Steven Fulop’s ‘Centrist’ Vision for the Partnership in the Age of Mamdani
•February 13, 2026
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Companies Mentioned
Why It Matters
The repositioning could restore pro‑business influence in New York’s politics, shaping policy outcomes as the city’s corporate sector seeks a counterweight to progressive agendas.
Key Takeaways
- •Partnership targets centrist stance amid NYC left shift
- •$10 million advocacy arm launched, securing criminal discovery reform
- •Membership expanding beyond finance to retailers, fitness firms
- •Dues increased, entry standards tightened, smaller firms may exit
- •Focus remains policy advocacy, not candidate recruitment
Pulse Analysis
New York’s business community is confronting a rapidly shifting political landscape after the election of a democratic‑socialist mayor, prompting concerns that traditional pro‑business voices are losing traction. The Partnership for New York City, long regarded as the city’s primary corporate lobbying coalition, has been criticized for its perceived inability to prevent that outcome. In response, the organization is redefining its purpose, aiming to become a centrist bridge between a diverse corporate constituency and city‑state policymakers, thereby re‑asserting its relevance in a more progressive environment.
Under Steven Fulop’s leadership, the Partnership is leveraging a newly created $10 million advocacy fund to amplify its policy impact. The fund already delivered a tangible win by supporting reforms to New York’s criminal discovery laws, a move that demonstrates the group’s capacity to shape legislation beyond mere access‑based lobbying. Simultaneously, Fulop is broadening the membership roster, courting retailers, fitness brands, and other non‑financial firms while tightening dues and entry criteria. This strategic diversification seeks to dilute the historic dominance of finance and real‑estate interests, creating a more balanced coalition that can speak for a wider slice of the city’s economy.
If successful, the Partnership’s centrist pivot could restore a robust pro‑business counterweight in New York’s policy arena, influencing decisions on taxation, regulation, and public safety. However, the shift also carries risks: higher dues may alienate smaller firms, and the focus on policy advocacy rather than candidate cultivation could limit direct electoral influence. Stakeholders will be watching whether the new membership mix and increased financial muscle translate into measurable legislative outcomes, shaping the future of corporate advocacy in America’s most economically significant city.
Steven Fulop’s ‘centrist’ vision for the Partnership in the age of Mamdani
For many members of New York’s business community, the election of the democratic socialist mayor was a wake-up call.
Steven Fulop, the newly minted president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City, a trade group of the city’s vast corporate interests, wants his organization to answer it.
“I do want it to ultimately, by the next four years, be the premiere centrist advocacy organization in the city, and I think we can get there,” he told Crain’s in a sit-down on Wednesday that marked a stop in his media tour.
The shift signifies a dramatic repositioning for a group that business leaders criticized for failing to stop Zohran Mamdani's primary election victory last year. It also signals growing alarm among corporate interests about the city's leftward political turn.
The Partnership has around 350 member companies representing roughly 800,000 employees, a resource Fulop said could be harnessed to advance the group’s causes. He views its composition as a unique “hybrid,” combining the constituency-based model of a union with the populism of an issue-advocacy group.
That "bone structure" has the potential to make it a leading voice for businesses in city and state politics, he said: “There’s nobody that I think is doing it really well, and the Partnership is uniquely situated to do it.”
Fulop took over in January after serving three terms as Jersey City mayor and mounting an unsuccessful bid for New Jersey governor last year. He succeeds Kathryn Wylde, who led the Partnership since 2001 and recently faced criticism from some business leaders for what they saw as insufficient efforts to defeat Mamdani in the primary. Wylde later emerged as one of Mamdani’s key intermediaries to the business community during the general election campaign.
Fulop pushed back on the sharper critiques, including recent comments by entrepreneur and political consultant Bradley Tusk. “I don’t think it’s fair to characterize Kathy as irrelevant or not effective,” Fulop said. At the same time, the Partnership’s board co-chairs — Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and Tishman Speyer CEO Rob Speyer — are said to have supported a change in direction for the organization.
Tusk has argued that the Partnership has grown politically ineffective, prioritizing elite access over exerting real influence in Albany and City Hall. “New York City, literally the business capital of the world, lacks any sort of effective pro-business political operation, and this is why we are where we are,” Tusk said at a recent Crain’s event where many corporate representatives were in the room.
Fulop acknowledged that the criticism resonates to a degree. “When you think about the Partnership’s relevance relative to where it can be versus where it is today, there’s validity to that argument,” he said.
During the conversation with Crain's staff, Fulop outlined a three-part formula for strengthening the Partnership’s relevance: The organization needs the financial resources to communicate effectively, a message that resonates and a clearly defined constituency to represent. On the first front, he said, the Partnership is well positioned. Last year it launched a $10 million advocacy arm with the capacity to lobby and engage in political campaigning.
That operation has already notched a policy win, helping to push through changes to New York’s criminal discovery laws last year — a public-safety–focused adjustment intended to curb avoidable case dismissals and restore judicial discretion.
Even so, Fulop said he does not envision the Partnership taking on the role of building a centrist political bench, signaling that its expanded political activity will remain focused on policy advocacy rather than recruiting or cultivating candidates.
Finding common causes among the Partnership’s diverse membership is more complicated. There has always been tension between the interests of its many real estate, legal and financial services firms, and the other myriad sectors it represents.
That may soon change, too, Fulop said. In the last two weeks, three big-brand companies have joined that don’t fit the Partnership’s typical profile, including a large retailer and a fitness company, Fulop said without disclosing their names. He has his eye on 30 to 40 companies, which he said are all recognizable names, that he thinks should be part of the Partnership. “We’re going to try to redefine” the group’s heavy make-up of financial services firms, he said, which are barred from contributing to state and local elections.
Small company membership may be limited, too. The Partnership is changing dues structures and raising the bar to entry, “things that got a little bit loose over time because this naturally happens in organizations,” Fulop said.
“As we pivot and change dues structures and the value proposition, it’s not going to be a fit for everybody," he said, calling that “an acceptable outcome.”
Fulop met with Mamdani before the mayor took office and says they have a cordial relationship. Whether or not his leadership of the Partnership will be a direct response to Mamdani’s election is not as cut-and-dried.
“I am here as a byproduct of the changing political landscape. There’s no question about that,” he said. But his vision for the Partnership is “not directly related to Mamdani,” he added. “That’s healthy change for an organization to think about the next decade.
“I'm stepping into something that's obviously very important to the New York ecosystem and how we can change it in the next 10 to 20 years to be more impactful,” he said. “That's my primary objective.”
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