The foundations of any successful high-profile campaign usually include strong fund-raising operations, and the race to replace term-limited Mayor Michael Bloomberg is no exception. As tomorrow’s deadline approaches for candidates to release their quarterly fund-raising totals, most of the campaigns are claiming success.
Former MTA chair Joe Lhota for example, raised a healthy $558,000 for his bid. Read More
Former Governor David Paterson, who took the state’s top executive post after Eliot Spitzer suddenly resigned amid a prostitution scandal, says he might not be done with politics just yet.
“I love public service. I love the people who do it,” Mr. Paterson answered this morning when asked whether he’d run for veteran Congressman Charlie Rangel’s seat if the incumbent retired. “I would listen to people.” Read More
Former Councilwoman Melinda Katz raised $80,000 during the most recent filing period, placing her total at $489,313 raised thus far, her campaign for Queens borough president announced this morning.
“We’re in great shape going into our final push to hit the max by the July filing,” a campaign source wrote to Politicker in an email. Read More
Headline of the Day: “Bill Clinton Won’t Endorse Anthony Weiner Because He’s Too Much Like Bill Clinton.”
Politico’s Maggie Haberman, who penned a piece on former Rep. Anthony Weiner staffing up in advance of a potential mayoral bid, concluded on Twitter, “Barring some unforeseen thing, Weiner is running, for those (including myself) who still had questions about that notion.” She added that “he hasn’t had a ton of people he’s reached out to say yes I want to work for you.” Read More
It’s not a surprise, but it’s a key part of Reshma Saujani’s strategy as she campaigns for public advocate this year.
The Alliance of South Asian-American Labor, a group that’s worked to mobilize South Asian voters in past elections, officially threw their support to Ms. Saujani today, vowing to help elect her as the city’s first official of South Asian descent. Read More
Earlier today, Mayor Michael Bloomberg repeatedly refused to comment on accusations that his media organization, Bloomberg News, improperly accessed information about subscribers of the firm’s financial data service.
“No, I can’t say anything. I have an agreement with the Conflicts of Interest Board. You’ll have to talk to the company,” Mr. Bloomberg replied when first asked about the controversy at a press conference in Brooklyn, insisting that city rules prohibit him from weighing in. Read More
“It was very surreal,” Brooklyn City Councilwoman Letitia James said, reflecting on the moment her predecessor was assassinated. “When I got the news that he had been shot, I said, ‘I think I know who did it.’”
Othniel Askew wanted to run against Councilman James Davis. Instead, on a City Hall balcony in July of 2003, he drew a silver .40-caliber pistol and started shooting–killing Mr. Davis and setting events in motion that would place Ms. James in public office.
“The person who assassinated him visited me the night before,” Ms. James recalled, speaking with Politicker recently at a Manhattan campaign office. Read More
Headline of the Day: “NYC mayoral race like therapy session.”
Is anything still going to get done in Albany after the various corruption scandals? Many policy advocates fear this “could become one of the least productive sessions in years,” according to the Times-Union, while insiders “are questioning how much will get done for the remainder of the legislative session,” according to the Daily News. “Most people just want to get out of Albany,” one Democrat said. Read More
Last night, the labor-backed Working Families Party announced their support in a host of races across the city, beginning with Tish James for public advocate and working their way down to open-seat council campaigns.
The endorsement for Ms. James, a Brooklyn councilwoman, is particularly notable because, with a less sizable campaign war chest than her top rivals, Ms. James’ strategy relies on unifying union forces. There are two other citywide races this year, but without a strong labor consensus for mayor and a virtually uncontested race for comptroller, the public advocate competition is relatively unique. Read More
What Headline of the Day: “Curtis Sliwa, Melinda Katz Accused Of Child-Support Scam In $1.4 Million Lawsuit.”
State Senator Eric Adams, a candidate for Brooklyn borough president, did not show up at a scheduled club endorsement meeting yesterday after recent revelations that he could be under investigation. Politicker, which was at the Bay Ridge Democrats event, overheard organizers saying Mr. Adams’ confirmation to attend happened right before the news broke. His campaign did not respond a request for comment but in a message to his supporters, Mr. Adams did write, “I WANT TO ASSURE YOU THAT THERE IS NOTHING ON THOSE TAPES THAT WILL IMPLICATE ME IN ANY WRONGDOING.” Read More
