“When Democrats strongly associate themselves with their most popular accomplishments, they do well,” Roth Smith said.

“The more Hochul gets out the vote in New York City, the more wiggle room she has with swing voters in the Hudson Valley, in Long Island, and the Buffalo suburbs,” said Alyssa Cass

It takes more than a hack to make a good flack. Slingshot Strategies’ Sam Raskin knows this all too well. From his stints at Politico, Gotham Gazette, Gothamist, Curbed, the New York Post and Patch, Raskin understands the inner workings of local politics.

Slingshot’s communications team ranked 38 on the annual list.

“You can play all the turnout games you want, but for a Republican to have a glimmer of hope they would need to make serious inroads with registered Democrats.”

"Republicans are looking stronger than we’re used to seeing them look in places like New York state and even New York City," Cass said, calling for Hochul to do more to energize base voters there.

“Pat has been a leader in keeping his community safe,” Cass said. “He’s led on the issue, partnering with local law enforcement to increase their funding, ramped up efforts to take guns off our streets, and has supported reforms to cash bail to support and protect our communities.”