Podcast Summary: Max Politics — Kathryn Garcia Sees A Path To Victory
Date: June 24, 2021
Host: Ben Max
Guest: Kathryn Garcia, Democratic candidate for New York City Mayor
Episode Overview
This episode features Ben Max interviewing Kathryn Garcia, following the initial vote count in the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Garcia discusses her feelings post-primary, her campaign strategy, ranked choice voting, coalition-building, key endorsements, and reflections on the race thus far. She maintains confidence in her campaign’s pathway to victory, emphasizing the role of absentee ballots and second/third choice votes under the ranked choice system.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Post-Primary Optimism and Absentee Ballots
- Garcia is optimistic about her standing, citing a large number of absentee ballots still to be counted, particularly from districts where she performed well.
- Quote: “There's a tremendous number of absentee votes out there... they're coming from districts that I was really strong with.” (00:58)
- Analysis from her campaign suggests that absentee ballots could significantly narrow the gap with Eric Adams and Maya Wiley.
2. Ranked Choice Voting Strategy
- Garcia highlights her high favorability, suggesting she's well-positioned to pick up many second and third-choice votes, especially from candidates likely to be eliminated in early rounds.
- Quote: “My favorables were higher than anyone else's. And favorables in a ranked choice situation are incredibly helpful. Means that I was popular among everybody. I get everybody seconds. And that means that we are on the pathway to victory.” (01:59)
- She anticipates substantial support from voters whose first choice was Andrew Yang, Scott Stringer, Ray Maguire, or Sean Donovan, citing positive relationships and overlapping constituencies.
3. Geographic and Demographic Strongholds
- Garcia did well in brownstone Brooklyn (her home base), parts of Manhattan, Riverdale in the Bronx, Staten Island, and parts of Queens and southern Brooklyn (04:07–05:13).
- She attributes success in these areas to her focus on practical city issues—schools, small business, safety, and cleanliness—and strong recognition among civil servants.
- Quote: “They know me, they know what I can do, and they trust me to run the government.” (05:13)
4. Coalition Building, Union Support, and Endorsements
- Received endorsements from some unions but sensed membership support went beyond formal endorsements.
- Teamsters and teachers (UFT) were especially strong for her, as well as city workers familiar with her work during COVID (food program, etc.).
- Major endorsements such as The New York Times and Daily News greatly boosted campaign visibility.
- Quote (on NYT endorsement): “One of my teammates gets a text... she just turns and shows me the COVID [headline/notification]. And I was like, are we still doing debate prep?” (14:35)
5. Navigating Diversity and Ranked Choice Politics
- Garcia acknowledges performing best in whiter neighborhoods, while Adams and Wiley excelled in communities of color. She expects to do better across all demographics with second/third-choice votes.
- On working with other candidates in ranked choice alliances: she was open to it with Maya Wiley but only partnered with Andrew Yang.
- Quote: “We were very open to working with whoever wanted to work with us... That's what Ranked Choice was about, that you could run really positive campaign messages.” (08:42)
6. Campaign Tone and Staying Above the Fray
- Emphasizes authenticity and affirmative campaigning, resisting negative tactics.
- Quote: “I am not. I don't want to have a fight... I will be a mama bear if I need to be, but just to do it for political purposes, to do a hit job that I don't like. And it's also, I don't think it's what the voters like.” (10:44)
- Reports little backlash from alliance with Yang and sees benefit in higher turnout and positivity.
7. Progressive Criticism and Charter Schools
- Responds to claims she is less progressive by highlighting her work on environmental justice, commercial waste zones, and waste equity.
- Quote: “I'm actually doing the work. I'm not hashtagging the work.” (18:19)
- Defends charter school support by focusing on student needs and practical outcomes, aiming to improve all public schools with better resources and programs (20:34–21:43).
8. Lessons, Surprises & Resource Limitations
- Surprised by the degree of political favor-trading and interest group questionnaires.
- Notes the steep learning curve of fundraising and being drastically outspent by Adams, but credits the campaign finance board’s matching system for her viability.
- Quote: “I'm not rich. I don't have money and neither does my dad... And I don't apparently have any rich friends. So we ran tight.” (24:11)
- Wishes she could have transitioned sooner to more in-person campaigning, citing COVID-19 concerns as a barrier to voter interaction (16:40).
9. Campaign Management & Personal Involvement
- Garcia delegated campaign management tasks but remained hands-on with message strategy and fundraising.
- Quote: “My job was very specific as a candidate and I was responsible for getting the message out there, being in touch with the strategy and doing the fundraising.” (25:02)
10. Future Plans and Political Involvement
- Declines to endorse a rival; focuses on seeing the race through and is non-committal about future political ambitions until the final results are known (26:17–26:45).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On optimism post-primary:
“There's a tremendous number of absentee votes out there... they're coming from districts that I was really strong with.” (00:58) -
Ranked choice voting advantage:
“Favorables in a ranked choice situation are incredibly helpful. Means that I was popular among everybody. I get everybody seconds.” (01:59) -
Staying positive in campaigning:
“I don't want to have a fight... I will be a mama bear if I need to be, but just to do it for political purposes, to do a hit job that I don't like.” (10:44) -
Endorsement surprise:
“One of my teammates gets a text... she just turns and shows me the COVID... And I was like, are we still doing debate prep?” (14:35) -
On being classified as moderate:
“I'm actually doing the work. I'm not hashtagging the work.” (18:19) -
COVID’s campaign impact:
“I felt much more comfortable once I could be talking to voters, and I felt zoom ended up being a real barrier.” (16:40) -
Resource limits:
“I'm not rich. I don't have money and neither does my dad... And I don't apparently have any rich friends. So we ran tight.” (24:11)
Key Timestamps for Important Segments
- Optimism about absentee ballots: 00:58–01:20
- Ranked choice voting strategy: 01:59–02:53
- Geographic strongholds: 04:07–05:13
- Union support and endorsements: 05:40–06:38, 14:35
- Discussion of charter schools and public education: 20:05–21:43
- Progressive criticism response: 18:18–19:57
- Campaign reflection and COVID barriers: 16:33–16:40
- Resource disparities: 23:56–24:39
- Campaign management approach: 24:39–25:40
Conclusion
This episode offers a comprehensive look at how Kathryn Garcia assesses her campaign's position in the wake of in-person voting, her strategic approach to ranked choice voting, outreach across diverse communities, and the campaign's operational obstacles and successes. Garcia stays optimistic, focused on practical governance, and true to her campaign’s positive tone, emphasizing both the challenges and opportunities offered by New York City’s evolving political landscape.