Up Close with Bill Ritter

Mike Marza and ABC News political director Averi Harper to break down the candidates' TV ad battles and how Adams’ possible endorsement could shake up the race. Mamdani appeared on The View to sharpen his message on affordability and push back against Donald Trump, while rolling out his first upbeat TV ad. Cuomo countered with a self-deprecating, AI-assisted ad highlighting his government experien...

With just 35 days until NYC’s mayoral election, the heat is on. Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo are hitting the streets, trading sharp accusations. Meanwhile, candidate Curtis Sliwa says he’s staying in the fight. Mike Marza and N.J. Burkett analyze where each candidate is gaining and losing, what Mayor Adams’ exit means for the race, and how Curtis Sliwa is trying to stay relevant in a battle dom...

Mike Marza and ABC News Political Director Averi Harper analyze the fallout from Eric Adams' exit from the NYC mayoral race and President Trump's war on words with Zohran Mamdani.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this edition of Up Close, we discuss the budget showdown in Washington and the latest updates in the race for New Jersey governor. A government shutdown could happen next week if a short-term funding bill doesn't pass. The Trump administration now threatening to fire federal workers if there is a shutdown. Will Democrats agree to a short-term spending bill, or will they fight President Trump an...

The murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is still shaking up the United States, with the shooting leading to new calls of lowering the political temperature. On this edition of Up Close, we talk to two members of Congress on different sides of the aisle, with different politics: Republican Mike Lawler of New York and Democrat Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey. They may not agree on what to hav...

The assassination of Charlie Kirk has rocked the nation at a time when there is already heated political debate in the country about what direction we're headed in. On this edition of Up Close, we talk to Congressman Tom Suozzi, a centrist Democrat, about the murder of Kirk, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, who had very strong opinions about that direction. In addition, we analyze th...

Mike Marza and political consultant Hank Sheinkopf analyze the new survey by The New York Times and Siena College and what the results could mean for the NYC mayoral race.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Marza has an update after NYC mayoral candidates met with constituents over the weekend, held press conferences, and addressed the media. Plus, N.J. Burkett sits down for a one-on-one interview with Mayor Adams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With less than two months to go in the race for New York City mayor, four candidates remain in contention, but there are reports that President Donald Trump may try to convince Mayor Eric Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa to drop out. That would make it a one-on-one race between former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani, a scenario that could make the Democratic nominee's road to victory a littl...

Mike Marza and former candidate for NYC Mayor Jim Walden about his decision to drop out of the race, his opinions on the remaining candidates and what he thinks about President Trump's interest in the election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Marza and ABC News Political Director Averi Harper analyze the latest headlines of the NYC mayoral candidates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey sat down with Bill Ritter on this week's edition of Up Close. The senator gave his take on the war between Russia and Ukraine on the heels of President Donald Trump's summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, and his highly-anticipated meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podc...

Governor Kathy Hochul is declaring war on the GOP, threatening to change congressional districts in New York in favor of electing more Democrats. Her tough talk follows her meeting with Texas Democratic lawmakers locked in a redistricting battle in the Lone Star State. They fled the state to avoid a vote after Texas' governor pushed to redraw districts to elect more Republicans. On this edition of...

In the wake of the deadly mass shooting in Midtown Manhattan, Governor Kathy Hochul sat down with Eyewitness News anchor Bill Ritter after speaking with fallen NYPD Officer Didarul Islam's wife. The governor also talked about how New Yorkers have been approaching police officers on the beat and thanking them for their service and what they are doing to protect people who live in the city, and thos...

He was for months trying to figure out whether to try to keep his congressional seat or run for the Republican nomination for governor of New York. Mike Lawler decided he will not run for governor. Bill Ritter asks him about why he bowed out, the role President Trump played in the decision, the nasty words Lawler has for Governor Hochul, and vice versa, and his words for the Democratic nominee for...

On this edition of Up Close, Bill Ritter goes one-on-one with Mayor Eric Adams, who is trying to make his case for a second term, while Andrew Cuomo kicks his campaign into high gear. Adams talks about the federal corruption charges against him, charges that were dropped a few months ago by President Donald Trump's Justice Department. He also discusses the president's impact on the race for mayor....

Fresh off a blockbuster legal accusation from his former police commissioner on Wednesday, and some major endorsements on Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams sat down one-on-one with Eyewitness News anchor Bill Ritter as the New York City mayoral race heats up. Adams, a former long-time officer and then later captain in the NYPD, picked up key endorsements from police and corrections officers on Thursday....

Days after announcing his intention to stay in the race for New York City mayor as an independent candidate, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo spoke one-on-one with Eyewitness News reporter N.J. Burkett. Cuomo released a video Monday with the formal announcement three weeks after his loss in the Democratic primary to Zohran Mamdani. The former governor says he grossly underestimated Mamdani right up until...

On this edition of Up Close, former and current New York officials weigh in on the race to be New York City's next mayor. Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is picking up more union support, with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) being one of the latest to endorse the state lawmaker. Meanwhile, the "Stop Mamdani" campaign is also kicking into high gear. There are growing calls to na...

On this edition of Up Close, we take a look at the race for New York City mayor following the results of the June primary election. President Donald Trump has tried to skewer Zohran Mamdani, this after the state lawmaker secured the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York. On the flip side, the president has praised current Mayor Eric Adams, who's running for reelection as an independent. So,...

On this edition of Up Close, Zohran Mamdani makes his case for why he should be the next mayor of New York. Mamdani went from a no-name politician to the man now in the political spotlight after his stunning upset in the Democratic nomination to lead the nation's largest city. The Socialist Democrat took his populist message to the people using social media in a grass roots campaign. His win, at l...

Fresh off claiming victory in the Democratic mayoral primary, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani sat down for a one-on-one conversation with Eyewitness News anchor Bill Ritter on Wednesday. The 33-year-old self-described Democratic Socialist from Queens has declared the win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani went from being a relatively unknown state lawmaker to the presumptive Democratic nominee for...

On this edition of Up Close, we count down to New York's primary election on Tuesday with another look at the state of the race for New York City mayor. The hotly-contested race to be the city's next mayor is now in its final stretch, with the primary just two days away. Latest polling shows New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani closing in on former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo's lead in the final wee...

On this edition of Up Close, we break down the race for New York City mayor and its leading candidates ahead of the June primary election. Just like in the last several years, it's another crowded field of candidates for mayor of New York City. Primary day is just nine days away, and when he was elected four years ago, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams called himself the face of the new Democratic Party....

On this edition of Up Close, we break down the race for governor of New Jersey ahead of Tuesday's primary election. For the first time in eight years, there is no incumbent in the race, as current Gov. Phil Murphy can't run again because of term limits. The biggest number of candidates running in this gubernatorial primary election: the Democrats. Out of the six Democrats running, two are members...