Andrew Cuomo
Tracy Mitrano rally at Southside Community Center on October 29th, 2018. (Boris Tsang / Sun Assistant Photography Editor)

EDITORIAL: Tracy Mitrano J.D. ’95 for Congress

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This week’s midterm elections will be among the most consequential in recent memory. At stake is nothing less than the direction of our democracy and our nation. The past two years have not been easy for many Americans — the Trump administration has embarked on a substantial rollback of rights and protections for women, immigrants, LGBTQ people, religious minorities and more. Congress tried repeatedly (though unsuccessfully) to repeal the lifesaving Affordable Care Act, and succeeded in passing in passing a massive tax cut for the wealthiest Americans at the expense of working people. And a growing but still fragile economy finds itself at the mercy of a capricious administration’s trade policy.

Columns
Guest Room

GUEST ROOM | House Candidate Mitrano ’95 Describes Platform, Students Voting

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My name is Tracy Mitrano. I am the Democratic challenger running for Congress in New York’s 23rd District against Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY). I write to urge every Cornellian to take the midterm elections seriously. If and how you vote on November 6 could well determine the kind of society and political culture that will shape your lives for decades to come. Running for political office takes grit, determination, clear vision and, most of all, strong personal values.

Andrew Cuomo
Letter to the Editor

LETTER TO THE EDITOR | Use Nixon’s Popularity to Demand Concessions from Cuomo

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To the editor:

As the dust settles from left-wing insurgent Cynthia Nixon’s much-anticipated rally in downtown Ithaca on September 1, many local progressives appear confident that the long-shot Cuomo challenger can pull off a surprise win in the looming gubernatorial primary. Think Ocasio-Cortez’s dramatic June victory against powerful Democratic centrist Joe Crowley in New York’s 14th congressional district, but on a much larger scale. Nixon’s unprecedented pledge to convert the Cayuga Power Plant into a renewable energy facility drew particular praise among the local left, distinguishing herself as the lone gubernatorial candidate who harbors bold progressive visions for oft-forgotten upstate communities. That being said, Cuomo retains strong polling numbers and an iron-lock grip on state politics. Given the strong likelihood he’ll sail into a third-term with relatively limited bruising, it would be wise for progressives to leverage Nixon’s growing appeal to demand policy concessions from the sitting governor — both until and after the primary vote results are announced on September 13.

candidates
Editorial

EDITORIAL | It’s Time to Reform Student Assembly Elections

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Forty-eight hours after polls closed in this year’s Student Assembly elections, the student body is no closer to knowing just who will represent them for the next twelve months. And now, The Sun has learned that results may not be public until as late as after Spring Break. The reason for this extended protraction is a challenge to the campaign of presidential candidate Varun Devatha ’19. Devatha was disqualified from the election late Wednesday for using a Cornell University logo in campaign materials, a violation of Article I, Section B, Rule 5 of the Student Assembly Election Rules, but has since appealed his disqualification. The letter of the rules is clear: the use of the logo is prohibited.