On the tarmac at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse on Thursday stood a lot of powerful political leaders at a time with a lot of political power at stake.
President Joe Biden touched down in Air Force 1 and was greeted by, among others, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer.
One is facing a seemingly more competitive than usual bid for a full term as governor, one is running for a fifth term while simultaneously fighting to maintain the job as Senate majority leader and one is doing what he can to preserve a Congress that can pass his presidential agenda.
Biden visited Central New York to tout Micron Technology’s $100 billion, two-decade investment as the company plans to build a major memory chip manufacturing facility in the region. But with less than two weeks before the midterm elections, the politics of the moment could not be ignored, and the president used the visit as sort of closing argument for Democrats’ economic message while tearing into the Republicans’ economic plan if they retake Congress.
"I would argue it's reckless and irresponsible and will make inflation worse, if they succeed," Biden said.
Biden also mentioned his “predecessor” on multiple occasions.
“The previous president made a string of broken promises in places like Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio," Biden said. "On my watch, we've kept our commitments. On my watch, made in America isn't just a slogan, it's a reality.”
It’s been nine years since a sitting president visited Syracuse, and a sitting president visiting upstate New York is rare enough. But Thursday was Biden’s third trip to upstate in the last five months and the second in just three weeks.
The last two visits were highlighting massive investments in the region in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. The CHIPS and Science Act that Biden signed earlier this year invests $50 billion in the industry and led to announcements like Micron's in Central New York. Schumer was one of the key architects of the CHIPS Act.
Schumer is running against Republican Joe Pinion and is aiming to keep or expand the narrow majority Democrats have in that chamber. As economic concerns remain atop voters’ minds, Schumer and New York Democrats have been heavily touting the CHIPS Act in the wake of Micron’s announcements.
"If [Mitch] McConnell was leader, this bill would have never seen the light of day, and we'd not be here today,” Schumer said in Syracuse.
While Schumer fights for Democrats in Washington, Hochul is to trying to hold onto the Governor's Mansion in Albany. A pair of independent polls released last week showed a narrower lead for Hochul over Republican challenger Lee Zeldin.
Hochul was in Syracuse earlier this month when the Micron deal was first announced and appeared with Biden in Poughkeepsie three weeks ago to mark IBM’s investment of $20 billion to cover research, development and manufacturing of semiconductors, quantum computing and artificial intelligence across the Hudson Valley over the next decade.
Biden on Thursday called Hochul “a great partner to me and a great leader for the state.”
Zeldin will be joined by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin this weekend for campaign events while Hillary Clinton will appear with Hochul at a rally.
But it’s the down ballot races in New York that are really turning the unlikely battleground state into a contest for the ages.
The congressional seat in Central New York that is home to the future Micron facility is a closely watched one between Republican Brandon Williams and Democrat Francis Conole. The seat is an open one, with Rep. John Katko — one of 24 House Republicans who supported the CHIPS Act — not running for re-election. Conole was not part of Biden’s visit to Syracuse.
The site of the IBM investment in the Hudson Valley is at the heart of a crucial region where three congressional districts could be decisive in control of the House of Representatives.
Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney is running for New York's 17th District and is also chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the one in charge of getting Democrats elected.
“This is truly about a new generation of growth and prosperity for the Hudson Valley, for Central New York, and I am so proud of the CHIPS and Science Act, I’m so proud of the president and the Democratic majority that has brought this into being,” Maloney said in Poughkeepsie during Biden’s visit there.
Maloney’s race has received attention this week as the DCCC planned to spend $605,000 on TV ads attacking Maloney's opponent, Republican state Assemblyman Mike Lawler. This came after the Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and all of House Republican leadership, said it would be spending $4 million in the New York City broadcast market to defeat Maloney.
And it’s not just Joe Biden coming to the Empire State. First lady Jill Biden will give remarks at an event with Maloney on Sunday. Cook Political Report on Monday changed their rating of the 17th District from “leans Democrat” to “toss up.”
A defeat of the DCCC chair would be an incredibly symbolic win for the GOP.
Also competitive is the race for the 18th District between Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan and Republican Colin Schmitt, and the 19th District between Republican Marc Molinaro and Democrat Josh Riley.
The competitiveness of New York is perhaps the result of a perfect political storm for Democrats — between being the party in complete control of the federal and state governments, statewide contests coming in a year when Republicans are expected to have a national advantage and the redistricting battle that made so many House seats in New York up for grabs.
Early voting begins Saturday in New York, with Election Day set for Nov. 8.
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