakeman offered, “Cruella de Vil is more likable than Kathy Hochul and her high taxes, high electric bills, and soaring health care costs.”
While polling is an inexact science, more reputable, nonpartisan polling, including from the Siena Research Institute, had Hochul’s lead at 20 points less than a month ago. It should be noted, however, that co/efficient accurately predicted the margin in the 2022 gubernatorial race between Hochul and Lee Zeldin, releasing a poll in September 2022 that showed Zeldin trailing by 6 points, which was the eventual final margin. Hochul was dismissive of Blakeman’s purported rise in the polling and even suggested that Rep. Elise Stefanik would have been a tougher opponent. When asked at a press event, Hochul said, “Probably. I mean, Bruce is, you know, Bruce. She could raise a lot of money because of her national following; it would have been a different race. Our polling shows us beating her as well.” The next campaign finance filings are due later this month, and while Hochul has maintained a strong fundraising advantage, the New York GOP hopes that outside spending (i.e., Independent Expenditures) and public matching funds will help close the gap. Nonetheless, this remains Hochul’s race to lose.
OD&A’s End-of-Session Bill Summary highlights the key legislation that crossed the finish line and the issues likely to shape the months ahead. Check it out here, and if you have questions or would like to discuss what it means for your organization, let’s chat! |  |
In Washington, D.C., national Democrats are scrambling to save their chances at flipping a Senate seat in Maine after the Democratic nominee, Graham Platner, dropped out of the race following credible allegations of past sexual assault. Since his decision to drop out, Platner’s team has reportedly been trying to influence who his replacement will be, leading the Maine Democratic Party Executive Director, Devon Murphy-Anderson, to release a video where she said, in part, “they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like.” State law permits the Maine Democratic Party to nominate a candidate to replace Platner on the ballot before July 27th, and state officials announced their tentative plans to convene a nominating convention to pick his successor. It is a high-stakes decision as Maine is one of only a handful of possible pickups for Democrats this cycle as they look to regain control of the Senate.
Many of Platner’s supporters have coalesced around Troy Jackson, a veteran state lawmaker who supported Platner’s campaign before calling on him to drop out. Jackson, a logger by trade, has strong ties to organized labor and has already secured the support of Our Revolution, a progressive electoral organization founded by Senator Bernie Sanders. Dan Kleban, the 49-year-old founder of Maine Beer Company, threw his hat back in the ring after dropping out of the primary earlier this year and lending his support to Governor Janet Mills’ failed campaign. Nirav Shah, a former public health official who led the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, entered the race late last week. Shah parlayed his public health experience into a run for governor earlier this year, where he was beaten in the final round of ranked-choice voting. Other declared candidates include Jordan Wood, a former Senate candidate who switched to run for the state’s 2nd District after Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) decided he wouldn’t attempt reelection, and Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who unsuccessfully challenged Susan Collins in 2014.
Of course, this all started as a fight between the Democratic Establishment and the Progressive left over the direction of the party and over what type of candidate has the best chance of unseating an entrenched incumbent. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, sticking to his tried-and-true strategy of nominating experienced candidates who have run for statewide office before, lined up behind Maine Governor Janet Mills. In addition to high name recognition for candidates who have run statewide in the past, campaigns for governor are high-profile enough that any meaningful opposition research has already been dumped by past opponents, preventing the type of episode that sank Platner. While clearly right about the vetting, Platner’s enthusiastic followers swamped Mills' establishment support in the primary. Finding a way to blend those is the current test for Democrats.
However, that divide between the Establishment wing and the Progressive left on the campaign trail foreshadows potential internal challenges if Democrats win majorities. Newly elected Democratic Socialists, such as Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in New York, as well as Melat Kiros in Colorado, have been blunt with their disdain for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries; they have begun gaming out what concessions they can extract from Jeffries in exchange for their votes to make him Speaker if Dems win the House. More mainstream Democrats have been quick to point out the limits of the DSA’s electoral strength nationwide, arguing these elections are geographically isolated movements and not indicative of a broader political realignment. Stay tuned to see whether November will be the high-water mark for the DSA or whether they will continue to grow their influence in traditional Democratic circles heading into 2028.
President Donald Trump continues to pressure Congress to pass his partisan elections bill, the SAVE America Act, even employing his most loyal allies to block other GOP priorities until Congress acts. The bill has always been well shy of the 60 votes needed to pass, and most Republican Senators have rejected the idea of killing the filibuster to lower the threshold to 50 votes. Even if one of those two scenarios occurred, Senate leadership indicated there is not enough time to implement the bill’s expansive provisions before the midterm elections. Sen. James Lankford, a member of the GOP leadership team, offered, “It’s too soon to be able to get anything implemented, but it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done,” pointing to the inevitable litany of lawsuits that would follow and bog down implementation.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is seeking an off-ramp in the form of a third budget reconciliation bill that would include parts of the SAVE Act, as well as $4 billion in incentives for states that implement voter ID, though it is unclear whether that provision would comply with the Senate’s strict reconciliation rules. Senate Republicans have thrown cold water on the idea of another reconciliation bill, highlighting the laundry list of items that Congress must pass before Fall Recess. When asked about the time crunch, Lankford said, “We’ve got farm bill, transportation bill. We’ve got, obviously, appropriations that we’ve got to get done in some form. In all likelihood, that’s a CR into the fall, but we’ve got to get all those things also there. Reconciliation takes us about a month… And so whatever the House gets through, it’s about a month for us to be able to figure out how we can go through the process to be able to get there. So it’s counting days at this point.”
Finally, politics is strange and sometimes, well, stranger. Facing loud ethical questions, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage made a bold gamble to change the narrative, resigning his seat and going to the voters in Clacton-on-Sea. |
Labor, in the midst of their own internal turmoil, and the Conservatives declined to take the bait, leaving them to take on Count Binface! The Count is running on a platform that includes abolishing the House of Lords, banning the eating of noisy snacks in cinemas, and scrapping VAR in football. Read more here, or better yet, watch the video!
As it says, what a British race!
 | OD&A’s VP of Public Affairs, Ralph R. Ortega goes ‘On the Record’ with more insight, as we mark America’s 250th anniversary. This week he highlights a series of public events that will shine a spotlight on New York City's lasting influence on American history, culture, and identity. |
 | 🎙️Governor’s race polls & strategy 🎙️Does NY’s regulation reset go far enough? 🎙️NYC Council’s pay raise debate |
Go beyond the resumes and titles and get to know the people behind the work at O'Donnell & Associates with our Meet the Team podcast series. Listen as we go ‘From the Lobby’ with candid conversations on politics, government, and life beyond the office. Catch every episode on our employee bio pages here!
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Welcome to Summer Vibes! ☀️
Throughout the summer, we'll be asking the O'Donnell & Associates team about their favorite reads, must-watch shows, go-to summer foods, vacation plans, and more. Follow along for a little seasonal inspiration and a fun look at how our hardworking staff makes the most of summer, too!
Summer has always been a favorite time of year for our family. Thomas has been busy playing soccer, while Elsie is loving camp: sailing, horseback riding, and theater. She was born for the stage! The World Cup has also been a big part of our summer, especially since my wife Marina is Brazilian, so we've had plenty to cheer about. We'll round out the season with some time on Martha's Vineyard, one of our favorite August traditions.
Summer also gives me a chance to catch up on reading. I just finished The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy, which I found fascinating and compelling.
In honor of America's 250th, I'm now rereading Ron Chernow's George Washington: A Life. For too long, I think Washington has been portrayed as a one-dimensional figure, but Chernow brings him to life and shows why so many Americans revered him—and the extraordinary impact he had on the country we know today. |  |
Next on my reading list are Margaret Beaufort: Survivor, Rebel, Kingmaker and Four Shots in the Night: A True Story of Spies, Murder, and Justice in Northern Ireland.
Jack is the Founder & Managing Partner of OD&A. Learn more about him here!
Who should determine pay increases for elected officials? |
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July 13, 1960: Senator John F. Kennedy secured the presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Two days later, he delivered his famous acceptance speech at the Memorial Coliseum, outlining his "New Frontier" program. Watch here. |
 | NYC’s Best BurgersIf you're craving a great burger, this list of 19 spots showcases what makes New York City's food scene so special—diverse, authentic, and packed with unforgettable bites. |
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