Nicole Malliotakis and John Catsimatidis (Photo: Twitter/@NMalliotakis)

There are many different endorsements growing in Brooklyn.

Indeed, despite its 2.5 million residents, the city's largest borough only has a handful of Republican elected officials and they all seem to be leaning in opposite directions when it comes to who the next mayor should be. State Senator Marty Golden endorsed Joe Lhota yesterday, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis recently announced her support for John Catsimatidis, and Brooklyn GOP Chair Craig Eaton has been backing Adolfo Carrión for City Hall's top job.

"I've known John for a number of years," Ms. Malliotakis told Politicker this afternoon. "He's somebody who has a business background. He has big ideas. He has common sense, which is all of the things we need to move the city forward. He's come out to my district. He's toured the Sandy devastation with me. He has a general interest in helping these people."

The endorsement, announced last night over Twitter, doesn't come as a complete surprise as Ms. Malliotakis and Mr. Catsimatidis, who both share Greek-American heritage, are longtime acquaintances. The two held a joint press conference last month to celebrate Mr. Catsimatidis' $10,000 donation to a local nonprofit destroyed by Hurricane Sandy on the Staten Island part of her district.

For his part, Mr. Golden, the "dean of New York City’s Republican elected officials," officially passed on his backing in the pages of the New York Post.

“I’m a Lhota guy. Joe Lhota is the only guy who has a chance to win,” Mr. Golden stated. “A lot of the elected leaders will go with Lhota. ... There will be an endorsement across-the-board.”

Despite the dueling endorsements, both legislators had nothing but kind words to say about each other's preferred mayor. Mr. Golden called Mr. Catsimatidis a "great guy" while Ms. Malliotakis told us Mr. Lhota was a "fine person."

The third Republican elected official representing any part of the borough, Congressman Michael Grimm--whose district contains same Bay Ridge neighborhood as Ms. Malliotakis' and Mr. Golden's--has yet to endorse in the race.

Mr. Eaton indicated his support for Mr. Carrión some time ago, but as Mr. Carrión is not a registered Republican, he'll need the backing of three of the five GOP county chairs in order to run in their party's primary, a possibility that looks increasingly unlikely. Mr. Carrión has vowed to campaign in the general election on the Independence Party's line regardless, however, and he may lose some of his Republican support if he runs directly against the GOP nominee.

John Quaglione and a former mayor. (Photo: Facebook)

A battle for Bay Ridge may be shaping up in a City Council race this fall.

John Quaglione, deputy chief of staff and press secretary for GOP State Sen. Marty Golden, told Politicker he's “strongly considering” challenging Councilman Vinnie Gentile, a Brooklyn Democrat who has represented the area in some capacity since 1996.

This won't be the first time Mr. Golden and Mr. Gentile have been on opposing teams, however, as then-Councilman Golden won his seat in the State Senate by defeating Mr. Gentile after last decade's redistricting cycle. Mr. Gentile subsequently won a special election to replace Mr. Golden.

“I am talking to some party leaders and talking to folks about raising money,” Mr. Quaglione said yesterday. “I’ll be making a decision in the next two to three weeks.”

Mr. Quaglione has been ramping up his efforts in other ways in recent days as well, with local Democrats noticing him attending more events and becoming active on social media. Earlier this week, he challenged Mr. Gentile and another Democratic pol on the NYPD's controversial stop-and-frisk tactic, tweeting, “Would be interested in hearing how our local politicians feel about stop and frisk and today's ruling @VincentGentile @AlecBrookKrasny.”

But he faces an uphill battle if he indeed jumps into the race, as Brooklyn's southwestern corner is not the Republican bastion it once was. Mr. Gentile’s opponent in 2009, for example, lost by 20 points.

At least one other Republican, conservative activist Andy Sullivan, is already in the race.

The two candidates debate

GOP State Senator Marty Golden and his Democratic opponent, Andrew Gounardes, faced off in a debate before the Dyker Heights Civic Association last night. It was an aggressive clash with both candidates facing off in front of a packed crowd that cheered, clapped, booed and even hissed.

For his part, Mr. Gounardes most directly engaged Mr. Golden on women's issues, including a declaration that the incumbent's position on equal pay legislation is "shameful" and one rebuttal on post-rape abortion services consisting solely of "Marty, you voted against that bill three times up in Albany."

While Mr. Golden, a former police officer, spoke most passionately on public safety issues.

"Illegal guns are the guns killing our children on our street!" he exclaimed after Mr. Gounardes accused him of being in the pocket of the gun lobby. "There were 2,600 people killed in 1991; 2,245 in 1992. This year it'll be under 500...And guess what? It's still not good enough. The only way to make it better is by going after the bad guys that got the guns and putting them in jail!"

Watch the debate below, courtesy of Bensonhurst Bean:

(Photo: Getty)

Brooklyn State Senator Marty Golden may be a conservative Republican, but he can still rack up influential union endorsements as he campaigns for reelection against Democrat Andrew Gounardes. To wit, the 200,000 member union SEIU 1199 announced their endorsement of Mr. Golden this morning.

"He has written and passed many important pieces of legislation that have improved and protected the health and well-being of all New Yorkers," Kevin Finnegan, 1199's political director, said in a statement. "The members of New York’s largest health care workers union, 1199 SEIU, appreciate his efforts. We intend to work hard to see the Senator re-elected, so he can continue his outstanding work in Albany."

Of course, the union isn't a complete stranger to supporting Republicans. For example, 1199 notably cut a deal with former Governor George Pataki and is credited with being instrumental in the GOP pol's reelection efforts.

However, the 1199 announcement is the latest of several union endorsements for Mr. Golden, most notably the highly-organized Hotel Trades Council. In recent days and weeks, the incumbent has also rolled out a smaller stream of trades groups, uniformed labor and smaller chapters of larger organization, clearly an effort to show his strength among blue-collar voters.

For his part, Mr. Gounardes secured a number of Democratic labor staples for his campaign so far, and managed to mount an aggressive effort to stop the large AFL-CIO from going Mr. Golden's way.

The Senate Democrats have repeatedly said defeating Mr. Golden is one of their statewide priorities in November's general election. However, thanks to a favorable district, a fundraising advantage and union support like 1199's, victory will be no easy task for Mr. Gounardes.

Marty Golden (Photo: Facebook)

"In June, Beverly Neufeld, President of the New York Women's Aenda and Director of the Equal Pay Coalition, called legislation that I co-sponsored, '...a welcome accomplishment for Equal Pay advocates and women across New York'" GOP State Senator Marty Golden wrote in a recent campaign mailing. "The Women's Workforce Bill is now law and is the first piece of State legislation that acknowledges and addresses the gender wage gap. It will not be the last."

However, in a press release provided by his campaign, Mr. Golden's Democratic opponent Andrew Gounardes pointed out that Mr. Golden was not among the co-sponsors of the bill, which passed the State Senate unanimously. The statement connected the slight to the senator's vote against the New York Fair Pay Act in 2011, and, of course, the now-infamous government mailer promoting a "feminine presence" class.

"Sadly, this is nothing new for Golden," Mr. Gounardes said. "He's been saying one thing and doing another for a long time. The only difference now is that he isn't saying it in a closed room or to his inner circle. This letter went to voters all across the district and they know how to fact-check."

Asked about the mailing, Mr. Golden's campaign said it was a simple error, and not exactly a big deal.

"The Senator strongly supported and voted for the bill," they told Politicker in a statement. "He was under the impression that he had, in fact, signed on as a co-sponsor. If given the opportunity again, he would do so. The statement in the letter was in error, but does not diminish the fact that the Senator did strongly advocate for its passage and voted for it."

The Brooklyn lawmaker is a top focus of the Senate Democrats' campaign operations, although it remains to be seen whether Mr. Gounardes can muster up enough support against the relatively popular incumbent.

(Photo: Getty)

On the heels of Senator Marty Golden's upset loss of the AFL-CIO endorsement yesterday, the Republican state senator is out with a prominent labor endorsement of his own: Teamsters Joint Council 16.

“Senator Golden has proven that he will fight for working families,” the union's president, George Miranda, said in a statement. “In these tough times, we need leaders we can count on to fight for every job and opportunity possible. That's why Teamsters Joint Council 16 is pleased to endorse State Senator Marty Golden for re-election. He is effective, forthright and diligent.”

While the Joint Council 16 umbrella group isn't the most influential union in city politics, their 120,000 members are a nice feather in Mr. Golden's cap, especially as he has already been endorsed by the Hotel Trades Council, one of the most powerful unions thanks to their well-trained troops.

A labor source suggested the Teamsters endorsement might be due to Mr. Golden's strong support for the reclassification of truck drivers, a top legislative priority for the union.

Mr. Golden is facing off against Democratic attorney Andrew Gounardes in November. In addition to the AFL-CIO, Mr. Gounardes has been endorsed by SEIU 32BJ and smaller trade unions.

Mr. Golden's district gave President Barack Obama 48% of the vote in 2008, but changed some in redistricting. With incumbency and a sizable war chest, Mr. Golden stands as the favorite, but Democrats argue he hasn't been seriously challenged in years and is more vulnerable than he appears.

Andrew Gounardes (Photo: Facebook)

State Senator Marty Golden unveiled new legislation this morning that would target those stashing "community guns" for others to use while avoiding carrying a gun for police to find traveling between locations. The move quickly earned the praise of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, but Democrats are arguing that it is merely an attempt to shift the discussion away from a key issue that they have been steadily hammering him on for some time. Just two days ago, Senator Mike Gianaris, the head of the Senate Democrats' campaign efforts, called Mr. Golden out on his lack of support for microstamping legislation while on Inside City Hall.

"Faced with mounting criticism over his poor record on actual gun safety, Golden is trying to deflect attention from his record and steal some headlines to create the illusion that he is tough on crime," the press release declared, pointing to Mr. Gianaris' recent package of gun control legislation as a more proactive solution.

"Golden claims he wants to keep guns off the streets but his bill is all about guns already on the streets," Mr. Gounardes said in the statement. "The problem is that the NRA and the gun lobby do not care about keeping guns off the streets. Sadly, Golden's bill reflects that mindset."

"I'm ready to pass common sense bills," he said without weighing in further on Mr. Golden's proposed bill. "I want New York to be number one when it comes to gun control. Unfortunately, my opponent seems more intent on pleasing upstate Republican leadership and the gun lobby."

While gun control might not be popular in a lot of Republican-held Upstate districts where hunting can be ingrained in the culture, Democrats are clearly hoping that they can sink GOP in districts like Mr. Golden's Brooklyn one with the topic, elevated by a recent wave of violence and Governor Andrew Cuomo's indication that he's vaguely amenable to doing something in the next session, but only specifying his support for microstamping legislation.

For their part, the Senate Republicans have argued that they are open to additional measures to control illegal guns, but have also pointed out that relative to most states, New York is already fairly strong on the issue.

“We agree with the Governor that more can be done to combat criminals who use illegal guns, which account for the overwhelming majority of gun crimes in New York,” Senate GOP spokesman Scott Reif responded the last time Mr. Gounardes attacked Mr. Golden on guns.

Update: Mr. Golden's campaign manager fires back on the issue in a statement of his own:

"The only illusion here is the belief that Andrew Gounardes is qualified to be a New York State Senator. To insinuate that Marty Golden doesn't care about the safety of his constituents is not only laughable, it's insulting. Senator Golden was severely injured in the line of duty serving as a New York City Police officer. Crime and Safety issues have been the cornerstone of his legislative career and that's why he has been endorsed by numerous police and law enforcement organizations. Andrew has not. Bottom line, no one in this race knows more about the safety of New Yorkers than Senator Golden as he's the only person in this race who has put his life on the line for his community."

(Photo: Facebook)

GOP State Senator Marty Golden has never struggled with fundraising, and facing his first serious challenger in years, continued to do so in his semiannual filing that just went online earlier this afternoon. Taking in $270,000 in contributions, Mr. Golden now has over $455,000 on hand as he aims to thwart Democrat Andrew Gounardes on Election Day.

“Senator Golden has given a lifetime of service to our community, through serving as a member of the NYPD, to leading the charge of small businesses, to serving in both the New York City Council and New York State Senate,”Jeffrey Kraus, Mr. Golden's campaign manager, said in a statement posted a couple days ago on the senator's website. “We are honored by the outpouring of support from seniors, moms, dads, and middle class families that have taken whatever they could and donated to our campaign.”

The total doesn't represent a mammoth increase over the war chest he had six months ago, however, as he also had a heavy burn rate of over $200,000 spent. Nevertheless, he still possesses a strong cash on hand advantage over Mr. Gounardes, who has just $150,000 while posting his own decent fundraising number of just under $200,000.

As a side note, Mr. Golden has been sharply criticized for spending campaign dollars lavishly at the Bay Ridge Manor, a catering hall owned and ran by his family, but the establishment received less money from his war chest this time around: only about $9,000 compared to $39,000 in his July 2011 filing.

Andrew Gounardes (Photo: Facebook)

"I demand that Senator Golden apologize immediately – if only on behalf of my mother and sister,” Democratic State Senate candidate Andrew Gounardes declared in a press release earlier today.

Mr. Gounardes was referring to Mr. Golden's now infamous "Feminine Presence" seminar that drew national attention last week due to its rather antiquated rhetoric in its prescriptions for female constituents (i.e. “Walk up and down a stair elegantly”). And although it was ultimately canceled, Mr. Gounardes is clearly not interested in letting the issue go away.

To further entice reporters, his press release, like his last one criticizing Mr. Golden over the move, even used a healthy dose of Leave It to Beaver pop culture hooks to describe the situation in an ongoing fashion.

"Ward Cleaver knew when to apologize to June. Heck, even Archie Bunker knew when to admit he was wrong to Edith!" the statement declared. "Likewise, it’s time for Senator Marty Golden to admit he was wrong, so Brooklyn attorney and State Senate candidate Andrew Gounardes is calling him out on the carpet."

Mr. Gounardes is also fundraising off the event, sending an email to his supporters this morning requesting a $50 contribution.

"Out of touch. Living in the past. Oblivious," the email begins. One can imagine how the rest continues.

He's not even the only Democrat pushing the issue. Yesterday, John Mancuso, a candidate for the State Assembly, called on his Republican opponent to denounce the event.

Whether it can pick up additional traction in the mainstream media, however, is still unclear.

A scene from The Tudors, an unrelated television show set in 16th century England.

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis doesn't have much to do with State Senator Marty Golden's decision to host a nationally mocked "Feminine Presence" seminar, but that didn't stop her Democratic rival from seeking to tie her to the infamous, now-canceled event.

“My opponent, who has been awfully silent throughout this matter, has the opportunity now to defend the women of her district by distancing herself from Senator Golden," John Mancuso declared in a statement sent this evening. "This is just a mailer, but it’s quite obvious how her Republican colleagues view the role of women in New York today."

Mr. Mancuso's argument is that Ms. Malliotakis, who is a closely political ally of Mr. Golden's, has a unique obligation to speak out against the event and the taxpayer-funded mailer promoting it.

“I believe it’s important for the Assemblywoman, who shares office space with Senator Golden, to publicly and forcefully denounce the despicable mailer which went out district wide last week," he posited. "It is simply unacceptable for this type of language to be used and distributed by an elected official in this day and age. The constituents of the 64th Assembly District deserve to know where their representative stands on this blatant attack on women."

Mr. Golden's own Democratic opponent wasted no time in pouncing on the issue, issuing a press release last Tuesday declaring it “discriminatory and offensive,” and “downright degrading to women,” but whether the canceled event has enough traction to expand into other races remains to be seen.