Martin O'Malley

Martin O'Malley Preps New, More Aggressive Push For Gay Marriage In Maryland

Brian Beutler | July 20, 2011, 1:19PM

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-MD)

At the end of this week, or the beginning of the next, Gov. Martin O'Malley -- the chair of the Democratic Governor's Association -- is preparing a bold push for gay marriage rights in Maryland.

In a sit-down interview with TPM at DGA headquarters in downtown Washington, DC, O'Malley explained what's changed since the last time Maryland tried to enact marriage equality, and why he plans to be at the front of the issue this time around.

"There is a broad coalition of people coming together -- broader than we had in the last session," O'Malley said. "And this coalition is encouraged by the fact that our neighbors in New York found a way to protect religious freedom and the quality of marital rights at the same time.... Sometimes in the history of our Republic, fundamental rights appear to eclipse each other for a time, and this is one of those times, and we need to sort it out."

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Andrew Cuomo

Democrat or Republican, Cutting Back on State Workers Becoming Popular Move for States

Michael R. Corjulo | July 20, 2011, 6:00AM

Climbing out of "The Great Recession", many state governments found themselves faced with gaping budget shortfalls. A popular solution has been downsizing government work forces and reducing the power of public sector unions.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker became a mascot for the cause earlier this year when he began a push to take away collective bargaining rights from public workers in his state, a step so drastic that the state senate Democrats found it necessary to flee to Illinois to prevent a vote on the matter (which eventually became law anyway). Republican governors John Kasich (OH), Chris Christie (NJ), and Rick Scott (FL) all stirred up controversy for looking for similar places to scale back.

But while the most publicized and most agressive anti-union fights have been in states with newly elected Republican governors, unions are being pinched in more traditionally friendly democratic territory as well.

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Andrew Cuomo

New York, I Love You: Cuomo Continues To Roll

Kyle Leighton | July 14, 2011, 11:40AM

New Yorkers have never been accused of having the sunniest outlook on politics in their state. But that was before Andrew Cuomo became their governor.

Cuomo continues to be held in very high esteem, notching a 71% favorability rating in the latest poll from Siena College, with only 21% of New York voters having an unfavorable view of him. Despite inheriting a nine billion dollar deficit, the TPM Poll Average of Cuomo's favorability remains at a high 75.9%, having scored victories with a budget deal that cut spending while not raising income tax rates and pushing through a bill legalizing gay marriage in the state.

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Michael Bloomberg

Wedding Bells Will Ring on July 24 in New York City

Megan Reback | July 8, 2011, 1:12PM

New York City will open its clerk's offices on Sunday, July 24, to allow same-sex couples to wed on the first day the state's gay marriage bill goes into effect, officials said this week. Although clerk's offices in the five boroughs are normally closed on weekends, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that for this momentous occasion, they will open.

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