Power Players in the 2022 Elections

Baltimore-born and New York-raised, Anibal Roberto Garcia works for the law firm Getman, Sweeney & Dunn, focusing on wage and overtime laws. Garcia is currently chair of the Latino Democrats of Dutchess County and sits on the board of directors of Willow Roots Food Pantry in Pine Plains. He has also served on several other boards and advisory committees, including the Hudson Valley Community Services in Newburgh, Pride and Joy Families in Binghamton, and Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney’s Puerto Rico Task Force.

What motivated you to pursue a career in politics?
My commitment to the Latino community having a voice and being heard at all levels of government and the need to elect and appoint Latinos in local and state governments. We cannot always have others speak for us and define our needs, so we need to elect the right people to represent the Latino community. 

What do you think are the most important issues facing the United States today?
Unity, public safety, affordable housing. Our nation is divided between red and blue, when we really need individuals to focus on honest legislative priorities that will combat crime and police accountability. We can have police reform and accountability–reform is not anti-police. We need more affordable housing. We need both sides to come together and address the important issues, especially the Jones Act.

What are you most looking forward to now that the elections are over? 
I am looking forward to progress and seeing our elected officials get things done. I want to see cooperation from both parties to pass sound legislation and unite the nation. I want to see the fruit of my labor and also plan for the next election. To work on getting a more diverse and younger group of elected officials, especially those who did not get elected this election.

Joseph Geiger is the executive secretary-treasurer of the New York City District Council of Carpenters. Since 2013, Joe has safeguarded the livelihood of the union’s 20,000 skilled carpenters. He leads contract negotiations, policy decisions, and the overall direction of the union to guarantee that every worker has rights in the workplace, a good job, a fair wage, a healthy life, and a secure future. In 2021, Joe navigated the union and its members through the COVID-19 pandemic while at the same time spearheading Carpenters RISE–a multi-year, political power-building campaign.

George Arzt Communications, Inc. is an all-encompassing public, government, and community relations firm with more than 25 years of experience and an exemplary reputation.

Theodore Ghorra is the son of immigrant parents and was born and raised in Brooklyn. Ghorra is a practicing law partner with a national law firm, where he specializes in securities and finance. He volunteers multiple times a week as the director and coach of various youth sports programs and is involved in fundraising for schools, churches, and other organizations.

What motivated you to pursue a career in politics?
I have always had an interest in politics and earned a bachelor of science in political science in college. Simply stated, it’s a passion that allows me to help make a difference to give people a voice and choice in elections that align with their values and beliefs.

What do you think are the most important issues facing the United States today?
The massive and terrible influx of drugs and the proliferation in so many communities that is ruining our youth. Our immigration policies and border are a disaster, both of which need to be fixed. Parental empowerment and school choice are a civil rights issue (especially in large cities like NYC), along with the open and free expression of thoughts and ideas on college campuses. Finally, we need to restore civil discourse and respect for others, regardless of party or politics.

What are you most looking forward to now that the elections are over?
Spending more quality time with family and friends

Peter Giunta was elected as the 47th chairman of the New York State Young Republicans in 2021. He currently serves as chief of staff in the New York State Assembly and had previously worked on legislative and budget policy in the New York City Council. He’s on the Executive Committee of the NYGOP and is a voting member of the Staten Island Republican Party’s Executive Committee. In 2019, Peter was recognized in City & State New York’s 40 Under 40 Rising Stars, and in 2018, he was awarded the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation’s Public Service Award.

What motivated you to pursue a career in politics?
It’s two-fold–that TV show, Parks and Recreation, sparked an interest in local government, but it was the people that I met through several internships who had inspired me to pursue government, and, in turn, politics, as a career. I am extremely fortunate to have had some great mentors along the way who taught me how to craft a message and run a winning campaign.

What do you think are the most important issues facing the United States today?
As a millennial New Yorker, the most important issues are the economy in relation to affordability, as well as crime in relation to public safety. There are many belonging to my generation who have considered or are considering fleeing New York (or at least the city) because of how expensive and dangerous it has become. This is, sadly, no longer a place to settle down or raise a family.

What are you most looking forward to now that the elections are over?
The holidays — and then the start of the next election cycle.

Jefrey Pollock, Nick Gourevitch, and Jeffrey Plaut lead Global Strategy Group’s research practice, and each has deep expertise in both national and New York politics. In 2022, the firm polled Democratic wins across the country, including numerous Senate, Gubernatorial, and House victories. In New York, GSG worked for the winning campaigns of Governor Kathy Hochul and Congress Members Pat Ryan, Jerry Nadler, and Joe Morelle, among others. 

What motivated you to pursue a career in politics? 
Wanting to make a difference in the big fights in the country. – Jefrey Pollock

Like many, I got involved in politics to make an impact on issues and causes that matter – and since I began doing this work, the stakes only seem to increase with each passing year. – Nick Gourevitch 

When I graduated from college, I wanted to be a clinical psychologist and my first job was working with head-injured adults. Then, I did a fellowship with Coro New York, where they sent me (a very lefty Democrat) to intern with a Republican candidate for assembly from Nassau County. The campaign bug fully bit me. Nearly a decade later, I took a chance with two partners in founding Global Strategy Group – it’s worked out! – Jeffery Plaut

What do you think are the most important issues facing the United States today?
Nothing is more important than the current threat to our democracy – from election deniers to violent coups, we need to bring our politics back from the brink and mute the voices of the extremes of both parties. – Jefrey Pollock

Hard to pick one, but certainly over the few years, the most important thing has been to push back on those who are seeking to undermine our democracy, and ultimately everything our country is about.  That goes hand-in-hand with making progress on many issues that are important to me from abortion rights to immigration to gun violence prevention to education.  – Nick Gourevitch 

We have a focus group question we frequently ask, “What are the problems that keep you up at night?”  For me, the answer to that question are the current problems we have with our democracy.  If we don’t get those right – voting rights, civil rights, rule of law, respect for inquiry and for difference, the broader enterprise will continue to be in deep, deep trouble. – Jeffery Plaut

What are you most looking forward to now that the elections are over?
That end-of-year rest and rejuvenation period is always critical before moving onto the next fight! – Nick Gourevitch

I love politics. Most of us who do this work feel that way. But I also love reading, sports and my family. Now that the election is over, I am looking forward to reading (first up is David Byrne’s “How Music Works), watching (Let’s go Knicks), and spending time with my loved ones and our dog Benji!  And, by the way, New Jersey has elections in 2023! – Jeffrey Plaut

Congressman Dan Goldman and his wife, Corinne, live in lower Manhattan where they are raising their five children. Before winning one of the most hotly contested Congressional races of the 2022 midterms, Goldman served as lead counsel for the first impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump. Goldman served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York for a decade, where he took on some of the office’s biggest and most consequential cases: prosecuting gun traffickers, mafia bosses, landmark insider trading, and major corporate fraud cases.

Kristen Gonzalez is a Queens native, tech worker, and community organizer. She is the youngest woman ever elected to State Senate and is the incoming senator for District 59, the only three-borough district encompassing Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Kristen has experience working in the City Council, the Obama White House, Senator Schumer’s office, and on her community board. She has fought for public land initiatives, against fossil fuel companies, and organized mutual aid efforts. She believes everyone deserves a dignified life and is excited to bring that fight to Albany.

What motivated you to pursue a career in politics?
When I was eleven, after seeing how my local public school was underfunded and overcrowded, my mom secured me a scholarship to a private school. For years, I commuted between two New Yorks–from my neighborhood in Queens to the Upper East Side. Students shouldn’t have to commute for a better education, and the belief that all New Yorkers deserve a path to a better future is what put me on a path to public service.

What do you think are the most important issues facing the United States today?
The most important issues for our neighbors in SD-59 are the same plaguing working class people across our state and country. To live the baseline of a dignified life, we need deeply and truly affordable housing, universal healthcare, action on climate change and investment in our communities. We need elected officials with the courage to fight against corporate interests and the ability to build a movement, and I’m heading to Albany to do just that.

What are you most looking forward to now that the elections are over?
I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running. Campaigning gave me a chance to meet many of Senate District 59’s constituents, and being in office will give me a chance to serve them. I’m looking forward to having a team and working with them to deliver on our campaign platform. Most of all, I’m looking forward to showing what our elected democratic socialists, from City Council to Congress, can do to serve working-class New Yorkers!

A born and bred New Yorker, Robert Gottheim has served in various positions for US Congressman Jerrold Nadler over the past 25 years. Currently, he is the district director for the Congressman and has been instrumental in enhancing the quality of life for residents of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Additionally, working with Congressman Nadler, Gottheim has become an expert on transportation issues and is his principal advisor in this area. Gottheim has also served as one of Congressman Nadler’s political advisors while also working on various campaigns in New York.

What motivated you to pursue a career in politics? 
The desire to help people and the community where I love and live.

What do you think are the most important issues facing the United States today?
Extremism and election deniers are pressing issues that the nation must face and tackle. Our democracy is still in peril, and there are still groups of individuals in Congress who deny that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Now, unfortunately, they have majority control of the House of Representatives.

What are you most looking forward to now that the elections are over?
The aftermath of every election always presents new challenges, but I’m looking forward to working for Congressman Nadler in the new 12th Congressional district. It’s a great progressive district and the heart of New York City; the east and west side of Manhattan from the Hudson River to the East River, it’s truly a great district with so many wonderful neighborhoods, great cultural and academic institutions.

Senator Andrew Gounardes was elected in 2018 to represent New York’s 22nd State Senate District, which includes Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend, Gerritsen Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Marine Park. He was born and raised in Bay Ridge, where he and his wife are raising their son. Senator Gounardes is the chair of the Committee on Budget and Revenue and a strong champion for working families across New York. He has written and passed key legislation to fight skyrocketing hospital costs, make streets safer, and protect workers’ rights.

What motivated you to pursue a career in politics?
Guided by the principles of philoxenia, a Greek word meaning “love of strangers,” Senator Gounardes has been active in the community long before being elected to office. Following Superstorm Sandy, Andrew co-founded Bay Ridge Cares, an organization that prepared 25,000 hot meals for Sandy victims, and has been a longtime advocate for street safety. In 2018, Senator Gounardes ran for office to continue fighting for his community up in Albany.

What do you think are the most important issues facing the United States today?
Our country is currently at a crossroads. We’re facing a crisis of our democracy, and incredibly high levels of divisiveness–and no level of government is immune. From school boards to the Senate, we have a great deal of work to do to repair the bonds we share with one another. We also must work harder to combat the entrenched income inequality and cultural polarization that only divide us further. We must break down our bubbles, and remember all we have in common: all that we share as Americans.

What are you most looking forward to now that the elections are over?
Now that the elections are over, we have a new legislative year ahead! From my new bills to enact an expanded child tax credit for working families and protect children on the internet to fighting for more funding for our public goods like CUNY and the MTA, I’m looking forward to returning to Albany to keep working to make New York a fairer, safer, more affordable home for us all.