Lt. Gov. Hochul triumphs over NYC council member

A story in The New York Times about incumbent lieutenant governor of New York Kathy Hochul’s primary victory over three-term New York City council member Jumaane Williams quotes Associate Professor James Battista.

“While it’s probably fair to describe Hochul’s role as largely ceremonial or as mostly political theater, ceremony and theater do matter,” said Prof. Battista. He added that anyone in the “chief executive’s close orbit can be important” to the policymaking process.