You’ve probably never heard of Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. He says that means he’s dutifully doing a somewhat boring government job without major problems or scandals.
But two men are challenging DiNapoli for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the first time since he assumed the post in 2007, arguing that the incumbent is wasting the power of his statewide office.
It’s not a high-profile role, but it has some significant functions. The office’s 1,600 employees process the state’s payroll and audit state agencies, authorities and local governments. The comptroller is solely in charge of the nearly $300 billion state pension fund, which sends monthly checks to more than half a million retirees and beneficiaries.
Challenger Drew Warshaw wants to use part of the pension fund to build more housing. Raj Goyle, who’s also vying for the seat, wants to divest it from fossil fuels. Both say they could get a higher rate of return on its assets, and therefore reduce the amount that taxpayers need to shoulder.
The challengers are testing whether these wonky debates can capture the attention of Democratic voters who analysts say are hungry for new faces and fighting voices. Polls show voters souring on establishment figures like U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, and longtime incumbents like U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat are fending off challenges from the left.
DiNapoli’s quest for a fifth full term is New York’s only statewide primary this year — and it’s the first one in which the Long Islander has faced a rival for the Democratic line.
“There is generally a hunger for outsiders in the Democratic Party. There clearly is a progressive movement that's gaining steam, and it's particularly true after the Mamdani victory,” said Basil Smikle, a political consultant and former executive director of the New York State Democratic Committee. “But DiNapoli is a well-loved Democrat in this state.”
There hasn’t been any public polling in the race. Campaign finance disclosure records show Warshaw has spent the most money since last spring, $2.3 million, compared to $1.9 million spent by DiNapoli over the same period and $1.6 million spent by Goyle, who declared his challenge in the fall.
Goyle, who would be the first Asian American elected to statewide office in New York, grew up in the Midwest. He served in the Kansas State Legislature from 2006 to 2010, and moved to New York after an unsuccessful run for Congress there.
Now a Manhattan resident, Goyle cofounded a company, Bodhala, that uses AI to help corporations hire legal services.
“When I think about what is truly the embodiment of wasted political power, it's the state comptroller's office in New York,” Goyle said in an interview.
He’s calling for the pension fund to divest from companies tied to fossil fuels as well as bonds issued by Israel, which he accuses of genocide in its war in Gaza. Goyle also pledged to direct auditors in the comptroller’s office to work more quickly and investigate the state’s Public Service Commission, which oversees utility companies and must sign off on rate increases.
Warshaw’s campaign includes the same points Goyle raises, but Warshaw also wants to direct more assets of the state pension fund to develop residential housing in New York. He has also criticized DiNapoli for increasing the amount of the pension fund that’s managed, for fees, by private equity firms.
“I will choose to build the housing we need, to lower our electricity costs, and to stop wasting our tax dollars on handouts to Wall Street bankers,” Warshaw said during a recent debate.
Warshaw most recently helped lead Enterprise Community Partners, which builds affordable housing. He has held several positions in government — including chief of staff at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey — but this is his first run for office.
DiNapoli says he deserves a fifth full term in office because he has been a good steward of the pension fund and has overseen multiple investigations. The fund returned 11.94% in the 12 months that ended March 31, and has boasted an average annual rate of return of 8.94% in the last 10 years.
The New York funds outperformed the national average for public pension plans between 2014 and 2024 by nearly a percentage point, according to a Gothamist analysis of data gathered by Boston University.
Warshaw and Goyle said they would shift the fund’s assets to more closely track the S&P 500, which outperformed New York’s fund over the same periods. DiNapoli said the state pension fund is set up to do well even when the stock market takes a dive.
DiNapoli, born and raised on Long Island, won his first election in 1972 at age 18, when he secured a seat on the Mineola Board of Education. He worked for telecommunications companies and was elected to the state Assembly in 1986. He served in that body until lawmakers selected him as comptroller in 2007, filling a vacancy left by the forced resignation of Alan Hevesi.
DiNapoli won the overwhelming support of Democratic Party leaders at their convention this winter and has been endorsed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James.
“I have a proven track record. I've delivered results,” he said during the debate. The incumbent called his challengers “jokers” who have an inflated view of the position.
“They ascribe powers to the state comptroller like you're the president, the head of the U.N., and the pope,” he said. “That's not the job of state comptroller, guys.”
DiNapoli has divested some holdings tied to fossil fuels but kept others, saying his responsibility is to earn a strong return on his investments to support public pensions. A campaign spokesperson said the Israel bonds are long-standing investments that don’t reflect support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
After the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023, DiNapoli announced the pension fund was buying more Israel bonds to “help support one of our nation’s strongest allies.” The fund currently holds $338 million worth of the securities.
Goyle has won endorsements from the Sunrise Movement, a youth climate activist group, and New York Communities for Change. He was arrested at the state Capitol in April while protesting Hochul’s push to roll back the state’s climate law.
Warshaw is touting support from progressive Democratic leaders as well as Make the Road Action, which advocates for immigrant rights. During the debate, he opened his shirt to reveal an undershirt declaring “ICE OUT.”
Larger players on the political left aren’t weighing in. Neither the Democratic Socialists of America nor the Working Families Party have endorsed a candidate. All three candidates sought the WFP line this spring.
“The race for NYS comptroller has invited a critical conversation about this often overlooked statewide office,” WFP State Director Jasmine Gripper said, explaining that the party didn’t come to any consensus.
Warshaw bragged that it was the first time it didn’t endorse DiNapoli.
The incumbent often mentions support from labor unions, most of which have backed his campaign.
“Tom DiNapoli has consistently acted in the best interest of working people as comptroller,” said New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento. “Tom is honest, genuine, forthright and a true supporter of the union movement.”
Smikle, the political consultant, said DiNapoli shouldn’t expect the arguments made by his challengers to go away even if he prevails.
“He is facing the same kind of criticism that a lot of people who've been in office for a long time are facing,” Smikle said. “Should he win a primary and win re-election, I would imagine that the calls for the kind of changes that folks are asking for will only get stronger.”
