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Max Politics

Author: Max Politics

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Max Politics is a New York politics podcast hosted by journalist Ben Max featuring in-depth interviews with elected and appointed officials, candidates, advocates, and others about New York City and State politics and policy. Produced at New York Law School and its Center for New York Law. Get in touch: benmax25@gmail.com
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Intro/outro music is Live-It by Ketsa. source (Free Music Archive) and license type (CC BY-NC-ND)
650 Episodes
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Grace Mausser and Gustavo Gordillo, the co-chairs of the New York City branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, joined the show to discuss the DSA, the Zohran Mamdani campaign and mayoral election, and what comes next if Mamdani is elected mayor. (Ep 540)
In episode six, we’re focusing on affordability, housing and the related ballot proposals. We’re joined by housing experts Jamie Rubin (Chief Investment Officer of Aligned Climate Capital & Chairman of the Board of NYCHA) and Alicia Glen (Founder and Managing Principle of M Squared & former Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development), who share their thoughts on what the next Mayor should accomplish – and how. Remember: early voting is in full swing. Visit vote.nyc or call 1-866-VOTE-NYC to find your early and election day polling sites — they may be different — and see what will be on your ballot. — FAQ NYC and Max Politics are teaming up for a limited series, coming to you every Tuesday through November, featuring special guests who will help us dig into the latest in the mayor's race – and what's at stake for New Yorkers. City Hall Free For All is brought to you with generous support from Jamie Rubin and Vital City. This week's episode was hosted by Christina Greer, Katie Honan, Ben Max and Harry Siegel. Our Senior Producer is Giulia Hjort, and Noah Smith is our engineer. Our series consultants are Jess Hackel and Courtney Harrell. Music from Epidemic Sound.
Alex Armlovich, a member of the New York City Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) and Senior Housing Policy Analyst at the Niskanen Center, joined the show to discuss the work of the RGB, Zohran Mamdani's rent-freeze pledge, how to help struggling rent-stabilized buildings and apartments, and much more. (Ep 539)
Kenny Burgos, CEO of the New York Apartment Association and former State Assembly member from the Bronx, joined the show to discuss the challenges in rent-stabilized housing, the perspective of landlords and building managers, the prospects of a Mayor Mamdani and the candidate's promise to freeze stabilized rents for four years, and much more about housing policy. (Ep 538)
Cea Weaver — Executive Director of Housing Justice for All and New York State Tenant Bloc, a longtime tenant activist, and a housing policy advisor to Zohran Mamdani — joined the show to discuss renters' political power, Mamdani's housing agenda including his pledge to freeze rents on rent-stabilized housing, and more on housing policy and politics. Weaver's organizations "work together to strengthen tenant organizing, advocate pro-tenant legislation, and elect tenants and their allies to public office in New York." She has run winning campaigns to expand rent stabilization and protect rent-stabilized housing, pass "good cause eviction," and more. (Ep 536)
In episode five, we debrief the first mayoral debate and preview the second one as Andrew Cuomo struggles to gain ground against frontrunner Zohran Mamdani with wild card Curtis Sliwa also in the mix. Plus, two-time former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton joins to explain why he wouldn't advise Jessica Tisch, or anyone else, to run the NYPD on Mamdani's watch. Remember: early voting begins on Saturday. Visit vote.nyc or call 1-866-VOTE-NYC to find your early and election day polling sites — they may be different — and see what will be on your ballot. — FAQ NYC and Max Politics are teaming up for a limited series, coming to you every Tuesday through November, featuring special guests who will help us dig into the latest in the mayor's race – and what's at stake for New Yorkers. City Hall Free For All is brought to you with generous support from Jamie Rubin and Vital City. This week's episode was hosted by Christina Greer, Katie Honan, Ben Max and Harry Siegel. Our Senior Producer is Giulia Hjort, and Noah Smith is our engineer. Our series consultants are Jess Hackel and Courtney Harrell. Music from Epidemic Sound.
Matt Wing, a political strategist and founder of Wingspan, joined the show to analyze the first of two televised debates in the general election for Mayor of New York City and what comes next. Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, and Curtis Sliwa debated on NBC NY on the night of Thursday, October 16, 2025, and this conversation between Wing and host Ben Max was recorded right after. (Ep 535)
In our fourth episode, we discuss the federal indictment of New York Attorney General Tish James, how the mayoral candidates are reacting, and how the next mayor could influence President Trump’s approach to the city. Then, DSA-backed City Council Member Alexa Avilés of Brooklyn, chair of the Council immigration committee, joins us to talk about Trump’s immigration crackdown, her hopes for a Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and her own potential run for Congress. — FAQ NYC and Max Politics are teaming up for a limited series, coming to you every Tuesday through November, featuring special guests who will help us dig into the latest in the mayor's race – and what's at stake for New Yorkers. City Hall Free For All is brought to you with generous support from Jamie Rubin and Vital City. This week's episode was hosted by Christina Greer, Ben Max and Harry Siegel. Our Senior Producer is Giulia Hjort. Rachel Lightner engineered this episode. Our series consultants are Jess Hackel and Courtney Harrell. Music from Epidemic Sound. (Ep 534)
New York State Assemblymember Robert Carroll, a Brooklyn Democrat, joined the show to discuss his push to ensure that education issues are discussed in the home stretch of the race to be the next Mayor of New York City, the importance of prioritizing literacy instruction, his short list of potential next city school chancellors, mayoral control of city schools, and more. (Ep 533)
In episode three, we talk about the massive infrastructure cuts trickling down from the federal government – one of the many developments that have us holding our breath for what’s to come in our city. We’re also joined by ‘Gridlock’ Sam Schwartz, who gives us the lowdown on the past, present and future of transit in New York. — FAQ NYC and Max Politics are teaming up for a limited series, coming to you every Tuesday through November, featuring special guests who will help us dig into the latest in the mayor's race – and what's at stake for New Yorkers. City Hall Free For All is brought to you with generous support from Jamie Rubin and Vital City. This week's episode was hosted by Christina Greer, Katie Honan, Ben Max and Harry Siegel. Our Senior Producer is Giulia Hjort, and Noah Smith is our engineer. Our series consultants are Jess Hackel and Courtney Harrell. Music from Epidemic Sound.
First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro spoke with host Ben Max at a live event at New York Law School on the morning of September 30 to discuss Mayor Eric Adams' decision to drop his reelection bid, Adams' legacy, priorities Mastro has spearheaded, and much more. The event was hosted by NYLS' Center for New York City and State Law. (Ep 531)
In our second episode, the hosts debrief about Mayor Eric Adams’ decision to drop his re-election bid. New York Attorney General Tish James also joins us to talk about the cases she and Donald Trump have brought against one another, and her support of Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani. --- FAQ NYC and Max Politics are teaming up for a limited series, coming to you every Tuesday through November, featuring special guests who will help us dig into the latest in the mayor's race – and what's at stake for New Yorkers. City Hall Free For All is brought to you with generous support from Jamie Rubin and Vital City. This week's episode was hosted by Christina Greer, Katie Honan, Ben Max and Harry Siegel. Our Senior Producer is Giulia Hjort, and Noah Smith is our engineer. Our series consultants are Jess Hackel and Courtney Harrell. Music from Epidemic Sound. (Ep 530)
In our debut episode, Public Advocate Jumanne Williams joins us to talk about his arrest outside of 26 Federal Plaza, what the mayor and other elected officials can and should be doing in response to President Trump's threats, and why Williams thinks it's time for New York Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs to step down. --- FAQ NYC and Max Politics are teaming up for a limited series, coming at you every Tuesday through November, featuring special guests who will help us dig into the latest in the mayor's race – and what's at stake for New Yorkers. City Hall Free For All is brought to you with generous support from Jamie Rubin, Vital City, the Charles H. Revson Foundation and P&T Knitwear. This week's episode was hosted by Harry Siegel, Christina Greer, Katie Honan and Ben Max. Our Senior Producer is Giulia Hjort, and Noah Smith is our engineer. Our series consultants are Jess Hackel and Courtney Harrell. Music from Epidemic Sound. (Ep 529)
New York City Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos joined the show to discuss the start of the new school year, key education policy initiatives underway like an overhaul of reading instruction, the new statewide student cellphone ban, mayoral control of city schools, and more. (Ep 538)
Post-Labor Day and with under 2 months until Election Day (Nov. 4) the general election for Mayor of New York City is now in full swing, and four new polls out this week (Sept. 8-12) help shed light on the state of the race among Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa, and Eric Adams. Joining the show to discuss the polling, the state of the race, candidates' paths to victory, and what comes next are pollster Adam Carlson of Zenith Research and political analyst and professor JC Polanco. (Ep 527)
State Senator Jessica Ramos, a Queens Democrat, returned to the show to discuss her performance and endorsement of Andrew Cuomo in the mayoral primary, her 2026 bid for Senate reelection against a tough primary challenge, key issues facing her constituents, and more. (Ep 526)
Joe Borelli, Managing Director at Chartwell Strategy Group and former New York City Council Minority Leader, joined the show to discuss how President Trump is doing so far in his second term and the unfolding election for New York City Mayor. The Staten Island Republican spent over a dozen years in elected office, in the State Assembly then City Council, until earlier this year when he left government for the private sector. (Ep 525)
New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, a Democrat and former member of Congress, joined the show to discuss his decision to challenge Governor Kathy Hochul in the June 2026 primary, how their relationship fell apart, key issues facing New York and his platform to address them, and more. (Ep 524)
New York State Senator John Liu, a Queens Democrat, joined the show to discuss key challenges facing his constituents and New York, his support for Zohran Mamdani for mayor, Asian voters, and much more. (Ep 523)
Jonathan Rosen — CEO of Orchestra, co-founder of BerlinRosen, and a top political advisor to Brad Lander and Bill de Blasio — joined the show to discuss the changing communications and media landscape, Lander's unsuccessful bid for mayor, lessons from de Blasio's 2013 win and tenure, Zohran Mamdani's ascension, and more. (Ep 521)
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