See endorsement list, elected official lookup and polling place locator tools below media release. (Updated to reflect endorsements made at the 9/24 Board Meeting)
ALBANY, N.Y. August 12, 2010 — New York State United Teachers today said it is taking no position at this time in the governor’s race and would revisit whether to issue a gubernatorial endorsement at a later date.
The 600,000-member union also deferred making an endorsement in the attorney general’s race until later, and withdrew its longstanding support for a number of incumbent state senators and Assembly members, saying they have abandoned their long-time commitment to supporting public education and protecting the rights and benefits earned by public sector workers.
NYSUT President Richard C. Iannuzzi said the union’s political action committees and Board of Directors decided to wait and gather more detailed information regarding the gubernatorial candidates’ platforms and priorities for the state’s public schools, community colleges and higher education institutions.
“Andrew Cuomo has historically been a supporter of education funding and organized labor while advancing a strong social justice agenda,” Iannuzzi said. “Lately, his positions on property tax caps and statements about public employees have raised a lot of concerns among NYSUT members. We want to hear more and learn more before deciding whether to take a position in the governor’s race.”
“Some in the Legislature have — through their votes, public statements or failure to stand up and defend long-held positions they know to be correct — have not earned NYSUT’s continued endorsement or, at least, have not earned that endorsement at this time,” he added. “Still, we are pleased to be throwing our support behind many, from both parties, who clearly understand the importance of investing in our public schools and colleges and maintaining a strong middle class of public sector workers.”
NYSUT enthusiastically endorsed U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, members of Congress and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who Iannuzzi called a “dedicated and experienced public servant who has expertly managed the state’s pension funds during tumultuous economic times, while clearly demonstrating an understanding of the concerns facing retirees and all New Yorkers.” The list of all NYSUT-endorsed candidates is attached.
NYSUT Executive Vice President Andrew Pallotta said that this year, in response to unprecedented attacks on public employees and their unions, NYSUT recalibrated its endorsement rubric to consider not only candidates’ voting records, but their advocacy – or lack of advocacy – on those issues important to NYSUT members.
In the state Senate, for example, Pallotta said the union considered lawmakers’ statements on a number of issues, and votes on one-house bills that would have lifted the charter school cap without needed reforms, as well as a vote on a destructive property tax cap.
“Senators cannot hide behind the explanation that a wrong vote was on a ‘one-house bill’ and is therefore acceptable. It isn’t.” Pallotta said. “Those who choose political expediency over New York’s children and public schools – to favor charter schools without the necessary reforms or gimmicks that offer only the illusion of tax relief over a real reduction in property taxes for over-burdened homeowners — start out with two strikes against them.”
Pallotta said candidates for state and federal office covet a NYSUT endorsement. Not only does NYSUT make financial contributions from voluntary donations to help candidates defray the cost of campaigns, Pallotta said the union’s extensive phone bank operation — staffed by volunteer political activists — will make hundreds of thousands of calls between now and Election Day. NYSUT volunteers will also hand out campaign literature, attend rallies and lead a get-out-the-vote effort at the grassroots level, he added.
“In addition to financial support, NYSUT’s endorsement translates into thousands of volunteers out on the street,” he said. “NYSUT’s endorsement translates into support from the largest union phone-bank operation in the state. Our members work for – and vote for – candidates who support the issues they care about: quality public schools, colleges and hospitals and public pronouncements of respect for the hard work they do each day.”
NYSUT, the state’s largest union, represents some 600,000 classroom teachers and other school employees; faculty and other professionals at the state’s community colleges, State University of New York and City University of New York, and other education and health professionals. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO.
This portion of the web site is paid for by Voice of Teachers for Education - Committee on Political Education (VOTE/COPE), with voluntary contributions from union members and their families, and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Unsure of your district or current elected officials? Use the "Who are my elected officials?" tool.
Where is my polling place? Use the Voter Registration Search tool.
The following endorsement list reflects action taken at the September meeting of the NYSUT Board of Directors. The board withheld a NYSUT endorsement in the race for governor and lieutenant governor, as well as several seats in Congress, the state Assembly and Senate.
Key:
D - Democrat
R - Republican
I - Independence
L - Liberal
C - Conservative
WF - Working Families
G - Green
Governor
No Endorsement at this time
Lt. Governor
No Endorsement at this time
Comptroller
Thomas DiNapoli (D/WF)
Attorney General
Eric Schneiderman (D/I/WF) (Endorsement made at the 9/24 Board Meeting)
United States Senate
Party Name
D/I/WF Charles Schumer
D/I/WF Kirsten Gillibrand
House of Representatives |
C.D. | Party | Name | |
1 | D/I/WF | Tim Bishop |
2 | D/I/WF | Steve Israel |
4 | D/WF | Carolyn McCarthy |
5 | D/I/WF | Gary Ackerman |
6 | D | Gregory Meeks |
7 | D/WF | Joseph Crowley |
8 | D/WF | Jerrold Nadler |
9 | D/I/WF | Anthony Weiner |
10 | D | Edolphus Towns |
11 | D/WF | Yvette Clarke |
12 | D/WF | Nydia Velazquez |
13 | D/I | Mike McMahon |
14 | D/WF | Carolyn Maloney |
15 | D/WF | Charles Rangel |
16 | D/WF | Jose E. Serrano |
17 | D/WF | Eliot Engel |
18 | D/I/WF | Nita Lowey |
19 | D/WF | John Hall | |
20 | D/I/WF | Scott Murphy |
21 | D/I/WF | Paul Tonko |
22 | D/I/WF | Maurice Hinchey |
23 | D/WF | Bill Owens |
24 | D | Michael Arcuri |
25 | D/WF | Dan Maffei |
27 | D/WF | Brian Higgins |
28 | D/I/WF | Louise Slaughter |
29 | D/WF | Matt Zeller (Endorsement made at the 9/24 Board Meeting) |
| | | |
New York State Senate |
| | | |
S.D. | Party | Name | |
1 | R/I/C | Kenneth LaValle |
5 | R/I/C | Carl Marcellino (Endorsement made at the 9/24 Board Meeting) |
10 | D/WF | Shirley Huntley |
11 | D/WF | Tony Avella (Endorsement made at the 9/24 Board Meeting) |
12 | D/WF | Michael Gianaris |
13 | D/WF | Jose Peralta |
15 | D/I | Joseph Addabbo |
16 | D/I/WF | Toby Ann Stavisky |
17 | D | Martin Malave Dilan |
18 | D/WF | Velmanette Montgomery |
19 | D/I/WF | John Sampson |
20 | D/WF | Eric Adams |
21 | D/WF | Kevin Parker |
23 | D/I/WF | Diane Savino |
24 | R/I/C | Andrew Lanza |
25 | D/WF | Daniel Squadron |
26 | D/WF | Liz Krueger |
28 | D/WF | Jose M. Serrano |
29 | D/WF | Thomas Duane |
30 | D/WF | Bill Perkins |
31 | D/WF | Adriano Espaillat |
33 | D/WF | Gustavo Rivera |
35 | D/I/WF | Andrea Stewart-Cousins |
36 | D/WF | Ruth Hassell-Thompson |
37 | D/WF | Suzi Oppenheimer |
38 | D/WF | David Carlucci (Endorsement made at the 9/24 Board Meeting) |
40 | D/I | Mike Kaplowitz |
43 | R/I/C | Roy McDonald |
46 | D/I/WF | Neil Breslin |
52 | R/I/C | Thomas Libous |
55 | R/I/C | James Alesi |
56 | R/I/C | Joseph Robach |
58 | D/C | Timothy Kennedy |
60 | D/WF | Antoine Thompson |
62 | R/I/C/WF | George Maziarz (Endorsement made at the 9/24 Board Meeting) |
| | | |
New York State Assembly |
A.D. | Party | Name | |
1 | D/I/WF | Marc Alessi |
2 | D/I/WF | Fred Thiele Jr. |
3 | D/I/WF | Rob Calarco |
4 | D/I/WF | Steven Englebright |
5 | D | Ken Mangan |
6 | D/I/WF | Philip Ramos |
8 | R/I/C | Philip Boyle |
9 | R/I/C | Andrew Raia |
11 | D/I/WF | Robert Sweeney |
12 | R/I/C/WF | Joseph Saladino |
13 | D/I/WF | Charles Lavine |
16 | D/I/WF | Michelle Schimel |
17 | R/I/C | Tom McKevitt |
18 | D/I | Earlene Hooper |
19 | R/I/C | David McDonough |
20 | D/I/WF | Harvey Weisenberg |
22 | D/WF | Grace Meng |
23 | D/I/WF | Audrey Pheffer |
24 | D/WF | David Weprin |
25 | D/WF | Rory Lancman |
26 | D/I | Ed Braunstein |
27 | D/I | Nettie Mayersohn |
28 | D/WF | Andrew Hevesi |
29 | D/WF | William Scarborough |
30 | D | Margaret Markey |
31 | D/WF | Michele Titus |
32 | D | Vivian Cook |
34 | D/WF | Michael DenDekker |
35 | D/WF | Jeffrion Aubry |
36 | D/WF | Aravella Simotas |
37 | D/WF | Catherine Nolan |
38 | D/I/C/WF | Michael Miller |
39 | D/WF | Francisco Moya |
40 | D | Inez Barron |
41 | D/WF | Helene Weinstein |
42 | D | Rhoda Jacobs |
43 | D/WF | Karim Camara |
44 | D | James Brennan |
45 | D/WF | Steven Cymbrowitz |
46 | D/I/WF | Alec Brook-Krasny |
47 | D/WF | William Colton |
49 | D/I/WF | Peter Abbate |
50 | D | Joseph Lentol |
51 | D/WF | Felix Ortiz |
52 | D/WF | Joan Millman |
54 | D/WF | Darryl Towns |
55 | D/WF | William Boyland, Jr. |
56 | D | Annette Robinson |
57 | D/WF | Hakeem Jeffries |
58 | D/WF | Nick Perry |
59 | D | Alan Maisel |
60 | D/I/WF | Janele Hyer-Spencer |
61 | D/I/WF | Matthew Titone |
62 | R/I/C | Louis Tobacco |
63 | D/I/C/WF | Michael Cusick |
64 | D/WF | Sheldon Silver |
65 | D/WF | Micah Kellner |
66 | D/WF | Deborah Glick |
67 | D/WF | Linda Rosenthal |
69 | D | Daniel O’Donnell |
70 | D/WF | Keith Wright |
71 | D | Herman Farrell Jr. |
72 | D/WF | Guillermo Linares |
74 | D/WF | Brian Kavanagh |
75 | D/WF | Richard Gottfried |
76 | D/WF | Peter Rivera |
77 | D/WF | Vanessa Gibson |
78 | D/WF | Jose Rivera |
79 | D/WF | Eric Stevenson |
80 | D/WF | Naomi Rivera |
81 | D/WF | Jeffrey Dinowitz |
82 | D/WF | Michael Benedetto |
83 | D/WF | Carl Heastie |
85 | D | Marcus Crespo |
86 | D | Nelson Castro (Endorsement made at the 9/24 Board Meeting) |
87 | D/WF | Gary Pretlow |
88 | D/I/WF | Amy Paulin |
91 | D/I/WF | George Latimer |
92 | D/I | Thomas Abinanti |
93 | D/C/WF | Mike Spano |
94 | D/I | Kenneth Zebrowski |
95 | D/I/WF | Ellen Jaffee |
97 | R/I/C | Ann Rabbitt |
98 | D/C | Aileen Gunther |
99 | D/WF | Brendan Tully |
101 | D/WF | Kevin Cahill |
103 | R/I/C | Marcus Molinaro |
104 | D/I/WF | John McEneny |
106 | D/I/WF | Ronald Canestrari |
107 | R | Clifford Crouch |
108 | D/I/WF | Tim Gordon |
109 | D/I/WF | Robert Reilly |
110 | R/I/C | James Tedisco |
111 | D | Bill Magee |
113 | R/I | Teresa Sayward |
114 | R/I | Janet Duprey |
116 | D/WF | RoAnn Destito |
117 | R/I/C | Marc Butler |
118 | D/WF | Addie Russell |
120 | D/WF | William Magnarelli |
121 | D/WF | Albert Stirpe |
124 | R/I/C | Will Barclay |
125 | D/WF | Barbara Lifton |
126 | D/WF | Donna Lupardo |
129 | R/I/C | Brian Kolb |
135 | D/I/WF | David Koon |
137 | D | James E. Hare |
138 | WF | Francine DelMonte |
140 | D/I/C | Robin Schimminger |
141 | D/WF | Crystal Peoples |
143 | D/I/C/WF | Dennis Gabryszak |
144 | C | Joseph Golombek |
148 | R/I/C | James Hayes |
149 | R/I/C | Joseph Giglio |