We are talking about the impact of local elections across upstate New York, ahead of the 2024 presidential election cycle this weekend on In Focus. JoDee Kenney sat down with Albany County Democratic Committee Chair Jake Crawford, who weighed in on 2023’s results as a potential predictor for the year to come. Looking back to a major Capital Region contest, the Troy Mayoral Race, Crawford said Carmella Mantello’s win as a Republican, in a city where the voter rolls show a three-to-one advantage for Democrats, can likely be chalked up to her long history in the city council and name recognition. In Albany, Chief City Auditor Dorcey Applyrs made an early announcement for the Democratic primary for mayor. While that office is up in 2025, the committee chair said with the election calendar changed since 2021, moving up the primary date, he’s not surprised to see candidates getting an early jump. In an increasingly partisan political landscape, Crawford said he believes candidates, of any party, can find a way to connect with the electorate by opening a conversation with independent voters about the issues impacting them.

You can watch the full interview with Jake Crawford in the video player above. And be sure to tune in for a look inside the biggest issues impacting upstate New York on In Focus with JoDee Kenney every Sunday on Spectrum News 1.