Saratoga County Republican operative Nick Willock joins the podcast to explain the campaign petition process, which is how candidates for elected office secure their spots on the ballot. The conversation explores the infrastructure needed to collect signatures, legal complications that can arise and Cynthia Nixon's effort to get on the Democratic primary ballot.

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Associated Press reporter David Klepper talks about the shenanigans that have dominated the narrowly divided state Senate in recent weeks. The episode explores the cause of the chaos, explains the AP's approach to covering the melodrama and examines what it all means for this fall's elections to control the chamber.

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Citizens Budget Commission Director of State Studies David Friedfel joined the podcast to talk about fuzzy budget math, future state deficits, the failing New York Mets and economic development projects.

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Dr. Don Levy, of the Siena Research Institute, talks about the new Associated Press guidelines for reporting on a poll.

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Jonathan Trichter joined the Capitol Confidential podcast to talk about his long shot bid to be the next state comptroller. Trichter, a Democrat, is pursuing the Republican nomination and believes he is the right candidate to exercise the "super powers" of the office.

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