The October 1 contest for chair of the New York State Democratic Committee pits incumbent Jay Jacobs' established party operation against Otsego County Democratic Chair Caitlin Ogden's call for a more responsive organization. Gov. Kathy Hochul is backing Jacobs for another two-year term even though he declined to endorse Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani during Mamdani's 2025 mayoral campaign. Ogden is the first formal, named challenger Jacobs has faced in his decade-plus tenure atop the state party.
Hochul Predicts an Easy Win for Her Longtime Ally
Hochul said she would stand by Jacobs and predicted he would easily defeat Ogden, according to the New York Post. Jacobs has served as New York's Democratic chairman across two separate stints spanning ten years, working under Governors David Paterson, Andrew Cuomo, and now Hochul, according to Wikipedia. He has also chaired the Nassau County Democratic Party since 2001, giving him a firm grip on Long Island party machinery alongside his statewide post.
Jacobs confirmed to the Post that he intends to seek another two-year term. He said he was aware that a substantial bloc of party activists could support Ogden, had spoken with lawmakers and Democratic county leaders and was taking nothing for granted. He also said backing from Hochul and other elected officials was important as he sought another term.
Why Jacobs Never Endorsed Mamdani
Jacobs declined to back Mamdani after the Democratic Socialist defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the June 2025 Democratic mayoral primary, in which Mamdani won 56% of the vote in the final ranked-choice round, compared with Cuomo's 44%, according to Ballotpedia. Jacobs stayed neutral even as Cuomo mounted an independent bid in the general election, which Mamdani ultimately won in November 2025 with 50.8% of the vote over Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, per Ballotpedia's account of the race. Despite lacking state party leadership's endorsement, Mamdani won the mayoral election.
Jacobs has said that he and Mamdani agreed income disparity was America's greatest problem but fundamentally disagreed on how to address it, and that he strongly disagreed with Mamdani's views on Israel and certain key policy positions, according to the Post. It was not the first time Jacobs withheld support from a democratic socialist primary winner. In October 2021, he faced widespread calls to resign after refusing to endorse India Walton following her Democratic mayoral primary victory in Buffalo, at one point comparing endorsing a primary winner to endorsing a hypothetical primary win by Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, according to City & State New York. Jacobs later apologized for the David Duke comparison after prominent party leaders condemned it.
Ogden's Insurgent Campaign and Its Long Island Backdrop
Ogden, who leads the Otsego County Democratic Party, is running to make the party more responsive to voters' will and has said Democrats should support both centrist candidates and Democratic Socialists of America candidates, per the Post's reporting. During her campaign launch this month, Ogden criticized the state party's coordinated campaign apparatus, alleging county committees received “hardly any organizational support from Albany or the state party” during the 2022 elections, according to VoterMaker. She has argued there is statewide hunger for a leader with a vision, saying New York is entering a new era with new challenges.
Before launching her chair bid, Ogden backed Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado's primary challenge against Hochul in the 2026 Democratic gubernatorial primary. Some Democratic Party insiders want Jacobs removed over his refusal to endorse Mamdani, the Post reports. Erica Vladimir, who represents the 76th Assembly District on the Upper East Side, said the party should stand behind its candidates and credited Ogden with helping galvanize Democrats in Otsego. Vladimir also said Ogden's professional fundraiser background could generate money for the party.
A Vote That Doubles as a Proxy Fight
The committee vote is also a proxy fight over the state party's organizing model. The New York State Democratic Committee includes 480 voting members, according to Ballotpedia. Jacobs is widely viewed as a moderate voice for suburban and upstate battleground Democrats. Jacobs has long chaired the Nassau County Democratic Party on Long Island.
How the State Party Is Organized
The October 1 decision will be made by the state committee's voting members rather than by a statewide primary electorate. According to the New York State Democratic Party, Jacobs chaired the committee from 2009 through 2012 and returned in 2019. The state committee's voting members choose its chair. The contest also comes as the party weighs how much organizing support county committees should receive from Albany. City & State New York reported that the party's 2024 coordinated campaign planned at least 80 staffers, including 50 field organizers, and 35 offices in seven battleground congressional districts. The publication described that effort as a strategic shift because the state party had usually played a limited role in non-gubernatorial elections, providing context for Ogden's criticism of the party's support for county committees.
The tension extends beyond one city race. In the June 2026 primaries, Mamdani-backed progressive candidates won three New York City congressional primaries, unseating moderate incumbents including Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Dan Goldman. With progressives gaining ground in congressional and state primaries, the October 1 vote among the committee's 480 members carries weight well beyond the chairmanship itself, testing whether New York Democrats lean toward suburban swing-voter appeal or urban progressive momentum.
