NYC NOW - December 18, 2023: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: December 18, 2023

Migrants staying at tent shelter located in Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn were concerned for their safety during a powerful storm, with strong winds threatening the stability of the tents. Plus, 2024 is set for notable political events, including a unique Senate race in New Jersey. WNYC’s David Furst talks with senior reporter Nancy Solomon for the latest.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. I'm Lance Lucky. Migrants living at a tent, shelter in southeast Brooklyn say they feared for their safety as a powerful storm swept through the city overnight. Several people who spoke to WNYC say strong winds rattle the massive tents at Floyd Bennett Field, prompting fears the structures might collapse. Estefania is a migrant from Venezuela. She asks that only her middle name be used because she feels. retaliation based on her immigration status.

So, from the madrigua, we're there in the entrance, because it's not a space for a she says the site isn't a good place for kids, with bathrooms located outside the living quarters. She also says some people's personal belongings got wet from the rain dripping through the roof. The city says there was no major flooding at the site and that the tents are designed to withstand heavy winds.

Up next, we head to New Jersey. Next, we head to New Jersey to talk about the 2024 Senate race that's after the brink. 2024 is going to be a big political year, most notably for a presidential race that involves two men up there in age, not to mention the leading Republican candidate who is facing criminal charges. And New Jersey has a Senate race that's shaping up to be pretty unusual as well. My colleague David First recently sat with senior reporter Nancy Solomon, who covers New Jersey for the latest. The election for the U.S. Senate seat to represent New Jersey begins with current Senator Bob Menendez, a bunch of gold bars, and an alleged deal to help the government of Egypt. Not exactly how an incumbent senator wants to kick off a campaign.

No, definitely not. Menendez and his wife were indicted in September. federal prosecutors alleged the senator was involved in a three-way plot in which the Egyptian government gave a New Jersey man from Egypt a monopoly on halal meat exports into that country, despite having no experience in the halal meat business. Egypt got help from Menendez on an arms deal and other matters before the U.S. government. and Menendez got hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars. And this is the second time he's been indicted on bribery and corruption charges. The first case was weaker and ended in a hung jury. These are all of the charges.

At this point, he has not been found guilty of anything here. True. Menendez hasn't said whether he will run again, but already there are multiple Democrats running in the primary. Menendez did not face a serious president. primary challenge when he ran in 2018, even though his last corruption trial had just ended in a hung jury. What's different this time around? It's a huge difference this time around because what happened is he lost the party's support. And in New Jersey, that is everything. On the day of his

indictment, the chairman and they're all men, of the largest county Democratic committees, along with the governor, all decided to call for Menendez's resignation. And this is where that uniquely New Jersey thing happens. If a candidate doesn't have the endorsement of the county committees, they don't get the county line on the ballot. And there it is, right? The county line. You're talking about what voters see when they're in that voting booth. The county's chosen candidates grouped together as a block labeled as the Democrats.

With all of the other candidates running for Senate who may also happen to be Democrats, way off there to the right somewhere. looking like outliers. David, you pass the pop quiz. That was very good. That's exactly right. The rest of the country groups every candidate for a particular office together. And then voters choose from that list. In New Jersey, all the endorsed candidates are grouped together.

And being on the line and the association with the other candidates that are on the line is worth an average of 38 percentage points. That's, you know, game over. So Menendez loses the line. Are you saying that's the difference between why he wasn't challenged in the primary in 2018 and why he is now? Yeah, exactly. In 2018, Menendez had the endorsement of all the party bosses, including Governor Phil Murphy. But this time around, they pulled their support.

And that, of course, leads us to the next very New Jersey part of this story. Well, First Lady Tammy Murphy has announced. her run for the Menendezzi. Yes, and, you know, we take our name recognition in politics very seriously. In New Jersey, there's a congressional delegation, 12 members total. We have Robert Menendez, Jr., son of Bob, Donald Payne, Jr., who took the seat after his father's death, Thomas Kane, Jr., whose father was governor, and Donald Norcross, who's the brother of a powerful power broker, George Norcross, So there's that. And then there's the county line after Tammy Murphy declared her candidacy within days, the chairman of the largest Democratic counties endorsed her. So that's Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Middlesex, Camden. These counties are home to a huge number of Democratic votes. So if a candidate wins in those counties, they're very likely to win the primary in the whole state. Well, it sounds like Tammy Murphy has a significant head start, but Congressman Andy Kim is also in the race.

He comfortably won re-election in 2022. How do these two candidates compare in terms of experience and policy? Tammy Murphy has never run for office, but she has been involved in her husband's administration in a much bigger way than other first ladies ever have. She led an effort to improve maternal health, especially among women of women. color, and she worked to get a requirement that schools teach about climate change into the curriculum. She's a big fundraiser, and she's built connections around the state by showing up at events, speaking, ribbon cuttings. You know, so she's made political connections all over the state, and of course, you know, it doesn't hurt being married to the governor.

Andy Kim is a Rhodes Scholar. He worked in national security before running for Congress. He worked at the Pentagon, the National Security Council. He was a civilian advisor in Afghanistan. He's been in Congress since 2018. And he really burst onto the national scene when he was photographed cleaning up the halls of Congress late at night after the January 6th riots.

And that photo of him and his perfectly pressed blue suit went viral. And really, it's the first time people started paying attention to him in a popular way like that. And he's a progressive. He's part of that progressive wing of the Democratic Party. And Nancy, I'm asking you to compare these candidates in terms of experience and policy. But it sounds like it all comes down to getting the line. That has been the case historically. It is a very powerful tool for people. There is a movement afoot in New Jersey for reform. A lot of progressive activists have joined an alliance and they are calling on the Senate candidates. to ask the county chairs not to run a line for the Senate race and to put all the candidates together under that seat. So, you know, things can change.

We'll be watching and we'll have to see. Well, the primary is a little more than six months away. We will be hearing much more about Tammy Murphy and Andy Kim and the line in the months ahead. That's WNYC's David First in conversation with senior reporter Nancy Solomon. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WNYC. Catch us every weekday three times a day. I'm Lance Lucky.

We'll be back tomorrow.