Adolfo Carrión Jr. (Photo: carrion2013.com)

Mayoral candidate Adolfo Carrión Jr. raised just $18,000 over the latest fundraising period, his campaign announced on Monday.

Mr. Carrión, who is running on the Independence Party ticket, still has more than $530,000 cash on-hand--enough to keep him in the race. But the total, raised from March 12 through May 11, is less than the numbers put up by many City Council candidates and is a sure a blow for the former Bronx Borough President's bid for the top job in City Hall.

"Mr. Carrión made a choice to buck the traditional path to City Hall and the old political playbook. Our fundraising this period reflects the challenges that exist for independent campaigns," the campaign said in a statement.

"It demonstrates just how many donors still view our politics as a two-party proposition and the concern some have about the political consequences of giving to an independent campaign. We aim to change that dynamic and remain confident that as the primaries in the Democrat and Republican Parties seek to divide the electorate," they added. "We are paying our bills, building our team, beginning voter contact and doing all the things we need to do to at this point in the campaign. It's a marathon, not a sprint."

Some political observers, however weren't quite so confident in Mr. Carrión's path now. One, Baruch College professor Doug Muzzio, said the numbers were a serious problem for the candidate.

"Fughedaboudit," he said via email. "Can't raise money = no shot."

Candidates across the city have until Wednesday to submit their fund-raising and spending information to the New York City Campaign Finance Board.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated the starting date of the latest filing period.

Mr. Carrión, a candidate for mayor this year, blasted the publication this afternoon for a March 5th story questioning an old campaign committee, continuing what has become an apparent feud between Mr. Carrión and the tabloid. The report called into question the committee's regular large cash disbursements, an apparent violation of state election law, but the Carrión campaign is claiming it misled readers.

"New Yorkers would do well to question a March 6, 2013 story in the NY Daily News that is littered with half-truths, innuendo and inaccuracies, regarding a political action committee established by supporters of Adolfo Carrion in 2001. The NY Daily News chose to publish this fundamentally dishonest and intentionally misleading article without regard to the facts," they declared today, almost two weeks after the original story ran. "A reporter contacted Carrion 2013 with an extensive list of questions about the committee, which had ceased operations over 6 years ago. The Daily News could have had the information below, but flatly refused to hold their story to enable the campaign to do the requisite research to provide a thoughtful, fact-based response."

This was not the first exchange between the Daily News and Mr. Carrión. The Independence Party, which endorsed Mr. Carrión, attacked the paper for not inviting the former Bronx borough president to one of its mayoral forums, while the party itself was the subject of a highly-critical investigative series that ran in its pages late last year. Mr. Carrión's statement hinted at the strained relationship.

"Repeated attempts by the NY Daily News to call into question Adolfo Carrion’s integrity and reputation as a hardworking public servant should be exposed for what they are: a cynical and cheap way to sell newspapers," his campaign continued. "Carrion 2013 calls on the NY Daily News to commit to intellectual honesty and professional journalism as the standard for its reporters."

For their part, a Daily News spokesman told Politicker Mr. Carrión's criticism is misplaced.

"The Daily News stands by its reporting and story," he wrote in an email.

Adolfo Carrion with Jackie Salit.

A beaming Adolfo Carrion confirmed he will be running for mayor whether or not he gets on the Republican Party Line, setting up the strong possibility of a three-way mayoral slugfest in the fall general election.

"Absolutely. We're going all the way to November," Mr. Carrion told Politicker at a national Independence Party conference in Manhattan on Saturday. "We're hopeful we can continue a discussion with the Republicans and they continue to engage us. But this is about ensuring that there is an independent choice for mayor of New York City. I think that's where the voters are."

Mr. Carrion received an enthusiastic welcome from the several hundred conference attendees, first delivering a stump speech of sorts and then sitting for a fawning question-and-answer session with Jackie Salit, a head of the New York City Independence Party. Mr. Carrion, a former Bronx Borough President and Obama Administration official who left the Democratic Party last year, shed light upon what a Carrion candidacy would look like and how it would differ from the well-financed Democrats he would need to fend off in November.

"This was not a departure from the core principals of the Democratic Party for me, personally," Mr. Carrion told us of his decision not to run as a Democrat. "I'm a social progressive. I think that government should stay out of our personal lives as much as possible. That might be considered libertarian by some people, some standards. There are Republicans who feel the same way as well. I'm also a fiscal conservative. I believe we need to push back on special interests and make sure we balance the books. I do believe the best social program is a job and that we have a very dysfunctional relationship with communities of color that have been locked in poverty for three and four and five generations with apparently no hopes of ever getting out."

The controversial Independence Party is courted by mayoral candidates on both sides of the aisle because of the few but crucial votes it can provide in a tight election. Mayor Michael Bloomberg ran with the backing of the Independence Party three times and, in 2009, the approximately 150,000 votes he received on the party line made the difference in his 50,000 vote victory over Bill Thompson. For Mr. Carrion, who has a little under a million dollars in his war chest left over from an aborted comptroller run in 2009, the party's backing allows him to run for mayor and makes him more viable in the eyes of Republican county leaders. Since he is not a registered Republican, three out of five county chairs must grant him permission to run on the GOP line and according to reports, Mr. Carrion is still not guaranteed a third county chair's blessing.

A source close to the campaign believes the Independence Party backing may tip the scales in Mr. Carrion's favor to get him the GOP nod as well, but thinks he can compete regardless. The source described the undertaking of a national fundraising effort and his ability to appeal to New York City's booming Hispanic demographic, which lacks a front-line mayoral candidate. Mr. Carrion's presence in the general election could cause trouble for a Democrat, particularly if he can draw away outer borough minority voters that traditionally vote for Democrats.

The source confirmed a campaign kickoff would be coming "soon" but would not specify a date.

(Photo: Facebook)

The Independence Party is fuming that likely candidate Adolfo Carrión was not invited to last night’s Daily News mayoral forum, going so far as to blast out a statement last night tearing into the paper--the clearest indication yet that the ex-Bronx Borough President is likely to receive their coveted (and controversial) endorsement.

“The Daily News ... has articulated no clear criteria for inclusion but its decision clearly discriminates against independents, which Mr. Carrión is,” said Cathy Stewart, a spokesperson for the New York City Independence Party. “This exclusion is an affront to democracy and the 1 million New Yorkers who are independent. The Daily News is supposed to cover elections, not pre-determine them.”

Prior to this latest incident, the Daily News and the Independence Party already weren't on the best of terms. Much of the controversy surrounding the party was sparked by a series of front page editorials that appeared in the News late last year that slammed the party for placing "unwilling and unwitting voters" on its governing committees and for confusing voters who believe they are simply registering as "independent" when they join the party.

A former Democrat and Obama Administration official, Mr. Carrión has courted both Republican leaders and the Independence Party for his potential mayoral bid. However, as a registered independent, Mr. Carrión would need the blessing of three out of the five Republican county chairmen to run on the GOP line, the prospect of which has appeared to dwindle with former M.T.A. Chairman Joe Lhota leaping into the race.

Whether or not he gets to run on the Republican line, a spokesman for Mr. Carrión indicated he would be willing to run on the Independence Party's line alone.

"Adolfo appreciates the support he is receiving from the leadership of the Independence and Republican parties," he said. "New Yorkers concerned about fixing their schools and growing the economy will be able to support his independent vision for New York City whether he's on one, two or three different ballot lines."

A press coordinator for last night's debate did not return a request for comment.

Tom Allon

Tom Allon wants you to know he doesn’t have an Independence streak.

The Manhattan Media CEO, recent Republican and long-shot mayoral candidate released a statement blasting the controversial Independence Party and his rivals in the wake of an opinionated Daily News investigation into the party’s origins. The piece, which quoted party leader Lenora Fulani asserting that Jews “do the dirtiest work of capitalism, to function as mass murderers of people of color,” enraged Mr. Allon.

As the New York Times has noted, Mr. Allon is currently the only Jewish candidate running for mayor and he is hoping the city's many Jewish voters will rally around him. According to the Daily News, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Queens State Sen. Malcolm Smith and former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion--all potential rivals of Allon’s--recently schmoozed with various Independence Party leaders.

"Christine Quinn, Malcolm Smith and Adolfo Carrion should be ashamed that they are pictured with Fulani at a recent event,” Mr. Allon said in a statement. "They, and all other candidates for office in New York, should reject the Independence Party line as long as Lenora Fulani is associated with it and as long as  the party continues to deceive those voters in New York who really just want to be Independent, not Independence Party members.”

Mr. Allon also took the opportunity to remind everyone that he is the descendant of Holocaust survivors.

"As the son of Holocaust survivors, I find people like Newman and Fulani the vilest of anti-Semites and anyone who associates with them should be judged accordingly,” he said.

Nan Hayworth (Photo: Facebook)

Hudson Valley Congressman Nan Hayworth's bid to hold onto the Independence Party line was thwarted in appeals court yesterday and the Republican will have one less spot on the ballot as she competes against Democratic attorney Sean Patrick Maloney this November. Not content to leave the news stand on its own, Mr. Maloney blasted out a statement this afternoon entitled, "Hayworth Can’t Find 770 Independent Voters Who Want Her Back."

Of course, "Independent" voters aren't the same thing as the more common "independent" variety, but Mr. Maloney felt her inability to secure enough signatures to spoke to her conservative ideology and votes.

“Congresswoman Hayworth ran on the Independence Party line in 2010, and then went down to Washington and championed the Tea Party agenda to end Medicare, passing $6,400 in costs on to our seniors all so she could pay for another huge tax break for millionaires like herself,” Mr. Maloney said in the statement. “Congresswoman Hayworth calls an extremist like Paul Ryan a ‘mentor’ and ‘friend’ – no wonder she couldn’t find 770 Independence voters here in the Hudson Valley who want to represent them in Congress.”

Ms. Hayworth is far from the only politician in New York who lost the Independence Party line this cycle. Due to the complications of finding voters registered as Independent (many of whom surely thought, mistakenly, that they were registering in a nonpartisan, independent fashion) and a shift in the primary election date and corresponding the signature deadlines, pols ranging from Rep. Michael Grimm in Staten Island to Queens congressional candidate Grace Meng have suffered similar fates.

The line's main value is its name, and just like some voters register as Independent without knowing quite what it means, some prefer to cast their votes "independently" as well.

Michael Grimm (Photo: Getty)

GOP Congressman Michael Grimm lost the Independence Party's ballot line when he did not turn in enough valid signatures from voters in the district, but he appealed the decision arguing that a systemic problem with the Board of Elections unfairly placed obstacles in his signature-gathering efforts. However, this afternoon, the judge ruled against Mr. Grimm and he will remain off that section of the ballot, according to two Democratic tipsters closely following the race.

"We feel we have strong, strong grounds," former borough president Guy Molinari, a top adviser to Mr. Grimm's campaign, initially told the Staten Island Advance. "We're talking about something very serious."

Their campaign contended that due to the surprising number of congressional candidates who were kicked off the Independence Party line this cycle -- including a number of incumbents from across the state -- the judge should reconsider the Board of Election's initial ruling.

It's not immediately clear if Mr. Grimm's campaign intends to continue pressing their case legally, but it seems much more likely than not that the Independence line on the ballot will be blank this November as Mr. Grimm battles Democratic challenger Mark Murphy.

Mr. Murphy will also be running under the Working Families Party's banner while Mr. Grimm still has the Conservative Party's designation.

The two campaigns were not immediately available for comment.

Update: Mr. Murphy's campaign confirms the result with the following comment from their spokesman Nathan Smith:

"Hopefully, this ruling will end Michael Grimm’s sloppy and doomed effort to stay on the Independence line by wasting the court's time and the taxpayers’ money.  And regardless of this ruling, no amount of fancy legal footwork by Mr. Grimm to save his so-called 'game-changer' could change the fact that he votes against his own constituents, voted against Social Security and against Medicare; and has ongoing scandals that have eroded what little trust the voters had placed in him."

NYT has some fun at Pharaoh Bloomberg/Christine Quinn’s expense.

Grace Meng raised $500 large.

Kirsten Gillibrand is getting behind Tish James’ Public Advocate campaign.

Hiram Monserrate faces up to 27 months in prison for his role in the City Council slush fund scandal.

Charlie Rangel was asked if Barack Obama is supporting his re-election. “God damn that’s a good question,” he responded.

Bill Thompson might have other things to focus on besides Ray Kelly.

Bill de Blasio launched a website to keep track of Walmart’s political spending.

Nydia Velázquez robocalls for Grace Meng.

Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer are trying to save local post offices.

Michael Grimm had some trouble with some new constituents.

Maggie Brooks got a “ducking” award from the State Dems for failing to say where she is on federal issues, including the Ryan Budget.

A Post columnist asks, "Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N------s? The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B----hes or Hoes. Team logo? A 9 mm with hollow-tip shell casings strewn beneath."

A center for immigrants on the Lower East Side is facing closure.

Next on the target list for the Occupy movement? Art fairs.

Mitt Romney set a rather high bar of 4 percent unemployment.

Condi Rice has some VP advice for Mitt Romney: “Not me.”

The RNC and DNC are both on the air; the former is targeting young people, the latter women.

Don’t look now but Ron Paul is picking up delegates.

Mitt Romney says he learns about the struggles with the economy by meeting every day with regular folks. His campaign won’t say who or when though.

Republicans have turned to hashtags in their efforts to attack President Obama.

Elizabeth Warren has never visited Boston’s oldest Native American center.

Michael Grimm (Photo: Getty)

A couple weeks ago, The Politicker reported GOP Congressman Michael Grimm's petitions for the Independence Party line on the ballot were being challenged by lawyers working for his Democratic opponent, Mark Murphy. And, earlier this afternoon, the Board of Elections unanimously sided with Mr. Murphy and officially booted Mr. Grimm off the line, which will now be blank in November.

It's fairly uncommon for sitting incumbents to lose third party lines as they tend to have the resources and the operations to easily gather a sufficient number of signatures. Indeed, Mr. Grimm's campaign expressed a lot of confidence when the general objection to his signatures first emerged, suggesting the story was the product of "a slow news day."

And, although the Independence Party is notoriously quirky -- its voters tend to consist of people thinking they are registering independently of a political party -- today's decision is a bit of a messaging blow to Mr. Grimm's campaign as they had initially declared the party's backing to be a "game changer."

However, in the end, too many of his signatures belonged to voters registered outside of the Independence Party, which, coupled with signature-gatherers facing the same problem and other errors, caused Mr. Grimm to fall short of the signature threshold he needed.

Mr. Grimm's campaign didn't even appear at the Board of Elections to contest the objection, or follow up with their own objection to Mr. Murphy's signatures on the Working Families Party line.

Update: Mr. Murphy's campaign piles on with a rather critical statement from his spokesman, Nathan Smith:

“Michael Grimm has shown himself again to be just another politician who will say whatever it takes to get to Washington and do whatever it takes to stay there. From his pay-to-play politics in Washington to running a rotten to the core petition operation and, of course, the well known alleged investigations into his shady fundraising - Mike Grimm has pulled off a hat trick. This is a faltering campaign that just can't seem to shoot straight.”

Michael Grimm (Photo: Getty)

Last night, candidates for federal office submitted their petitions to be on the primary and general election ballots. Rival campaigns, through proxies, now have the chance to object to their signatures and see if enough can be ruled invalid to disqualify them from the party line.

This is exactly what has already happened with GOP Congressman Michael Grimm's bid to be nominated by the Independence Party, which he declared was a "game changer" when he initially announced their backing. However, the campaign of his Democratic opponent, Mark Murphy, is questioning whether he turned in enough valid signatures to bring that endorsement into effect.

"My understanding  is that the Congressman turned in an extremely low number of petitions for the Independence Party line," Nathan Smith, a spokesman for Mr. Murphy, told The Politicker this morning. "On first review of those petitions, there were clearly some issues and some problems that need to be looked at."

Update: Mr. Smith was working from an incomplete list of signatures but still contends Mr. Grimm won't ultimately qualify, see below.

Among the problems, Mr. Smith said, were number of signatures collected from voters not registered as members of the Independence Party, which would render them invalid. Although he didn't elaborate on the specifics on the objections, it's possible additional issues could include signatures belonging to voters registered outside of the district, or individuals not registered to vote at all.

"I think there's going to be a whole host of issues," he added. "For better or for worse, this is part of the democratic process in New York State.

We've reached out to Mr. Grimm's campaign and will update if they have any further comment. The specifics of the objections must be filed by next Monday.

Update: Mr. Grimm's campaign spokeswoman Carol Danko responds: “Michael Grimm may also win the lotto - and the odds are about the same. Obviously, it's a slow news day."

Update II: It seems that the Board of Elections may have provided Mr. Murphy's campaign with less signatures than Mr. Grimm actually filed, which would likely make the window of victory for their objection significantly narrower.

Mr. Smith told The Politicker the Board of Elections error wasn't surprising, but "if we find the same level of fraud and sloppiness then it won't matter."

However, Mr. Grimm's odds of holding onto the ballot line got significantly better with the additional sheets of signatures.