City Comptroller John Liu. (Photo: Getty Images)

City Comptroller John Liu will announce the endorsement of a slew of Democratic officials from across Brooklyn Friday in another effort by his mayoral campaign to show he's gaining steam, despite the recent guilty verdicts against his former campaign treasurer and a fund-raiser.

The supporters include Assemblywoman Inez Barron, City Council candidate Ari Kagan, and Democratic district leaders Melba Brown, Betty Ann Canizio, Jeanette Givant,  Christopher Olechowski, Chris Owens, Corey Provost and Charles Ragusa.

The ethnically diverse batch of endorsers hail from neighborhoods across the borough, including Greenpoint, East New York, Crown Heights, Bensonhurst and Brighton Beach. Additionally, they include both establishment-types like Mr. Olechowski--who defeated Lincoln Restler, a thorn in the side of the county leadership--last year, and at least one Brownstone Brooklyn reformer in the form of Mr. Owens.

"New Yorkers need independent and effective leadership who will stand up for communities across the city and tackle the problems of poverty, systemic unemployment, school closings, racial profiling, foreclosures and low paying jobs,” said Ms. Barron, the wife of outspoken City Councilman Charles Barron, in a statement. “We need immediate change and the best mayoral candidate to offer bold solutions and get things done is John Liu.” Mr. Barron, also a district leader, had previously endorsed Mr. Liu.

"I support John for Mayor because he understands the needs of all people with different social economic backgrounds who need help making ends meet and the reforms needed to give our students a solid education to compete in this global economy,” said Ms. Canizio.

Charles Barron (Photo: Getty)

Outspoken Councilman Charles Barron is backing John Liu in the New York City mayoral election this year and he's also getting involved in races out of state. On Tuesday, Mr. Barron served on the host committee of a Soho fundraiser for Chokwe Lumumba, who is running for mayor in Jackson Mississippi. Mr. Lumumba is an attorney and City Council member whom Mr. Barron said he has known for years through their work in activist circles.

"Chokwe Lumumba is a long-time friend and freedom fighter," Mr. Barron told Politicker at a forum on stop-and-frisk last night in Brooklyn. "He got elected to the City Council in Jackson, Mississippi, which is, you know, a majority-black population town. There's seven Council Members. So it's good to see black, strong, conscious people getting involved in the electoral arena. And [when] he becomes mayor of Jackson Mississippi--that's going to be a historic moment."

Mr. Lumumba was a key member of the Republic of New Afrika movement, a group that began in the late 1960's and was dedicated to pushing for slavery reparations and the establishment of a sovereign, African-American nation located in the southeastern United States. Now, Mr. Lumumba is among a crowded field of candidates who are vying to replace incumbent Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr., who's running for a second term. Mr. Lumumba has described his platform as being based on the idea "that Love plus the Power of the people equals progress."

"It's going to be great for all people to see a new kind of leadership that's a lover of human rights, effective in dealing with an objective--a locked-out, a most oppressed people in the country. He has a history of going all over the country doing that," said Mr. Barron of Mr. Lumumba.

Newark Councilman Ras Baraka was also on the host committee of Mr. Lumumba's Manhattan fundraiser and his father, the controversial poet, playwright and activist Amiri Baraka, performed at the event. The younger Mr. Baraka has declared his intention to run for mayor in Newark and Mr. Barron said he would be backing him as well as Mr. Lumumba.

"So to support Chokwe Lumumba for mayor, and looking at Ras Baraka, Amiri Baraka's son--I'm supporting him for mayor of Newark," said Mr. Barron. "Get rid of the Cory Bookers, the sell-outs, those who are afraid to speak truth to power. It's going to be beautiful day."

Dov Hikind and his family in their Purim costumes. (Photo: Facebook)

Assemblyman Karim Camara, chairman of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, is "deeply shocked and outraged" by his fellow lawmaker Dov Hikind's "black basketball player" Purim costume. In his statement on the costume, Mr. Camara described it as "insensitive," compared it to the "blackface minstrel show" and demanded an apology.

"I am deeply shocked and outraged by the insensitive actions of Assemblyman Hikind, to dress as a black basketball player complete with tanned skin and an Afro wig," Mr. Camara said. "We, as leaders have to be extremely careful that we foster understanding amongst our different cultural groups and not use the images of one as a tool for humor. In speaking with many African Americans both leaders and average citizens, the outrage is widespread."

Mr. Camara compared Mr. Hikind's costume to stereotypical "blackface minstrels" that were once common in this country.

"The history of the blackface minstrel show is something deeply painful in the African American community. It brings back the memories of African Americans being reduced to 'buffoonery' just to gain access to the entertainment industry," he said. "The stereotypes embodied in blackface minstrels have played a significant role in cementing and proliferating racist images, attitudes and perceptions, which are still painful and offensive today."

Mr. Hikind has dismissed the criticism of his costume as "Political Correctness to the Absurd." However, Mr. Camara said, at a minimum, Mr. Hikind should offer an apology to anyone he offended.

"I find the actions of the Assemblyman to be callous and repugnant," said Mr. Camara. "At the very least, an apology should be issued to those who found his portrayal objectionable."

Mr. Camara isn't the only local lawmaker who has spoken out against Mr. Hikind's Purim getup. Councilman David G. Greenfield, who represents the Boro Park neighborhood along with Mr. Hikind, told Gothamist he disagreed with the Assemblyman's defense of the costume.

"He should've known better," Mr. Greenfield said.

Councilman Charles Barron told the Daily News Mr. Hikind's justifications for the outfit were "a bunch of crap."

“It is racist," said Mr. Barron. "He is trying to justify his racism."

Mr. Barron continued by saying Mr. Hikind should have used a different strategy if he wanted an outlandish Purim costume.

"If he wanted to find somebody who [looked] strange, wild and crazy, he should look in the mirror," Mr. Barron said. "He didn’t have to pick on us."

(Photo: Getty)

Tell us how you really feel, Councilman Lew Fidler.

Mr. Fidler, a known critic of his fellow councilman, Charles Barron, is definitely not on board with his colleague's potential plan to campaign for the Public Advocate's Office in 2013.

"I have a number of thoughts on the item about CM Barron seeking the office of Public Advocate, yet another office for which he is unfit to serve," Mr. Fidler explained in an unsolicited email about the topic sent to Politicker last night. "You have to wonder what kind of smoke there is in that smoked filled room that he calls his inner circle."

Addressing Mr. Barron's congressional campaign earlier this year, Mr. Fidler went on to point out Mr. Barron's lackluster performance in his own electoral base, and accused him of hypocrisy in his expected plan to swap seats with his wife, Assemblywoman Inez Barron. "I am sure that he would be the first to criticize others who propose to do the same…. as if there is no one else in his community capable of representing people in a competent way," wrote Mr. Fidler.

But perhaps most notably, Mr. Fidler leveled some of his sharpest criticism over Mr. Barron's recent election to district leader, which allows him to serve alongside his wife in Brooklyn's Democratic organization. Mr. Fidler felt Mr. Barron's continued advocacy of the Freedom Party, which seeks to elect third party candidates instead of Democrats, was a fundamental conflict.

"Mr. Barron was elected to be the head of the Democratic Party in his Assembly District. Yet, he talks about 'building' the Freedom Party," he argued. "That statement alone is grounds for a disenrollment proceeding in the Democratic Party, and that is something I would consider initiating if I felt it were truly worth my time and effort."

This is not the first time Mr. Fidler took issue with the Freedom Party.

View the full missive below:

I have a number of thoughts on the item about CM Barron seeking the office of Public Advocate, yet another office for which he is unfit to serve.

You have to wonder what kind of smoke there is in that smoked fill room that he calls his inner circle.

He is proud that the entire world opposed him and somehow this makes him a credible candidate for an even wider office? Why? Because fewer people will actually know him in the Bronx?

He is proud that he won East New York even though the Jewish media conspired to defeat him. Interesting conjunction there, as there likely are few if any Jews in East New York.

He mentions East New York, one of the neighborhoods that he was elected to represent for the past 11 years because it may well be the only neighborhood that he won...if indeed he did. He was drubbed in Canarsie which is also in his district. The margins there were close to three to one against their "home" Councilman.

And it is nice to know that he admits to conspiring with his wife to "swap" seats. I am sure that he would be the first to criticize others who propose to do the same.... as if there is no one else in his community capable of representing people in a competent way.

And finally, this past September, Mr. Barron was elected to be the head of the Democratic Party in his Assembly District. Yet, he talks about "building" the Freedom Party. That statement alone is grounds for a disenrollment proceeding in the Democratic Party, and that is something I would consider initiating if I felt it were truly worth my time and effort.

Charles Barron is affable, personable and funny, but he is also irresponsible and dangerous. He was defeated for Congress by far more people than "the Jweish media" which certainly had every good reason to oppose him. As did the 70% of the voting Democrats who did so as well.

and that sir is all on the record.

Lew Fidler

Charles Barron (Photo: Wayne Winston/Facebook)

Charles Barron, the bombastic Brooklyn councilman who lost a contentious congressional primary to Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries this summer, now has his eye on the city's second highest elected office--Public Advocate. Mr. Barron, who will be term-limited out of his current seat next year, is also, as has long been speculated, considering running for the assembly seat currently held by his wife, Inez, who may campaign to succeed her husband in the City Council. If Ms. Barron were successful in that effort, a special election would be held to replace her position in the State Legislature.

A tipster informed Politicker Mr. Barron has recently made a round of calls to test the waters for a potential Public Advocate run. When we reached the councilman today, he confirmed he has been discussing the possibility with members of his "inner circle."

"I've been talking to my inner circle about it, but I haven't been making calls outside of my inner circle," Mr. Barron said of a possible campaign for Public Advocate. "I'm definitely considering that and also considering, you know, my wife is considering a run for the City Council and I'm considering her seat as well. Those two things we definitely have open."

Current Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is widely expected to run for mayor, leaving a vacant office behind him, and a crowded field of contenders are campaigning for the job. Leading the pack are two Brooklyn lawmakers: State Senator Dan Squadron and Councilwoman Tish James. Should he indeed pull the trigger and campaign for Mr. de Blasio's position, Mr. Barron could help tilt the political winds in favor of Mr. Squadron, as Ms. James was previously on track to be the only African-American candidate in the race, which is often an electoral asset in citywide Democratic primaries. Also in the race are former congressional candidate Reshma Saujani, education advocate Noah Gotbaum and teacher Catherine Guerriero.

Though he lost his congressional bid, Mr. Barron said he was actually encouraged to seek another office by the strong opposition he faced in that campaign. The councilman's history of controversial comments including harsh criticisms of the Israeli government's treatment of the Palestinian people and expressions of support for the African dictators Muammar Qaddafi and Robert Mugabe helped lead a broad coalition of political leaders to support his opponent, Mr. Jeffries.

"We think that it was really kind of a compliment in that whole congressional race to have an alignment that is unheard of, you know, never in the annals of New York State politics has there ever been a power alignment like that to stop an individual," said Mr. Barron. "I'm talking about the DNC, the entire Democratic Party, taking pictures with the president--Clinton and Obama and having the mayor, we've reduced him to robocalls, and the two U.S. Senators, Gillibrand and Schumer, and three borough Presidents, the Speaker [of the Council] sending people from the staff and an alignment of Council members."

Mr. Barron also pointed to the business community, Jewish leaders and newspaper editorial pages who backed Mr. Jeffries as an example of the complimentary level of negative attention he faced during his congressional run that is spurring him to continue seeking public office when his Council term concludes.

"All the white media serviced him. 'Stop Barron,' the Observer had the nerve to say that. The 'Stop Barron' movement, the Crains, the Times, Post, all of the white media, 'Stop Barron.' And then, Wall Street, and the insurance companies and the hysterical Jewish community--Koch and leadership," Mr. Barron said. "People from all over the nation. That has never happened in the history of New York State politics to stop one person."

Along with his opponents, Mr. Barron cited the support he received after his defeat in the congressional race when he and his wife were elected leaders of their respected districts as another factor encouraging him to run for another office. In that race, Mr. and Ms. Barron faced rivals backed by Mr. Jeffries and, according to Mr. Barron at least, Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Vito Lopez.

"We beat Vito Lopez and Hakeem Jeffries' team out in East New York and they were behind them trying to get the Jewish vote and all of that again," he said. "So, we're going to build on that momentum, keep building the Freedom Party, keep building our movement. And we're open definitely for Public Advocate, I would be a great Public Advocate. That's a real strength of mine, advocacy. And we're also looking at, if my wife goes for the Council, I'll go for her seat. So, those are our future options."

Mr. Barron also cited a lack of people of color in powerful elected positions as a reason for him to consider mounting another campaign.

"Brooklyn is the most populous borough, 2.5 million people. There's about 800,000 blacks, about 500,000 Latinos, about 260,000 Asians. About 1.5 million are people of color and about 900,000 whites, and yet, the people of color, we have no power positions, none. Not the mayor, not the speaker of the city, we don't have in Brooklyn--we don't have the borough presidency, we don't have the county leader," Mr. Barron explained. "I just think that, unless we get the positions and have the right people in those positions...we're dealing with a borough that's suffering from high rates of foreclosures, unemployment, the poverty rate in a lot of our community is extremely high, the crime rate is high in our communities."

One community activist in Brooklyn told us they'd heard Mr. Barron was also mulling a run for mayor. Despite his desire to see more people of color in high ranking elected offices in the city, Mr. Barron said any speculation he's running for mayor is "incorrect" and he's only looking at the Public Advocate's Office and his wife's State Assembly seat.

"I want the people to anoint me as mayor without a race," Mr. Barron said with a laugh. "Do you think I can manage that?"

A map of New York City's State Senate districts.

It's Election Day in New York next Thursday! But instead of a titanic battle between ideologies--your Mitt Romneys vs. Barack Obamas, if you will--the options on the ballot will be little-noticed state legislative contests between candidates of the same party, often with few policy differences.

However, that doesn't mean that there aren't some exciting races happening. From "Who Gets Arrested for Raping a Grandmother?" to “Assemblywoman Caught Up in Sex Scandal with Two Young Men,” there's been no shortage of nasty drama and mud slinging as voters head to the polls.

Here's a breakdown of who's running and why it might matter who wins. The list below focuses on Democratic races because the few Republican primaries in this staunchly blue city tend to have clear favorites or are taking place in such Democratic territory that the victor is reasonably likely to be irrelevant.

So, without further ado...

Category #1: The End of the Rainbow

Four Republicans crossed the aisle to help pass gay marriage in New York last year, and three of them are running for re-election this year, Senators Mark Grisanti, Steve Saland and Roy McDonald, are all facing primary challengers that have come out on the opposite side of the marriage issue.

Advocates on both sides of the debate have invested heavily in these races, and regardless of the outcome, the results are sure to help set a national narrative about what happens to Republicans who support gay marriage. Can otherwise conservative lawmakers survive the backlash, or will their unorthodoxies topple their political careers? As state legislatures across this country consider passing gay marriage themselves, these three races could impact the discussion.

And with campaign literature like this, these races won't be short on fireworks.

Category #2: Indictment Excitement

There are a number of elected officials running for re-election with various criminal allegations hanging over their heads. If the more ethically challenged ones win and are eventually convicted of abusing their offices, the results of these races might send a depressing message about the state of the electorate. (They have all maintained their innocence.)

State Senator Shirley Huntley, who was arrested a couple weeks ago on charges that she used member items to line the pockets of her friends and family, is facing a very strong primary challenge from Councilman James Sanders. Even before Ms. Huntley's legal troubles, Mr. Sanders was mounting a credible primary challenge, as his base in Far Rockaway was drawn into her southeastern Queens district in this year's redistricting process. Mr. Sanders has also picked up support from a number of unions and the influential Rev. Floyd Flake, making this race seem like it's his to lose at this point.

Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. currently stands accused of one of the more hilarious acts of alleged official impropriety in recent memory -- taking bribes to pay for his legal bills he ran up in a separate bribery case. It's not clear if Mr. Boyland intends to fight the federal charges again or accept a plea deal, but the indictment--with wiretap evidence--seems pretty damning. Damning enough that he'd have a much harder re-election bid ahead of him if it weren't for the fact that he's facing eight (!) challengers who will split the anti-Boyland vote. With such a large field, it's difficult to get a clear read on this Brownsville and Ocean Hill-based district, but activist Tony Herbert and campaign operative Anthony Jones seems to be running some of the stronger non-Boyland campaigns.

Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera is being investigated by a small army of agencies on whether she may have illegally provided jobs to her boyfriends and used a nonprofit's funds for personal and political purposes. She faces a field of three opponents, but businessman Mark Gjonaj is running the most serious campaign of the bunch, with over $200,000 in his war chest and substantial investments in advertising and field operations. Ms. Rivera won't go down without a fight, however, and the Bronx Democratic establishment is pulling out all the stops to ensure she pulls out a victory. Will she be able to survive the barrage of bad headlines that have dogged her for the last few weeks and make it through Election Day?

Category #3: Rage Against the Machine

While Ms. Rivera's race features a classic establishment vs. insurgent dynamic, it's hardly the only one. Candidates across every borough except Staten Island are running against the folks who are currently in charge. Nowhere is this dynamic more pronounced than Brooklyn, where scandal-scarred Kings County Democratic boss Vito Lopez is still ostensibly in control and has yet to formally relinquish power. If anti-County candidates succeed, it will weaken the organizations' ability to convince mayoral contenders and other candidates they are still top dogs in this city.

District Leader Lincoln Restler is considered a rising star in Democratic politics, but before he can continue rising, he's going to have to win a tough reelection battle. Mr. Restler, a prominent critic of Mr. Lopez, would be cruising to reelection but for the fact his opponent, Chris Olechowski, is destined to receive the majority of the ballots in vote-heavy Hasidic Williamsburg. It seems like all the winds are blowing in Mr. Restler's favor, but given the bloc of votes against him, this will be a race that plenty of political observers will be following Thursday night.

Senator Martin Dilan may or may not be vulnerable, but given his close alliance with Mr. Lopez and the fact that his senate district overlaps with Mr. Lopez's assembly seat, his reelection race will serve as a test for the machine in Brooklyn's new political world. While Mr. Dilan would appear to have the edge, attorney Jason Otaño is mounting a vigorous campaign. If Mr. Otaño can make a strong showing, he could be a strong candidate in the future, at the very least.

Open Seat to replace outgoing Assemblywoman Grace Meng: A crowded field of candidates is vying to replace Ms. Meng--who left the her diverse seat based in Asian-majority Flushing to pursue a congressional campaign. The County's Democratic Party has backed Ron Kim, a former government aide and political operative, but his electoral prospects are far from clear. Ms. Meng has stayed out of the race and a number of other hopefuls, notably former City Council candidate Yen Chou, are in Mr. Kim's way. The other entrants in this unpredictable race are; Ethel Chen, Myungsuk Lee and Martha Flores-Vasquez.

Open seat to replace outgoing Assemblyman Rory Lancman: Mr. Lancman lost to Ms. Meng in her congressional race's Democratic primary and isn't pursuing reelection. His seat, like Ms. Meng's, is an Asian-majority district in northeastern Queens, but the field couldn't be more different as it features just two non-Asian candidates: community board chairman Jerry Iannece and former assembly chief of staff Nily Rozic. Queens Democrats are pushing hard for Mr. Iannece, and he would seem to be favored as a result. However, Ms. Rozic has picked up a number of notable endorsements, including The New York Times and various unions, creating a genuine horse race between the two.

State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, who's also running for reelection in a Queens district that has been reconfigured to be Asian-majority, shouldn't really be that vulnerable without any major blunders in office and a reliably Democratic voting record. However, she only won 45 percent of the vote  in 2010 against two challengers. With a district that now includes new areas, she's facing a rematch against one of her 2010 foes, John Messer. Mr. Messer, a businessman and attorney, has his placed his personal wealth in the campaign too, to the tune of $500,000. Ms. Stavisky, with close ties to her senate colleagues and Queens County, has been doing plenty of her own fundraising and running an aggressive campaign, however.

Open seat to replace outgoing Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries: Mr. Jeffries is on his way to become Brooklyn's next congressman and he's leaving a vacant Fort Greene and Clinton Hill-based district behind him. Three contenders are hoping to replace him; Walter Mosley, Ola Alabi and Martine Guerrier. Mr. Mosley has the support of Mr. Jeffries, who has a strong base in the district, but Ms. Alabi has been racking up endorsements and doesn't appear to be someone who can be easily counted out. Ms. Guerrier recently earned the endorsement of The Times and could potentially make an electoral mark of her own come Election Day.

Open seat: Pretty much everyone and their mother has endorsed community board chairman Brad Hoylman to replace retiring Senator Tom Duane in his Midtown-based district, but businessman Tommy Greco is hoping he can make a dent with the help of the storied McManus Club. It wold be a pretty surprising upset for Mr. Greco to pull off a victory, however.
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Category #4: Demographic Pressures

Like it or not, voting patterns often correspond with with ethnicity and political candidates often seek to take advantage of this fact. Some incumbents hold on year after year in districts that don't exactly look like them, while others have seen their districts change beneath their feet since they were first elected. Sometimes it all comes down to the political talents of the incumbents, while in other cases, there just might not be a path to victory anymore.

Assemblyman Steve Cymbrowitz is facing a challenge from Ben Akselrod in a race that could demonstrate electoral power of southeastern Brooklyn's Russian-speaking community. Mr. Akselrod, who started off with a strong campaign, stumbled a bit lately when he release a campaign mailer that referred to crime going up in the "negrohood," a mistake that generated local and national coverage. Whoever wins will be one of the more vulnerable Democratic candidates in the city, as the district's Russian and Orthodox Jews communities are increasingly trending conservative at the ballot box.

In a race that will test demographic realities to their very limit, veteran Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs is hoping she can be successfully reelected again in a district that is only 15% white. She is facing a serious challenge from District Leader Rodneyse Bichotte, who is of Caribbean descent. Ms. Jacobs, a high-ranking member of the State Assembly, is hoping for high turnout in the district's observant Jewish community.

Assemblyman Mike Miller is running for reelection in a district that contains Woodhaven and is plurality Latino. He faces off against Etienne David Adorno, who seems to be mounting a spirited campaign. If Mr. Miller's fundraising were just a tad stronger, this might not be a race to watch, but his campaign war chest is fairly weak for an incumbent.
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Category #5: Odds & Ends

There are some races to keep your thumb on that might not fit into an overarching narrative, but could still be well-worth watching for various reasons. More details below.

State Senator Adriano Espaillat, who narrowly lost a campaign against veteran Rep. Charlie Rangel earlier this year, is now running for reelection and facing a Rangel-backed challenger in Guillermo Linares. Mr. Linares, who's been endorsed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and The New York Times, hasn't been holding his own in fundraising, but Mr. Espaillat has been spending lots of money and would appear to have the edge in this Washington Heights and West Side-based district. Mr. Espaillat is a leading contender for Mr. Rangel's seat in 2014, but his political career could be nipped in the bud if Mr. Linares is able to pull off an upset.

Open seat: With Mr. Linares' challenge to Mr. Espaillat, there's a new vacant Assembly district on the northern tip of Manhattan, and several contenders, including Mr. Linares' daughter Mayra Linares, are hoping to replace him. The other candidates include Assembly aide Gabriela Rosa and former candidate Ruben Vargas. Ms. Rosa, who is backed by Mr. Espaillat, and Ms. Linares, who is obviously being supported by her father, would appear to be the frontrunners. How much Mr. Espaillat and Mr. Linares can impact this race is unknown, however, as both may be focused on their own rivalry.

Councilman Charles Barron has made headlines in recent years with provocative campaigns for governor and congress, both of which he lost badly. However, Mr. Barron is not ready to exit stage right just yet. Insiders believe Mr, Barron and his wife, Assemblywoman Inez Barron, may intend to switch offices  and keep their respective seats in the family when he is term-limited in 2013. First, Ms. Barron will have to succeed in her own re-election bid against Chris Banks.

Moshe and Avraham Tischler, brothers who are 20 and 21 years old respectively, are challenging incumbent Assemblyman Dov Hikind and frontrunner State Senate candidate Simcha Felder for two overlapping Brooklyn seats. While neither is especially likely to win, should they post strong showings, it could be taken as a sign of weakness for the two establishment pols they're opposing, as well as the Orthodox Jewish political establishment at-large. Mr. Hikind doesn't have a GOP opponent but Mr. Felder is running against incumbent Republican Senator David Storobin, and he'll need Democrats on his side in the general election.

Assemblywoman Barbara Clark's ethical issues aren't quite enough to land her in the "Indictment Excitement" category, but attorney Clyde Vanel is running an active campaign and is hoping that voter dissatisfaction could lead to an upset in her eastern Queens district.
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Veteran Assemblyman Nick Perry shouldn't necessarily be vulnerable, but his opponent, attorney and community board chairman Terry Hinds, has a relatively strong profile.
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Well, there you have it. For those who really want to get into the weeds, there are also a number of competitive court races across the city. Otherwise, this list should be more than enough to keep you busy on Election Day. Politicker, of course, will be up late into the night following the results.

(Photo: Jeffries campaign)

"If anybody that decides to run against me, ... I suggest that they have to raise at least $2 million dollars to finish a respectable last, just to finish respectable they're going to need $2 million," Councilman Charles Barron declared at his congressional campaign kickoff last November.

Well, obviously that didn't happen, and then some. Mr. Barron's ultimately victorious opponent, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, has truly raked in the money and his quarterly FEC filing will show $1,235,862.01 when his campaign files it in a couple days, his spokeswoman Lupe Todd said (she included the extra penny). Ms. Todd further stated the majority of their contributions came in the form of $100 or less.

The number indicates a significant number of contributions came in close to Election Day, as he reported raising about $750,000 in total a couple weeks before voters cast their ballots.

An operative supporting Mr. Jeffries we spoke to about the money haul took a bit of a victory lap, pointing to Mr. Barron's initial claims about what his opponents would need to raise.

"Charles suggested that Hakeem would have to raise over a $1M to come in a respectable second or third. Instead, Hakeem beat him [in votes] on his own block," the operative added. "What’s up, Charles?"

The politico also referenced Mr. Jeffries being labeled a "Majority Maker" by the electoral arm of the House Democrats, adding, "Of course these numbers attracted the attention of national Democrats which tapped him for Majority Makers and other initiatives to help President Obama."

Charles Barron (Photo: Facebook)

As the Democratic establishment rallied around Brooklyn Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries' congressional campaign, a number of forces weighed in. Among them was the progressive advocacy group MoveOn.org, which sent an email to its supporters declaring Mr. Jeffries opponent, Councilman Charles Barron, was "unfit to serve."

"But what Barron doesn't want you to know is that rather than actually trying to fix problems, he's spent his career specializing in divisive, offensive, and just plain outrageous statements and behavior," the email declared, for example.

The message proceeded to give a small "sampling" of some of the more controversial things Mr. Barron has said in the past, such as, "I want to go up to the closest white person and say, 'You can't understand this, it's a black thing' and then slap him, just for my mental health."

The organization received some criticism after the move and it seems that MoveOn truly regrets entering the Democratic primary, which was settled Tuesday of last week with an overwhelming victory by Mr. Jeffries. They sent out another email this evening profusely apologizing again and again for their aggressive rhetoric against Mr. Barron.

"It was offensive and inflammatory—and we shouldn't have sent it," the group's executive director, Justin Ruben, wrote. "On behalf of the MoveOn staff, I apologize to you and to the Brooklyn community."

The entire email is somewhat incredible, and can be viewed below, along with the original "Unfit to serve" one beneath that:

Subject: We apologize
Dear MoveOn member,

Last month, you received an email from MoveOn about Councilman Charles Barron, a candidate for Congress in your district. It was offensive and inflammatory—and we shouldn't have sent it.

On behalf of the MoveOn staff, I apologize to you and to the Brooklyn community.

The email was all too reminiscent of the kind of attacks that have been used by our opponents to divide progressives over and over again—white folks from African Americans, Jews from non-Jews, recent immigrants from descendants of immigrants, etc.

MoveOn is a community of 7 million of us from every corner of our country. There are MoveOn members of every race, religion, and color. We aspire to bring folks together to fight for racial and economic justice and democracy—with respect for everyone. This email did the opposite.

After the email was sent, we couldn't undo the harm it had done. But we wanted to do our best to avoid doing any more damage. So we didn't say anything further about Councilman Barron for the duration of the race, limiting our involvement to communicating the positive reasons that MoveOn members in the district chose to endorse Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries back in April.

We can't take back our actions. But we can do better going forward to make sure that we are uniting, not dividing, our shared communities.

Again, our sincerest apologies. And if you have any thoughts you'd like to share with us about the email or about how MoveOn can be a constructive force in local races and issues in the future, please don't hesitate to email me at [x]@moveon.org.

Thank you for all you do.

Justin Ruben
Executive Director
MoveOn.org Political Action

Subject: Unfit to serve
Dear MoveOn member,

There are some people who don't belong in elected office. Charles Barron is one of those people.

Barron is running for Congress from New York's new 8th District, and with very few voters expected to show up for the primary on June 26, he has a legitimate chance of winning. Retiring corporate Democrat Ed Towns has endorsed Barron to spite his political enemies and Barron is furiously working to hide his inflammatory record.

But what Barron doesn't want you to know is that rather than actually trying to fix problems, he's spent his career specializing in divisive, offensive, and just plain outrageous statements and behavior. Here's just a sampling:

"Out there, they don't know that [Libyan leader Muammar] Qaddafi was our brother. People say 'Didn't he kill all those people?' I say, 'I don't know anything.'"1

When asked about the gay rights movement, Barron said, "I don't consider it a civil rights issue of our time."2

"The biggest terrorist in the world is the government of Israel."3

"I want to go up to the closest white person and say, 'You can't understand this, it's a black thing' and then slap him, just for my mental health."4

Barron explained his opposition to gay marriage by saying, "I believe simply in an institution of marriage between a man and a woman. My wife and I believe that. We support every other thing regarding gay rights and we support everything but the marriage thing. We don't want to have people impose their values or beliefs on us and we're not imposing ours on you."5

Barron invited Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe to speak at City Hall despite the fact that, "Amnesty International holds President Mugabe and his government responsible for the attacks against opposition politicians, against members of civilian society, against African farm workers and for creating an environment of fear and intimidation."6

This is the kind of thing we've come to expect from the most offensive tea partier. Those tea partiers, frankly, don't belong in Congress. And neither does Charles Barron.

Can you pass on this email to make sure no voter in the 8th District is fooled by Barron's recent attempts to whitewash his record?

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Levana, and the rest of the team

Hakeem Jeffries declaring victory last night. (Photo: David Freedlander)

Oof.

Looking at a detailed result of last night's election where Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries thumped Councilman Charles Barron, it seems that Mr. Barron could not even pull out a victory in his own district, let alone his wife's smaller assembly district (or any other way you would care to slice the results).

The Board of Elections disseminated the results by assembly districts, and Ms. Barron's A.D. in East New York contained Mr. Barron's best performance of the night, by far. Mr. Jeffries won 53% of the vote there.

Mr. Jeffries' astounding performance in many ways might be attributed to the way the media covered the race. Prominent publications declared Mr. Barron to be "surging" while assigning him a passionate base of supporters that could theoretically overwhelm Mr. Jeffries in a low turnout affair. National and local Democrats subsequently panicked at the possibility of the controversial pol going to Washington, resulting in more theoretical steam for Mr. Barron. But as one electoral observer described it, "Not even his own neighbors supported him!"

In the end, what drives results in low-turnout elections is the organizational capacity to identify and contact every single voter inclined to support your candidate. Mr. Jeffries, with almost every labor union, the Working Families Party, and an energized base of support throughout the district's demographics, simply dominated.

You can view the results, broken down by Assembly District below:

Grace Meng declaring victory with a plethora of elected officials and press surrounding her.

After much tension and circumstance, today's primary elections for federal elections have come to a close, and there were few surprises to be found.

In each congressional race, the candidate of the conventional wisdom emerged victorious and all incumbents that sought to return to Washington D.C. next year are now set to do so -- at least in parts of heavily Democratic New York City where primary elections are the actual contest.

The list of primary champions includes Reps. Charlie Rangel, Nydia Velázquez and Yvette Clarke, with open seat contenders Hakeem Jeffries and Grace Meng added in as well.

In the U.S. Senate race, attorney Wendy Long defeated Re. Bob Turner and  Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos and will challenge Kirsten Gillibrand in the fall.

In the hotly contested race to challenge Hudson Valley Rep. Nan Hayworth, attorney Sean Patrick Maloney defeated his rivals and clinched the nomination.

Notably among the results, the much-hyped race between Councilman Charles Barron and Mr. Jeffries didn't turn out to be much of an affair after all. Mr. Jeffries absolutely dominated the vote, winning close to three quarters of the ballots.