By Hunter Walker 6/26/12 7:44pm

Pre-Emptive Strikes

Bob Turner (Photo: Facebook)

Bob Turner Wants The Senate Primary Ballots Impounded

Political candidates generally impound ballots in elections where there is suspected voter fraud, Congressman Bob Turner’s campaign says they want the ballots in today’s three-way Republican Senate primary impounded just to be on the safe side of things. Mr. Turner’s campaign sent out a statement this evening announcing they have ordered the ballots impounded “to ensure the integrity of every vote in what may be shaping up as the lowest turnout in New York primary history.”

“The Turner campaign is committed to ensuring the integrity of every vote and impounding the ballots is the best way to achieve that for the good of all the campaigns,” campaign spokeswoman Jessica Proud said. “In the meantime, we are urging as many Republicans as possible to get to the polls before 9 p.m. to support the candidate of their choice.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 3:25pm

2¢

ballot-box

Election Day: What Are You Watching, Pt. 2

Voters head to the polls tomorrow to decide the Democratic and Republican nominees in key federal races across the state, and for those races in heavily Democratic districts, tomorrow’s election will effectively be coronations. For hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, our next congressional representatives will be determined Tuesday night.

My colleague David Freedlander has already weighed in with some thoughts, which you are more than encouraged to do as well by emailing him at dfreedlander [@] observer.com.

Here’s some of what I’m watching: Read More

By Hunter Walker 10:34am

Long Goodbyes

Newt staring down a bronze statue of George Washington at the 2010 premiere of his documentary about Pope John Paul II "Nine Days That Shook The World." (Photo: Facebook)

CNN: Newt Gingrich Plans To Drop Out Next Week

According to CNN, Newt Gingrich plans to formally end his White House bid and endorse Mitt Romney at a campaign event in Washington D.C. next Tuesday. Prior to Mr. Romney’s five state primary sweep last night, Mr. Gingrich indicated he would “reassess” his campaign if he was unable to win the primary in Delaware, where he focused much of his energy in the past few weeks. Mr. Gingrich ended up losing that contest with just about 27 percent of the vote compared to 56 percent for Mr. Romney. Read More

By Hunter Walker 9:17am

Campaign 2012

times square

In Times Square, GOP Primary Has Drugs Instead of Drama

Mitt Romney had already settled into his status as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee long before his five state primary sweep last night and his wide lead in Empire State polls made his victory in New York a foregone conclusion. However, The Politicker still decided to stop by our local polling place in Times Square to see the democratic process at work in a place where the stakes might have been low, but at least one of the constituents was high. Read More

By Hunter Walker 4/24/12 9:00am

The Audacity of Newt

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich May Actually Be Ready To Call It Quits

Delaware may be Newt Gingrich’s Waterloo. In an interview with NBC News, Mr. Gingrich revealed he will “reassess” his doomed presidential campaign depending on how he does in tonight’s Delaware primary.

“I think we need to take a deep look at what we are doing,” Mr. Gingrich said. “We will be in North Carolina tomorrow night and we will look and see what the results are.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 4/12/12 9:00am

Operatives

Michael Biundo standing by his man, Rick Santorum, in 2011. (Photo: Facebook)

Rick Santorum’s Campaign Manager Is Having Trouble Adjusting To Life Off The Trail

Witth his candidate officially no longer a contender in the presidential race, Rick Santorum’s campaign manager, Michael Biundo, headed back to his home in New Hampshire yesterday. After his first night off the campaign trail, Mr. Biundo is clearly having some trouble adjusting to the more relaxed schedule of normal life outside the election cycle.

“So… no reason to be up at 4:00am but yet here I am. ,” he wrote on his Facebook wall this morning. Read More

By Hunter Walker 4/10/12 5:51pm

So Long Santorum

Ed Cox (Photo: Patrick McMullan)

With Santorum Gone, Ed Cox Says New York Will Be ‘The Most Important Non-Swing State’

Now that Rick Santorum has officially ended his presidential campaign, there will be even less than expected at stake in New York’s presidential primary April 24. New York Republican Party chairman Ed Cox responded to the news of Mr. Santorum’s departure in an interview with The Journal News’ Politics on the Hudson blog by saying New York will remain important to presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney even though it doesn’t occupy a contested spot on the electoral map.

“New York is going to be very important to his campaign, not because we are a swing state with respect to our electoral votes, but because this is where the financial center with the money is, this is the media center of the United States where the media is, and this is the center for many ethnic groups,” Mr. Cox said. “So, New York going forward–as I learned as chairman of the McCain campaign–is going to be the most important non-swing state here among the 50 states.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 4/04/12 8:47am

Fighting Words

Mitt Romney campaigning in Wisconsin last weekend. (Photo: Getty)

Romney Campaign: ‘It’s On’

After Mitt Romney’s victories in the Wisconsin, Maryland and District of Columbia presidential primaries last night, he has more than half the delegates he needs to lock up the Republican nomination. According to Mr. Romney’s press secretary, Andrea Saul, President Barack Obama has taken notice of Mitt’s momentum. In an email to supporters sent after his three wins last night, Ms. Saul said the president is turning to negative ads because it’s clear “Americans across the nation are rallying around Mitt’s positive vision and plan for our country.”

“Mitt is well on his way to the nomination. And given the sudden increase in excuses and blame from President Obama, it’s apparent President Obama’s team is aware of that as well,” Ms. Saul said. Read More

By David Freedlander 4/04/12 6:55am

Primary Colors

Rick Santorum Announces Run For Republican Presidential Nomination

The Return of the Native: Santorum Comes Home, But Do Pennsylvanians Still Pick Rick?

BUTLER, PA.—Western Pennsylvania, land of coal, sharp-rising hills, shuttered mines. It is a part of the country that Rick Santorum isn’t so much from; it is a part of the country that Rick Santorum is. It was at the Somerset County courthouse, an hour to the south and east of Pittsburgh, that Mr. Santorum announced that he would run for president. It was to western Pennsylvania that Mr. Santorum’s grandfather had come to escape fascist Italy, spending a lifetime toiling away in the mines—a story that Mr. Santorum has repeated at nearly every campaign stop since that morning on the courthouse steps two years ago.

In speeches, Mr. Santorum rhapsodizes about the area, calling it the perfect place to grow up, telling voters, “I don’t have Wall Street experience, but I have experience growing up in a small town in western Pennsylvania, growing up in a steel town.”

He learned everything, he says, “growing up with folks who worked in the mills and the mines in western Pennsylvania.” Read More