Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz is looking to make waves outside of Western New York.

The Buffalo Democrat launched a political action committee this year to support candidates running for local offices around the country, which he believes is key to rebuilding the Democratic bench for higher offices in the future.

He joins the show to talk about his influence in local elections outside of New York, address the Mayor Pete comparisons, consider how Democrats can win in purple areas and weigh in on whether the next majority leader in the Assembly should come from upstate.

And if you enjoy Dispatches from Planet Albany, please leave us a rating and consider becoming a recurring contributor to support the podcast (because we could really use the money).

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