In N.Y. Assembly Primaries, Incumbency Outweighs Political Differences
While many contested races had moderate and left-leaning Democrats squaring off, the deciding factor seemed to be the power of incumbency.
By Jeffery C. Mays
Grace Ashford
I am a reporter covering New York government and politics for The New York Times.
What I Cover
From my home base outside of Albany, I report on the workings of state government — the push and pull of politics, the hard work of putting ideas into practice and the effects of those ideas on New Yorkers. I like writing about criminal justice and legal issues, technology and the climate.
My Background
I joined The Times in 2017, and spent several years as a researcher on the Investigations team. In that role I assisted on deep-dive stories that aimed to hold power to account, on subjects including the New York City housing crisis, Amazon and the MeToo movement. Since 2021, I have been covering New York State politics with an eye toward accountability.
Though I was born and raised in Los Angeles, I attended Vassar College in New York and received a master’s degree from Columbia University. When I’m not working, I enjoy hiking, skiing and cooking over an open fire.
Journalistic Ethics
I am committed to upholding the standards of integrity outlined in The Times’s Ethical Journalism Handbook. Above all, I strive to be fair and accurate in my reporting, and to reflect the complexity with clarity and compassion. This commitment is reflected both in the stories I write and the way I go about writing them.
I identify myself as a reporter while I am working, and honor confidential sourcing arrangements. I will fight to protect my sources who put themselves at risk to share sensitive information with me.
I choose not to belong to any political party, however, I do vote because I believe that democracy works the best when we all participate.
Contact Me
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X: @gr_ashford
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LinkedIn: Grace Ashford
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