Max Politics

State Senator Julia Salazar, a Brooklyn Democrat and democratic socialist, joined the show to discuss the growth of NYC DSA, how democratic socialists work outside and within the Democratic Party, the NY-7 congressional race where she had allies on both sides of the primary, and more. (Ep 599)

Brad Lander joined the show to discuss his win in the Democratic primary for New York's 10th Congressional District (Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn), where he defeated Rep. Dan Goldman, Democratic Party unity, political trends in New York and nationally, and some of the substantive issues he wants to focus on in Congress. (Ep 598)

Jay Jacobs, chair of the New York State Democratic Party, joined the show to discuss the results of the 2026 state and congressional primaries, preview the general election, assess Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani, and examine Democratic Party division, unity, and policy. (Ep 597)

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams joined the show to discuss the results of the 2026 federal and state primary elections in New York City, the continued rise of Zohran Mamdani and the DSA, the future of the Democratic Party, and more. (Ep 596)

Three journalists from City & State New York joined the show to discuss New York state legislative primaries to watch in the June 2026 elections. Jeff Coltin, Rebecca Lewis, and Holly Pretsky spoke with host Ben Max about a variety of interesting and competitive Democratic primaries for the State Senate and Assembly, broader themes of these primary elections like Mayor Mamdani's endorsements, and more. (Ep 595)

The co-chairs of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America (NYC DSA), Grace Mausser and Gustavio Gordillo, joined the show to discuss the 2026 primary elections, NYC DSA's priority races and electoral strategy, Mayor Mamdani's endorsements, and more. (Ep 594)

Raj Goyle, a candidate in the June 2026 Democratic primary for New York State Comptroller, joined the show to discuss his campaign platform, why he believes Comptroller Tom DiNapoli should be replaced as the state's chief fiscal officer, his views on a variety of policy and budget matters, and more. (Ep 593)

Michael Lange - a writer, strategist, and organizer - returned to the show to discuss the major New York City-based congressional primaries to watch in the June 2026 elections, just ahead of the start of early voting (June 13-21) and primary day (June 23). Lange, who writes The Narrative Wars on substack, and host Ben Max discussed Mayor Mamdani's endorsements, DSA's growing electoral efforts, and other interesting themes of the primaries, as well as specifics in the Democratic races in New York's 13th, 7th, 10th, and 12th House districts. They also touched on the State Comptroller primary, and more. (Ep 592)

Host Ben Max is joined by FAQ NYC podcast co-hosts Harry Siegel and Christina Greer to break down the Knicks' historic comeback win in game 4 of the NBA Finals and 3-1 series lead, putting the team and city one win away from the Knicks' first championship since 1973. (Ep 591)

New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli joined the show to discuss his case for reelection, first to be the Democratic nominee via the primary that is taking place in June 2026, where he is facing challenges from Drew Warshaw and Raj Goyle. DiNapoli, who has been Comptroller since 2007, is seeking another four-year term as the state's chief fiscal officer, and discussed his record in office, response to the criticism from his challengers, positions on policy and budget matters, and more. (EPp 590)