Source: Wall Street Journal
In a month of political machinations that ended with the passage of New York state’s $142 billion budget, Senate minority leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins lost her fight to be included in the negotiations but won new respect from her colleagues for trying.
She also made a few new enemies.
The Yonkers Democrat walked away with a higher profile from her calls to be included in the talks, said aides, operatives and legislators, and changed her conference’s position toward Gov. Andrew Cuomo from cooperative to combative.
“This was always about more than just me getting in the room,” said the 64-year-old Ms. Stewart-Cousins, who leads 25 Senate Democrats. “This was about changing the way things are done in Albany.”
Now, Ms. Stewart-Cousins faces a new challenge: turning her bully pulpit into legislative action after facing off with powerful lawmakers from both her party and the GOP.