With a likely New York-centric presidential race gripping the nation, the control of the State Senate majority and the fate of the governor’s attempt to recover ripping the state, and the impending watershed elections of 2009 gripping the city, 2008 is sure to be a crazy year in politics. City Hall asked the pollsters, pundits, and political professionals what to expect. Read what the experts think the year ahead may hold for New York.


Kevin Wardally
Director of Political and Governmental Operations, Bill Lynch Associates

What do you see happening in New York politics in 2008?
State Senate Democrats will win control of the State Senate in 2008. They’ll pick up two or more seats.

What will be the surprise political story of 2008?
Rudolph Giuliani will not do as well as everybody thinks he will do. Giuliani will fall flat.

What will the presidential tickets be?
Clinton/Richardson
For the Republicans—You’d have to be a swami on that one. You can’t even make an educated guess. There is no rhyme or reason to that one. I could throw darts at the wind and that would be as scientific as anything else.

What will the final results be?
Clinton: 53 percent to 47 percent.

What would be the book title to describe New York politics in 2008?
 Ambition Without Limits


Ed Koch
Former Mayor

What do you see happening in New York politics in 2008?
I see Eliot Spitzer recovering from a lousy first year and going to new heights.

What will be the surprise political story of 2008?
The Democrats will elect a veto-proof Congress, but they won’t need it.

What will the presidential
tickets be?
Clinton/Jim Webb
Romney/Huckabee

What will the final results be?
Clinton: 53 percent to 47 percent

What would be the book title to describe New York politics in 2008?
Mish-mash


David Seifman
City Hall Bureau Chief, The New York Post

What do you see happening in New York politics in 2008?
Out of the 36 or so City Council members who are term limited for ’09, all of those who haven’t already announced will be running for public advocate. … What have they got to lose at this point?

What will be the surprise political story of 2008?
If Bloomberg doesn’t run for president, for the next two years everyone will be speculating about what he will do aside from running the foundation.

What will the presidential tickets be?
Anything is possible.
Clinton
The Republican field is so fluid, I’m not sure we’re going to have a Republican nominee in January, February or March.
I have no idea who the V.P. will be.

What will the final results be?
Since I’m not really sure who the candidates are going to be, it is hard to say. But with the economy going the way it is and Iraq still unresolved, the bias has to be in favor of the Democrat.

What would be the book title to describe New York politics in 2008?
A Tale of Two Houses.


Gerson Borrero
Columnist, El Diario/La Prensa

What do you see happening in New York politics in 2008?
Support for Hillary Rodham Clinton will lose considerable ground in the Latino and African-American communities. … Rumblings from Herman Badillo and Tom Ognibene about seeking the Republican mayoral nomination.

What will be the surprise political story of 2008?
There will be two, and I don’t know which will come first: 1.) Rudy Giuliani drops out of the presidential race claiming health reasons after loosing initial primaries. 2.) Miguelito Bloomberg jumps into the presidential swamp in March as an independent with an initial war chest of 500 million dollars.

What will the presidential tickets be?
John Edwards/Barack Obama
Mike Huckabee/John McCain
Miguelito Bloomberg/Arnold Schwarzenegger

What will be the final results?
Republicans remain in the White House

What would be the book title to describe New York politics in 2008?
They Escaped from the Zoo and
Wound Up in Rikers.


Norman Adler
Political Consultant, Bolton St. Johns

What do you see happening in New York politics in 2008?
Very little will be accomplished in terms of law making at the state level, because of a continuing lack of communication among the top leadership at the state level.
The City Council will pass many more resolutions than it has ever before, in preparation for ’09 elections and term limits.

What will be the surprise political story of 2008?
There will be changes in the senior staffing in the state executive branch.
There will be an unexpected fourth candidate that will appear for mayor.

What will the presidential tickets be?
I never forecast V.P. because I have been wrong every single time since 1960.
Clinton
Giuliani
Mike Bloomberg is way too smart to run as an independent.

What will the final results be?
Clinton will win. I won’t predict percentages. If we went on percentages there would be a different man in the White House now. I will say that several states that should have been blue all along are going to wind up blue. West Virginia, and probably Ohio as well. We’re not going to have to wait a month to find out who the president will be.

What would be the book title to describe New York politics in 2008?
I would steal the title. Showdown at the O.K. Corral.




John Faso
Former Assembly Minority Leader; comptroller and gubernatorial candidate

What do you see happening in New York politics in 2008?
There will be very interesting campaigns, especially if Giuliani and Clinton are running against each other. There are going to be hard fought races for the State Senate and for Congress

What will be the surprise political story of 2008?
I think it’s probably not a surprise, but I think it’s the rise of the
independent voter.

What will the presidential tickets be?
Giuliani/someone from the South or Midwest
Clinton/someone from the South or Midwest

What will the final results be?
Rudy has a very good chance of being elected. In a close election.

What would be the book title to describe New York politics in 2008?
Day 730: Everything Changes.



Hank Sheinkopf
Democratic political consultant

What do you see happening in New York politics in 2008?
You can’t predict things that you can’t predict. It is unclear on who wins or loses the State Senate. Anybody who can predict that today should go see a psychiatrist.

What will be the surprise political story of 2008?
I don’t think there’s going to be a big budget battle. I think they are going to undercut each other just enough. … I don’t think there’s going to be blood in the streets.

What will the presidential tickets be?
Romney/Huckabee
Clinton/Evan Bayh
Never count out a billionaire.
If Bloomberg gets in, he could win this thing.

What will the final results be?
You have to give the Democrats an edge if there is no Bloomberg.

What would be the book title to describe New York politics in 2008?
Shelly Silver: The Only One Standing.



Jimmy Breslin
Columnist and Author

What do you see happening in New York politics in 2008?
There will be a third party running. Either Hagel on an internet thing, or it’ll be Bloomberg on his own.

What will be the surprise political story of 2008?
The third candidate.

What will the presidential tickets be?
Giuliani
Obama
And either Hagel or Bloomberg

What will the final results be?
I don’t know. It’s too early.

What would be the book title to describe New York politics in 2008?
I might write a book, and I wouldn’t know what to say yet.


Dominic Carter
Anchor, “Inside City Hall” on NY1

What do you see happening in New York politics in 2008?
I think that were going to continue to see a kinder and gentler Gov. Spitzer. We’ll see a softer side, for the entire year, of the
governor’s personality.

What will be the surprise political story of 2008?
The top of the national tickets will be Senator Clinton and Giuliani. I think nobody wants to believe that there could be New York candidates at the top of the national tickets.

What will the presidential tickets be?
Clinton
Giuliani
Conventional wisdom, when it comes to number two on the tickets, goes completely out of the window. I could see, maybe, Giuliani/McCain, in that order … but I don’t think anyone is really clued in to what the possible nominees may be thinking. I think [Bloomberg] wants to run, and if I had to bet, he’s going to do so. But he doesn’t want to be seen as a spoiler. It depends on who the nominees are.

What will the final results be?
If I had to guess I’d say Clinton. It will be extremely nasty. It’ll be a very close election. It’s in each of their personalities to never lose.

What would be the book title to describe New York politics in 2008?
Kingmakers.


Tom Ognibene
Former Council Minority Leader

What do you see happening in New York politics in 2008?
Based upon the gross mistakes of the governor in handling issues—immigration licensing—and issues like Troopergate, he’s made it almost impossible for the Democrats to gain control of the State Senate.

What will be the surprise
political story of 2008?
People are going to begin to see through Hillary Clinton. It’s not going to be determined early. It may go all the way down to the convention.
[Obama] does not win the election. Notwithstanding Dennis Haysbert on 24, America is not ready for an African-American president.

What will the presidential tickets be?
Giuliani/Midwestern conservative.
Clinton/Moderate with more conservative credentials.

What will the final results be?
Giuliani 53 percent, Clinton 47 percent.
Bloomberg is more likely than not to get involved.

What would be the book title to describe New York politics in 2008?
Do the Voters Keep Their Sanity
or Roll Over and Play Dead?


Mickey Carroll
Director, Quinnipiac Polling Group Institute

What do you see happening in New York politics in 2008?
There are more questions than answers. Will Bloomberg run? Only Kevin Sheekey knows. Will the Albany freeze continue, or will Joe Bruno and Eliot Spitzer have a season of warmth and good fellowship?

What will be the surprise political story of 2008?
The surprise is going to be Bloomberg. If he runs it’ll be
a surprise, if he doesn’t run it’ll be a surprise.

What will the presidential tickets be?
Clinton/Richardson
Romney/Huckabee
If Hillary Clinton gets knocked off, in Iowa or in New Hampshire, I’ve got to believe it will be Gore.

What will the final results be?
There is no historical precedent for this election, especially when you consider that everybody who is talked about comes in with a lot negatives.

What would be the book title to describe New York politics in 2008?
Unprecedented