Power & Politics

New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has been in office since 2007, and is running for reelection in 2026. For the first time in about two decades, he's potentially being challenged in a primary. Now, following last week's NYS Democratic Convention, DiNapoli is the party's nominee, with none of the challengers receiving enough of the vote to be automatically on the ballot. Therefore, Raj Goyle, Drew Warshaw and Adem Bunkeddeko will need to petition to get on the ballot. Joseph Hernandez has been chosen as the nominee for the New York GOP.

Listen to Raj Goyle's interview here.

Listen to Joseph Hernandez's interview here.

0:00 – Introduction; polarization, social media, public anxiety, and explaining the comptroller’s role.2:40 – DiNapoli’s motivation to stay, his record, ethics, and criticism of long tenure.5:35 – Medicaid audits, roughly $1B in potential savings, fraud cases, and work with DAs.10:42 – CDPAP controversy, exclusion from contract review, debate over thresholds and delays.21:10 – Audits of the Public Service Commission, climate planning shortfalls, and limits on regulating private utilities.25:01 – What the Common Retirement Fund is, size, returns, diversification, and funding level.31:24 – Palantir & ICE, guns, fossil fuels, Israel bonds, BDS, and how ethics are weighed against fiduciary duty.44:12 – State and NYC budget risks, federal cutbacks, rural and youth issues, and DiNapoli’s pitch for re‑election.
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On Tuesday, Joseph Hernandez was unanimously nominated to be the Republican representative on the ballot for New York State Comptroller in the November election.

In this discussion, Hernandez discusses his motivations, platforms and more:

-Role of Capitalism and Entrepreneurship

-Vision for the Comptroller's Office

-Economic Development and Investment Strategies

-Auditing and Fraud Prevention

-Political Independence and Investment Decisions

-Personal Background

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With the Super Bowl days away, it's estimated $1.7 billion will be wagered this year. With that in mind, CBS6 sat down with NYS Assembly's Standing Committee on Racing & Wagering Chair Carrie Woerner (D-Round Lake) on Thursday. 

"When we look at the revenue reports associated with mobile sports wagering, it is a steep slope. Every month we see more and more people playing on mobile sports wagering, or people who have been playing more frequently, the amount of money wagered in New York is going up," Woerner said.

That means more revenue for the State of New York, which broke a national record for revenue in 2025, gaining nearly $2 billion from Jan 2024-Nov 2025. 

 "That is part of the motivation in every state for legalizing different forms of wagering, and that's been true since we legalized para mutual wagering at race tracks way back when," Woerner said. "I do think that we are seeing, however, the the emergence of significant social costs associated with the intensity of sports wagering, and so I think at this point we really need to be and New York is not the only state experiencing this. Other states are as well. Thinking back to, okay, what are the guardrails that need to be in place so that we can that we can avoid the high social costs associated with gambling, that we can take it back to it's supposed to be entertainment and not how somebody thinks they're going to pay the bills and and the intensity of the wagering, we know from the hotline calls that people are are chasing that next bet because they they need to pay the rent."

Woerner says 77 bills are in Committee right now, most of which are in regards to problem gambling. 

She discussed:-"Affordability windows"-banning prop bets/unders-parlays-advertising bans (SAFE Bet Act) -Polymarket/Kalshi-NYRA's CAW move -Gaming Commission's Role
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Raj Goyle, a Democratic candidate for New York State Comptroller, joined Power & Politics this week. His candidacy, along with fellow Democratic candidates Drew Warshaw and Adem Bunkeddeko have all announced campaigns, the first primary challenges against incumbent Tom DiNapoli in two decades.

Goyle says he wants to leverage more power out of the Comptroller's office, hoping to counter Trump Administration policies and threats.

The DiNapoli campaign responded to Goyle's interview, you can read those responses here
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Prior to his role with Albany Law School, Wildes managed several State Agencies, (Office of Mental Health, the Office of Addiction Services and Supports, the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, and the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs). He also played a major role in implementing the Governor's $1 billion investment into New York State's mental health system.

He also addressed:Affordability and Policy in the BudgetAdvocacy and Mental Health FundingImpact of Involuntary Commitment LawsHousing and Homelessness InitiativesSubstance Abuse and Overdose PreventionOverdose Prevention Centers and PsilocybinDaniel's Law and Law Enforcement Training
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