New Yorkers head to the polls on Tuesday to choose party nominees for Congressional races, and voters on both sides could ultimately have a big impact on which party wins control of the House in November.
On the Democratic side, there's been a debate between moderate and progressive Democrats about the best ideas to win back voters. And an issue central to that debate is "Medicare for All."
"National Democrats, like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, think the cost will scare off moderate and Republican voters," said WNYC's Washington correspondent, John O'Connor. "Schumer was reluctant to talk about it in the past, but these candidates are taking it head-on."
Other priorities for left-wing challengers: federal job or income guarantees, and abolishing the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In New York City, party leaders like Congressman Joe Crowley of Queens — who could one day be Speaker of the House — is facing primary challenges. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has drawn national attention and endorsements in her challenge to Crowley. Manhattan’s Carolyn Maloney and Eliot Engel in the Bronx and Westchester County are also facing challenges from the left.
Though many of these challengers have raised significant amounts of money, knocking off an incumbent is still a monumental task — Congressional incumbents win more than 95 percent of the time most years.
Democrats in swing districts, meanwhile, are putting less emphasis on issues like guaranteed jobs, and more emphasis on picking a candidate that can unseat a Republican in the fall. National Democrats are targeting four New York races as they try to flip at least 23 seats to reclaim the House. If Democrats can’t win back a few New York seats, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to capture a majority in the chamber.
In New York's 19th District, in the Hudson River Valley, there are seven Democrats running to challenge Republican incumbent John Faso this fall.
"I spoke with a lot of undecided voters, and almost all of them said that they weren’t worried about the candidate's positions on issues," O'Connor said. "They didn’t feel like they had to compromise on their values with most of the seven candidates."
And then, there are the Republicans. In the 11th Congressional District, which includes Staten Island and a slice of South Brooklyn, incumbent Dan Donovan is being challenged from the right by his predecessor, Michael Grimm.
"Unlike the rest of the city where voters have a real problem with President Trump, this Republican primary has been all which candidate is most like Trump," O'Connor said. "Donovan got an endorsement from the president, but Grimm argues he’ll be the better ally in the House. He points out that Donovan voted against several bills the president supported, including the tax cut, Obamacare repeal, and a bill penalizing so-called sanctuary cities for immigrants."
Though Grimm spent time in prison after pleading guilty to federal tax fraud charges, recent polls show Grimm leading Donovan, and voters appear willing to give him a second chance.
"Two House Republicans have lost primaries so far this year, and this is a real chance to be the third," O'Connor said.
O'Connor spoke with WNYC's Richard Hake.