Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay issued a sharp rebuke Monday of both New York Democrats and visiting lawmakers from Texas, criticizing what he described as partisan theatrics and a pattern of election manipulation in Albany.
Barclay’s statement came in response to Gov. Kathy Hochul welcoming Texas legislators who fled their state amid a special session, calling it “generous” but misplaced. “Go home and do the job you were elected to do,” Barclay said. “If I left town every time I thought the other side of the aisle introduced bad legislation, I’d never be in Albany.”
The Oswego County Republican accused state Democrats of undermining election integrity for political gain. He pointed to a series of legislative actions he said favored one-party rule, including:
- The 2022 redistricting maps, which were rejected by Democrat-appointed judges as overly biased
- The passage of absentee ballot expansion despite a public referendum rejecting it
- A new law mandating all election-related legal challenges be heard in districts with Democratic judges
- A judicial redistricting bill that created three new Democratic seats without consulting the judiciary or public
“New York Democrats have treated the state’s election laws as if they are written on a dry-erase board,” Barclay said.
He warned visiting Texas lawmakers that Albany is no haven for election fairness. “I’ve got bad news for any representatives from the Lone Star State… Albany isn’t it,” he said.
Barclay also criticized the broader political climate in New York, blaming policies like these for the state’s population decline. “We’ve lost a million residents to states like Texas because, in part, political self-interest too often takes priority over the public’s best interest.”
He concluded by urging lawmakers to move past the “political sideshow” and return their attention to serving constituents.
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