By Colin Campbell 3/19/12 12:37pm

optimisim

Congressman Israel (Photo: NY1)

Steve Israel: Redistricting Helped Team Blue

New York Congressman Steve Israel, who heads up the House Democrats’ campaign efforts, made an interesting pitch to NY1′s Errol Louis on Inside City Hall last Friday. He argued the most New York is now in play with the judge’s new congressional redistricting plan.

“Right in New York, as a result of the map the courts have approved, we have races all over the state that will be competitive,” he said, before ticking down a laundry list of newly competitive seats. Read More

By David Freedlander 1/17/12 11:45pm

stockpiling

DIGIPIX

Kathleen Rice’s Fundraising Surges

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice brought in over $900,000 in contributions this cycle, with an additional $350,000 in other receipts transferred from a now-closed account, according to filings reported to the Board of Elections today. Her report is especially notable as it represents more than a ten-fold increase in her cash on hand over her committee’s last filing, suggesting that she might possibly have her eyes on a higher office.

“She takes her job and her public service seriously so she’s always going to work hard at building a political network to keep her in a position to continue the important work she’s doing,” a spokesman for Ms. Rice said, hinting that she could have higher ambitions for the future. “While she loves her job, her success at building that network will always give her a lot of options.”

The number represents a huge haul for a down-ballot suburban lawmaker, especially considering that Ms. Rice lost the Attorney General’s race to Eric Schneiderman in 2010. The figure announced today even outpaces Read More

By Azi Paybarah 7/08/11 12:07pm

same-sex marriage

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice (photo credit: New York NOW)

Nassau DA: Denying Marriage Licenses to Gay Couples Could Be Criminal

Kathleen Rice, the Nassau County District Attorney who ran as a tough, law-and-order attorney general candidate last year, is warning clerks they could face “criminal prosecution” if they refuse marriage licenses to same-sex couples after July 24.

In a letter to clerks today, Rice said the religious protections within the same-sex marriage legislation are “inapplicable to town and city clerks” and refusal to serve gay couples “may constitute Official Misconduct.”

Letter after the jump.