During his tenure in the state Senate, Brian Benjamin has been a go-to lawmaker for key criminal justice law changes in recent years. His selection by Gov. Kathy Hochul to become the state's next lieutenant governor won praise from advocates who are backing many of the same bills Benjamin has carried in the state Senate.
But Republicans on Thursday called the pick a reflection of an increasingly liberal Democratic Party in New York that's out of step with voters.
Benjamin is the sponsor of a range of criminal justice law reform proposals, including bills that would make parole easier for older people in prison, speed up the parole process and allow people with convictions to have their records sealed and expunged.
"As lieutenant governor, he has the opportunity to stand not only with Black, brown and low-income New Yorkers, he has the opportunity to stand with all New Yorkers to continue this fight and ensure these bills make it across the finish line," said Garrett Smith, a statewide organizer with the Center for Community Alternatives.
State lawmakers in recent years have approved multiple changes to the state's criminal justice system, reduce the number of people in local jails and curtail the use of solitary confinement.
The push has led to a backlash from Republicans, especially in suburban and upstate communities, who have called for the measures to be scaled back or repealed outright.
Hochul, as a member of Congress and as the Erie County Clerk, held moderate to conservative positions on gun rights, as well as undocumented immigrants. She has since shifted those positions to reflect a state that is more politically diverse.
"I understand the skepticism," Smith said. "That's understandably so. But I look at it as a opportunity, an opportunity to advance and move all New Yorkers forward."
Republicans like state GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy see it differently, pointing to Benjamin's support for defunding police departments, a position that came amid protests and demonstrations last year following the killing of George Floyd.
Hochul picked Benjamin out of political necessity as she prepares for a likely Democratic primary in 2022 when she seeks a full term, Langworthy said.
"This is going to be about political expediency and pandering to the far left for Kathy Hochul," Langworthy said. "This is not going to be about moderation or what's best for New York state."
And Benjamin's selection by Hochul is also a sign the Democratic base has shifted further to the left, said Conservative Party Chairman Gerry Kassar.
"Her first actions are to appease the New York City Democrat elected officials who ran the gamut from being to the left to being admittedly socialist Democrats," Kassar said.
It's not yet clear what sort of impact Benjamin's role will be in the new Hochul administration. Hochul on Thursday indicated she wants Benjamin to be a full partner for her going forward in New York, and he will likely be fulfilling a role of bolstering support for a governor from western New York who who will have shore up her name recognition in the five boroughs of New York City.