Charles Barron (Photo: Facebook)

Mr. Nadler said he specifically asked Mr. Towns not to endorse Mr. Barron.

"His response was that he would think about it and do what he thought proper," Mr. Nadler told The Politicker.

He said he hasn't spoken to Mr. Towns since.

Mr. Greenfield, who organized the press conference denouncing Mr. Barron said he thought Mr. Towns' endorsement was taking the media's focus off of Mr. Barron's history of making incredibly controversial statements.

"The media blew up Ed Towns making an endorsement but ignored, in our opinion, the fact that this individual, Charles Barron, is an individual who has a long track record of hatred, and hatemongering, and bigtory and anti-Semitism."

Prior to Mr. Towns announcing his retirement, Mr. Barron ran against him in 2006. Mr. Hikind said, prior to giving Mr. Barron his backing this year, Mr. Towns enlisted the support of many of the same leaders at the press conference to fight Mr. Barron.

"We stood with Ed Towns. He asked us to stand with him against Charles Barron. He told us how dangerous Charles Barron was and all the words that we used today, this is what Ed Towns said to us," said Mr. Hikind. "If over the last two years, Charles Barron has repented, I missed it. Where was I?"

Mr. Hikind, who was one of the few major elected supporters of Mr. Towns' 2011 bid to be district leader, also accused the departing Congressman of having less than pure motivations for his endorsement of Mr. Barron.

"If I thought for one moment that Towns did this on principle, it would be different. I don't think anyone accuses Towns of endorsing Charles Barron on principle," Mr. Hikind said. "This is politics at its worst."

Ed Towns

Both Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and Councilman Charles Barron said they would like retiring Congressman Ed Towns' backing for his own seat, but only one of them, Mr. Barron, received it.  And, not long after Mr. Towns' endorsement event earlier today, Mr. Jeffries' spokeswoman Lupé Todd described Mr. Towns' decision in rather skeptical terms.

"Charles Barron has emerged from the backroom to consummate a shotgun marriage with a sworn political enemy," Ms. Todd said in a statement, referencing Mr. Barron's multiple campaigns against the incumbent.

"Hakeem Jeffries spent today in Albany with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly advancing meaningful marijuana arrest reform legislation that will dramatically improve the lives of tens of thousands of New Yorkers each year," she continued. "The contrast couldn't be any clearer."

Brooklyn politicos told us Mr. Towns' decision is probably due to the strained relationship he's had with Brooklyn's Democratic leader, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who placed his full support into Mr. Jeffries' efforts to unseat the incumbent when he was still running for reelection. However, at today's event, Mr. Towns described his decision-making process in much different terms.

"I looked at both candidates and I wanted to make certain the district that I was leaving had the strongest and best representation. When I looked at that across the board then automatically I went to Councilman Barron," he said. "That was it, simple as that."

The scene from today's event

Congressman Ed Towns, who rather suddenly endorsed Councilman Charles Barron for his congressional seat this year, is fully behind Mr. Barron's candidacy. Indeed, with a big smile on his face earlier today, Mr. Towns swore to put every resource he has into electing Mr. Barron, which he assured reporters would happen as the "Charles Barron for Congress" song blared from the lips of a throng of supporters around him.

"Why?" Mr. Towns asked himself to start off his speech. "Well, I'm glad you asked the question. We need a strong voice in Washington D.C., a person that's independent and is going to tell it like it is."

Mr. Towns took a few indirect potshots at Mr. Barron's rival for the Democratic nomination, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, as well.

"We need to have someone that's going to be involved in a direct fashion, none of this wishy-washy stuff, talking one thing in this neighborhood, another thing in that neighborhood," he continued. "We need to have somebody that is going to look at the facts, tell it like it is because that's the way it is!"

The event also represented a continuation of the makeover Mr. Barron's political brand has been undergoing. When he announced his campaign, he made bold proclamations in favor of African dictators and against Israel, but he has been decidedly subdued since. Accordingly, today, both Mr. Towns and Mr. Barron brushed aside some of the more controversial remarks he's made.

"I don't think that that's an issue," Mr. Towns said when a reporter asked if he'd have a hard time justifying his support for Mr. Barron to his Jewish supporters, some of whom have already blasted the move. "I'm looking at the district I represented for 30 years and I'm leaving it and I want to be in good hands, and that's the reason I'm doing this."

Mr. Towns also dismissed some of the criticism Mr. Barron made against his record, such as when Mr. Barron labeled the incumbent a "disaster."

"That was some time ago, it wasn't last week. What happened six months ago -- a year ago -- it's not even important!" Mr. Towns told us as he was walking out of the press conference. "Him and I have had a lot of discussions and he's committed to the things I'm committed to, and I'm happy and excited about it. And you will be invited to the victory party."

Ed Towns

We've been heavily hinting at the probability all weekend, but it can now be said for sure: Congressman Ed Towns will endorse his former opponent, Councilman Charles Barron, for his congressional seat tomorrow afternoon. Mr. Barron is competing against Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries in a high-profile Democratic primary election June 26th.

Various Brooklyn politicos have told The Politicker the decision can be attributed to the tension between Mr. Towns and the head of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, Assemblyman Vito Lopez. In addition to supporting Mr. Jeffries this year, Mr. Lopez opposed Mr. Towns' daughter when she unsuccessfully ran for the State Assembly last year for the seat held by her brother, Darryl Towns.

“Independent voices are needed more than ever in today’s political environment,” Mr. Towns said in a statement, probably referencing Mr. Lopez's support for Mr. Jeffries. “That’s why I am giving my support to Charles Barron who has been an independent voice over the years. He is unselfish and is definitely has the interests of the people of this district at heart.”

Mr. Towns was previously running for reelection before abruptly announcing his retirement about a month ago. His statement supporting Mr. Barron, who ran against him in 2006 as well, rather favorably referenced his reelection chances this year had he decided to actually run again.

"Rep. Towns was favored to win the primary for the newly-created 8th Congressional District until he decided to retire after 30 years in Congress," it read. "While Barron’s opponent has racked up a significant number of endorsements from a wide range of supporters, some believe this will make him beholden to a large number of special interests."

Bill Thompson "flip-flopped" and now supports the Living Wage bill that passed the City Council this week.

The State Assembly passed a New York version of the DREAM ACT with a a privately financed scholarship fund to help the children of immigrants pay college tuitions.

State Senate Republicans voted to steer $10 million in leftover education money to GOP districts. 

The Daily News gives a "hearty huzzah" to Christine Quinn for walking out of the living wage press conference.

Ed Towns' wife may miss his life in politics--she currently drives around in a new Infinity paid for by his campaign fund.

John Liu's campaign treasurer plead not guilty to charges that she helped funnel illegal campaign contribution to Liu's comptroller campaign.

She may want a separate fraud trial from Oliver Pan, who is also accused in the scheme.

Dominic Recchia, Erik Dilan and Lew Fidler were the City Council's biggest purveyors of pork. 

Indicted Bronx councilman Larry Seabrook got nothing, however. 

The head of New York Anti-Defamation League didn't approve of Ruben Diaz comparing abortion laws to Hitler.

City lawmakers want to regulate the car wash industry the same way that the tow trucks, garages, and other industries are regulated.

The hospital executive who bribed Carl Kruger got four months in jail. 

Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman announced that New York will become the first state to require pro bono work for lawyers to be admitted to the bar.

About 1,000 people participated in May Day protests in New York yesterday, culminating in the arrest of 30 or so.

The Department of Consumer Affairs found that one in three funeral homes are violating consumer rights.

Colin Meyer, the editor of the Daily News became a prime target of a British parliamentary panel’s report on the phone-hacking scandal.

Antoine Thompson appears to be contemplating a comeback. 

After a relatively easy trip through the primaries, Mitt Romney is now facing the task of running against an incumbent president who can largely set the agenda. 

Obama vowed to finish the job in Afghanistan. 

Chris Christie said that Mitt Romney would need to convince him to be his running mate. 

The American people want the war in Afghanistan over already. 

Ed Towns

Retiring Congressman Ed Towns did not submit petitions to be on the ballot last night, closing the door on his ability to anoint an ally to run in his stead, according to one knowledgeable tipster. This sets up a direct head-to-head match between Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and Councilman Charles Barron in the June 26th Democratic primary.

The process of selecting of switching out one's ballot placement with a successor is an uncommon one, and typically is only done when the incumbent is unopposed, so it would have been surprising had Mr. Towns opted for this path.

On the other hand, his exit from politics has been anything but usual, and with both Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Barron criticizing his 30 year record, there was a small chance Mr. Towns would prefer someone else.

Nevertheless, Mr. Towns has closed the door on the possibility and establishment forces that supported him previously, like the Queens County Democratic Party, are already announcing their intentions of getting behind Mr. Jeffries, while Mr. Jeffries himself declared last night he would seek the endorsement from the outgoing incumbent.

Hakeem Jeffries and Ed Towns (Photo: NY1)

Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries had critical words to describe incumbent Congressman Ed Towns when the two were competing against one another, but now that Mr. Towns has bowed out, Mr. Jeffries is paying a healthy respect to his record and is seeking his endorsement.

"I commend him for his 30 years of service and the decision that he's made at this point to move on, and I wish him well at this next stage of his professional career," Mr. Jeffries told Errol Louis on Inside City Hall earlier tonight.

"Well I certainly hope to talk to him over the next couple days," Mr. Jeffries said in response as to whether he would like to have Mr. Towns' formal backing. "I would welcome his support, he has a lot of knowledge and information about the congressional district, the neighborhoods he's represented for the last 30 years."

"There's a significant number of challenges that people face," he added. "His knowledge, understanding, and wisdom as to how to go about solving some of those problems, would be something that I would welcome."

As recently as last Saturday, however, Mr. Jeffries was slightly more skeptical about Mr. Towns' record, calling him the "candidate of the Washington special interests."

"Well, we know what we've gotten over the last 30 years from the Congressperson, and again, I respect his service," he told reporters after his campaign headquarters opening. "You can't continue to do the same thing and expect different results."

Mr. Jeffries appears likely to be facing off directly against bombastic Councilman Charles Barron for the nomination, but we won't know the whole field until midnight tonight when all of the candidates have submitted their petitions to be on the ballot.

For his part, Mr. Towns told Inside City Hall he had not decided if he would back a candidate to replace him.

"MoveOn members are excited to hear that after too many years opposing the interests of the 99%, Rep. Ed Towns has finally decided to retire," says the group in his official statement. "From his vote for CAFTA to his opposition to a free and open Internet, Rep. Towns had long ago stopped fighting for working families so he can support corporate special interests instead."

Based on our inbox alone, it appears as if Mr. Towns was something of a less than beloved figure in the New York political world. When his colleague, longtime Rep. Gary Ackerman retired this year, the announcement was met with a host of good wishes from Mayor Mike Bloomberg on down. There has been no such outpouring today, something MoveOn seems to celebrate.

"Those positions left him with basically no support from the more than 19,000 MoveOn members in the new 8th District, and would have made him unlikely to prevail in June. Towns' retirement is a victory for the 99%, and MoveOn members will continue to support leaders like Eric Griego in New Mexico and Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts who are fighting for the middle class."

It remains to be seen where other progressive groups go now that the race is between Hakeem Jeffries and Charles Barron. Although Mr. Jeffries has been gathering support from labor unions and others, it is hard to get to the left of Mr. Barron, a former Black Panther.

Charles Barron (Photo: Facebook)

With Congressman Ed Towns' sudden exit from his own reelection campaign last night, the primary field to replace him might very well only contain Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and Councilman Charles Barron. And it's a match where, in terms of resources, Mr. Jeffries looks likely to dominate.

Indeed, Mr. Barron appears to have only raised $41,000 in the last month, with $40,000 coming from the Councilman himself. He also has another committee, which he used in 2011 and has not filed a 2012 report for yet, where he and his wife gave close to $15,000 out of a bit more than $17,500 raised in total.

Mr. Jeffries, on the other hand, has close to $400,000 on hand for the June 26th primary, leaving him a campaign war chest over six times the size of Mr. Barron's two committees combined.

For his part, Mr. Barron has always boasted that the dedication of his supporters is enough to blunt his opponents' financial advantage.

"They should call me Charles 'Broke' Barron," Mr. Barron said at his announcement rally. "I'm so glad that I don't have to have money because I've got the most precious, precious, valuable thing on Earth, and that's you the people. Because money doesn't vote, people vote."

Meanwhile, it is still feasible that a third notable candidate could leap into the race if Mr. Towns were to submit his petitions to get onto the ballot and then decline them, which would allow him to anoint a new person to campaign in his stead. However, it's not clear if Mr. Towns has even collected a sufficient number of signatures for tonight's midnight deadline or has any intentions of doing this sort of maneuver.

Congressman Towns

Congressman Ed Towns is not seeking reelection, Politico reported in an email tonight, citing “a source familiar with his decision." This news was subsequently confirmed by the New York Daily News' Alison Gendar, who reported that Mr. Towns is making calls to supporters saying he's not seeking reelection.

Mr. Towns' reported exit is both surprising and unsurprising. He had no reelection campaign to speak of, but had also recently hired Hank Sheinkopf to handle his communications and was ramping up his fundraising as recently as March.

His move would leave the overwhelmingly Democratic district's primary field with only two main challengers, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and Councilman Charles Barron. Mr. Jeffries, who has been aggressively securing the endorsements of politically influential unions, clubs, and elected officials in the district, would appear to have the advantage.

Mr. Jeffries has also significantly outraised Mr. Barron and has more than ten times the cash on hand. However, Mr. Barron may benefit from his increased name recognition coming from his previous campaign for the seat, as well as his third party run for governor last year.

There is an added wrinkle in the possibility of Mr. Towns anointing a new candidate in his stead, via the committee to fill vacancies. If he were to file petitions to be on the ballot by tomorrow at midnight, that would be indicative of his intentions to do just that. However, nothing in the reports emerging so far has suggested he will seek a replacement candidate

The primary is June 26th.

Update: An NY1 reporter also tweeted confirmation that Mr. Towns is not running, as did one from FOX News.