Bill de Blasio and John Lue. (Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images)

There can only be one "most progressive and consistently progressive candidate" in the mayor's race, and two candidates--Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Comptroller John Liu--are in dispute over which one holds the honor.

"I think I present the most consistent progressive platform and I think it's what people in this city want and need right now," Mr. de Blasio said Monday morning during an interview on The Brian Lehrer Show when he was asked about his claim.

Mr. de Blasio quickly ran through his challengers.

On City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, he said, "I can say it plainly: Speaker Quinn wants to continue the vast majority of [Mayor Michael] Bloomberg's policies--in effect wants to continue the Bloomberg administration."

Mr. de Blasio further said 2009 Democratic nominee Bill Thompson is "not willing to tax the wealthy as I am, not willing to focus on living wage legislation and paid sick days, as I am, does not agree with an inspector general or a racial profiling bill for the police department."

Mr. Lehrer, however, took issue when Mr. de Blasio got to Mr. Liu, whom he noted has repeatedly positioned himself to the left of the field on issues ranging from education to the minimum wage. While Mr. de Blasio has proposed reforming stop-and-frisk, for instance, Mr. Liu wants it abolished; while the other candidates generally want more community input into charter school co-locations, Mr. Liu was the first to call for an outright moratorium. (Mr. de Blasio wants a moratorium  for the rest of Mr. Bloomberg's term.)

But Mr. de Blasio argued that he, unlike Mr. Liu, supports a plan to install an inspector general over the NYPD--something Mr. Liu has argued would be unnecessary once he abolished stop-and-frisk as mayor. He also said his plans are more practical.

"I would say there are areas like policing where my positions are more progressive than his. It’s easy to say 'abolish,'" he said, arguing that stop-and-frisk is a critical police tool, if used correctly. "I think what John has put forward  isn’t realistic in terms of how we actually police."

The comments prompted pushback from Mr. Liu's campaign, which said Mr. de Blasio was wrong.

"John has been the most progressive and consistently progressive candidate on the major issues facing our city and our future, from policing and housing to education and economic policy," a Liu spokesperson told Politicker when asked about Mr. de Blasio's remarks. "As Comptroller he has conducted thorough research and as mayoral candidate he has clearly laid out his vision for the future and specific plans for changes we clearly need in New York City."

Mr. Lehrer also questioned whether New Yorkers really want a progressive mayor, after repeatedly failing to elect Democrats from Ruth Messinger to Freddy Ferrer. But Mr. de Blasio argued that this year's race--the first since the consequences of the economic collapse became clear-- will be very different.

“It is not the same New York City that the vast majority of us want and believe in. We have to fight to get that back," he said, adding that New Yorkers are also tired after 12 years of the current mayor.

“I think there is a Bloomberg hangover here," he said. "I think the lack of debate, the lack of transparency, the elitism, has caused many people, particularity Democrats, to want much more profound change."

Four of the Democratic mayoral candidates at a Crain's New York Business forum. (Photo: Jill Colvin)

Anthony who?

Scandal-scarred former Congressman Anthony Weiner may be splashed across news sites and television screens across the city, but his new opponents were reluctant to weigh in on Mr. Weiner's mayoral bid Wednesday morning--hours after he officially jumped into the mayor's race with a video posted on a re-vamped website.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn literally refused to mention Mr. Weiner by name as she was bombarded with questions from reporters before a Crain's New York Business mayoral forum in Midtown. Instead, she returned to her own record again and again.

"This race--I don't care who's in it--is about what the candidates have done for New York's middle class and what our vision is for New York's middle class moving forward," she said. "I don't care who enter the race. Nobody has a better, stronger, clearer record of delivering for working class and middle class New Yorkers than I do."

Ms. Quinn, whose chance of avoiding a run-off has likely been decimated by Mr. Weiner, said it was up to voters to decide whether they could get past the former congressman's sexting scandal. All that mattered to her, she said, was making her case.

"Why should I talk about anybody but myself? I'm the one running for mayor, here!" she exclaimed. "My opponents, with all due respect, aren't the question. The question is my record of having delivered for New Yorkers and my specific set of plans."

Former Comptroller Bill Thompson, who is generally thought to benefit most from Mr. Weiner's entry, far more welcoming.

"Welcome aboard," he said on the topic, arguing that anyone who can add to the conversation will be an asset to the race. "I think that former Congressman Weiner can bring some ideas to this discussion, hopefully add to the dialogue that we're having about New York City and what the next mayor of the city of New York is gonna do," he said.

The candidates were later asked about Mr. Weiner's record on stage during the forum, which was attended by four of the major Democrats. Is he qualified to be mayor "by temperament and experience," moderator Greg David asked.

"I think that that is going to be up to the people of the City of New York as they judge all of us during this election season," said Mr. Thompson. "So it isn't for me. It is up to the people of the City of New York."

Ms. Quinn agreed. "What I think the voters are really concerned about is making sure that the next mayor is someone who ... actually has had a record during their career in government or their career in the private sector of actually delivering for New Yorkers," she said.

City Comptroller John Liu was more blunt: "Honestly, I won't be voting for him," he said in a less-than-stunning revelation before pivoting to his own record. He later told reporters he was sick of the hype surrounding Mr. Weiner and was eager to talk about more substantive issues.

"Now that he's made it official, hopefully this media circus will end and we can start talking about schools, public safety and affordable housing," said. "Any issue is a fair game."

Former Councilman Sal Albanese was the only candidate willing to take a shot, attacking Mr. Weiner as "just another career politician" with what he described as "some additional quirks"

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio skipped the forum to attend an endorsement press conference with the Communications Workers of America District 1. His spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Mr. Weiner's decision to enter the race.

Anthony Weiner's launches his campaign. (http://www.anthonyweiner.com)

He's in. After weeks of speculation, disgraced ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner has officially thrown his hat into the mayor's race, announcing he's running with a new video posted on his revamped campaign website at midnight on Wednesday.

"Look, I made some big mistakes. And I know I let a lot of people down. But I've also learned some tough lessons," he says in the video, which opens with a family scene of the former councilman and his wife, Huma Abedin, having breakfast in their kitchen with their young son.

"I'm running for mayor 'cause I've been fighting for the middle class and those struggling to make it my entire life. And I hope I get a second chance to work for you,"  he says into the camera in the 2-minute, slickly-shot reel.

The video goes on to show iconic scenes of the city and images of Mr. Weiner growing up in Brooklyn, and goes on to outline a platform that includes dropping fines for small businesses and more opportunities for the middle class.

He also gets an endorsement from his wife, Ms. Abedin, who revealed she was pregnant after the scandal broke. "We love this city and no one'll work harder to make it better than Anthony," she says, sitting next to her husband on the steps of his childhood home.

The announcement comes nearly two years to the day after Mr. Weiner destroyed his Congressional career by tweeting out a photo of his underwear-clad crotch that had been intended as a private message--and then repeatedly lying about it in interviews and at press conferences, claiming his account had been hacked. He eventually admitted to having inappropriate relationships with half a dozen women online, sending them lewd text messages and images.

At the time, the idea a comeback seemed incomprehensible.

But Mr. Weiner has been plotting one for months, beginning with a glossy New York Times profile, followed by a round of television interviews and a return to Twitter--where he has been touting proposals from a largely-recycled book of policy proposals.

Now, Mr. Weiner's entree has the power to turn the race on its head. While the scandal might give many voters pause, it also cemented Mr. Weiner's name recognition. And with more than $4 million in his campaign account, he'll be able to pack a punch.

Observers have been mixed about how Mr. Weiner will impact the field, but Public Advocate Bill de Blasio appears to have the most to lose. A long-time Brooklyn resident and fellow former councilman, Mr. Weiner is expected to appeal to the same outer-borough, ethnic whites and progressive voters who feel Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the race's early front-runner, has been too close to the current mayor.

A recent poll showed Mr. Weiner would enter the race in second place, behind only Ms. Quinn.

Update (2:13 a.m.):

It appears Mr. Weiner's campaign may have pulled the trigger earlier than intended. Shortly after the campaign's new "Weiner for Mayor" website went live, it reverted back to an older version of the site that had been up since Mr. Weiner's resignation. Then, just after 2 a.m., the mayoral version was restored.

Mr. Weiner did not respond to requests for comment on whether there had indeed been a mix-up, but sources told The Post the video wasn't supposed to be posted until later Wednesday.  The video remained available via YouTube.

(Photo: Menchaca campaign)

Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez does not forget. And she does not forgive.

Accordingly, Ms. Velázquez is now hoping to unseat Councilwoman Sara Gonzalez, who endorsed Ms. Velázquez's primary challenger last year. And she's given the maximum contribution to Ms. Gonzalez's opponent, Carlos Menchaca, part of an overall haul of $40,000 overall in just two weeks.

"I am impressed by how much Carlos has achieved in such a short period of time," Ms. Velázquez said in a statement this morning. “He is a fundraising powerhouse with a large coalition of progressive leaders, activists, and organizations boosting his campaign; he will have the resources and support to win."

In the same press release, Mr. Menchaca, a former staffer in Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Borough President Marty Markowitz's offices, also touted his SEIU 32BJ endorsement over the weekend. He was the only challenger to an incumbent Democratic council member to receive the union's nod.

If elected, Mr. Menchaca would be the first openly LGBT elected official in Brooklyn, and the first Mexican-American elected official anywhere in the city, according to his campaign. The district he's vying for contains a substantial Mexican-American community in Sunset Park.

In 2012, Ms. Velázquez beat back a challenge from Councilman Erik Dilan, whose campaign was backed by the Brooklyn Democratic establishment. Since then, she's supported opponents of several of Mr. Dilan's other allies, including his father, State Senator Martin Dilan, as well as Assemblymen Rafael Espinal and Vito Lopez.

Governor Cuomo in 2011's Pride Parade (Photo: Getty)

After Election Day earlier this month, Republicans who supported New York's same sex marriage legislation received mixed results against their anti-gay marriage rivals. One GOP senator, Buffalo's Mark Grisanti, cruised to a comfortable victory, while two other senators, Roy McDonald and Steve Saland faced tough challenges, the result of which was determined by the absentee ballots counted this week. Mr. Saland looks like he ultimately edged out his opponent and declared victory yesterday, but Mr. McDonald appears to have gone down in defeat.

And, asked about these Republicans' respective electoral situations earlier today, Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was more than pleased despite being a Democrat.

"I am elated about Senator Saland's victory and I am still concerned Senator McDonald's election and we'll wait to see how that plays out, how the count goes, who wins or loses and what the senator decides to do," Mr. Cuomo said, speaking on a conference call trumpeting his administration's success with the Tappan Zee Bridge.

By "what the senator decides to do," Mr. Cuomo was undoubtedly referring to whether Mr. McDonald will pursue a general election campaign solely on the Independence Party's line. There has been plenty of speculation that Mr. Cuomo might endorse pro-gay marriage Republicans in the State Senate, and the Independence branding could provide the governor more bipartisan cover in Mr. McDonald's case.

Pressed on why he was so happy Mr. Saland eked out a primary win in another party's election, Mr. Cuomo argued the marriage vote truly impressed him and compared it to some of his own political convictions.

"This is a man who difficult vote based on conscience, I believe it was an act of political courage," he said of Mr. Saland, noting that his own father, former Governor Mario Cuomo, took heat for opposing the death penalty "even though it was very, very difficult politically because it was unpopular."

"I've taken positions myself that were unpopular, so I know what it's like," he added.

(Photo: Facebook)

A number of other candidates have won tough races tonight. As the results come trickling in, here are some notable ones:

Assemblyman William Boyland Jr., currently facing federal charges that he solicited bribes to pay his legal bills in an unrelated federal corruption case, won against a slew of challengers. Six opponents split the anti-Boyland vote, allowing him to skate by with a weak plurality.

State Senator Shirley Huntley, indicted a couple weeks ago on charges that she helped deliver member items to a sham non-profit, lost to Councilman James Sanders, who waged an aggressive campaign and managed to turn out his base in a seat made less favorable to Ms. Huntley in redistricting.

Despite John Messer's full campaign war chest and some less-than-ideal lines after redistricting, Queens Democrats successfully pulled Senator Toby Ann Stavisky across the finish line for a comfortable victory.

Walter Mosley, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries pick to replace him, won a convincing victory over his fellow district leader, Ola Alabi.

Senator Martin Dilan, proving that Vito Lopez's woes are not his own, also won a dominating victory over his challenger Jason Otaño.

In what may be another victory from beyond Mr. Lopez's political grave, reports suggest District Leader Lincoln Restler is currently in a tough position against Chris Olechowski.

Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs somehow managed to pull off a dominating victory over Rodneyse Bichotte, even as the demographics of the district worked strongly against her. The veteran lawmaker will return to Albany for yet another term.

Also not sweating the demographics of his district, Assemblyman Mike Miller won against Etienne Adorno.

Ron Kim looks to be in a good position for Assemblywoman Grace Meng's old seat. Despite being backed by the county's Democratic organization, Mr. Kim appeared to be a bit of an underdog in the closing days of the campaign, so if true, it'll be an upset.

Mark Gjonaj looks like he'll pull it off against incumbent Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera, who's being investigated as to whether she abused her office.

In Brooklyn Civil Court races, we hear Richard Montelione and Schlomo Mostofsky were victorious.

Less surprising results:

• Eric Ulrich easily defeated Juan Reyes for the right to challenge Democratic Senator Joe Addabbo in November.
• Brad Holyman will replace State Senator Tom Duane in Manhattan.
• The Tischler brothers didn't make much of a mark against State Senate candidate Simcha Felder and Assemblyman Dov Hikind.
• Senator Neil Breslin cleaned up against spirited challenger Shawn Morse.
• Assemblyman Nick Perry defeated attorney Terry Hinds.
• Luis Sepulveda won Assemblyman Peter Rivera's old seat.

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:

Upsetting Conventional Wisdom

The collective thinking of most observers has incumbents Charlie Rangel and Nydia Velázquez favored to beat back their challengers with Hakeem Jeffries, Sean Patrick Maloney and Grace Meng as the frontrunners to win their primaries. But surely Election Day won't reflect conventional wisdom entirely, right? Where will the surprises come from?

At a glance, Rich Becker, with strong local support and a snippy campaign operation, would seem to have a solid shot at beating Mr. Maloney for the right to challenge GOP Rep. Nan Hayworth for her Hudson Valley-based district. Mr. Maloney has more campaign cash and influential labor support, however, and it's difficult to see where the final vote tally will end up with the two candidates' non-parallel strengths.

And while Mr. Rangel's campaign has been revving up into full gear lately, he's being pressed on multiple fronts and State Senator Adriano Espaillat has a path to topple him with a plurality of the vote. Mr. Espaillat's base is in the Dominican community, and Mr. Rangel's three other African-American challengers, notably the surprisingly strong campaign of Clyde Williams, are more likely to be taking votes away from the incumbent than Mr. Espaillat. Two things to watch for here are Mr. Williams' share of the vote and how well Mr. Rangel performs in the Bronx -- the one part of the reconfigured district he has never represented in in his lengthy tenure.

Barron vs. Jeffries

There's no way to slice this race and have it not be fascinating. With the larger-than-life personality of Councilman Charles Barron and rising star Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries going toe-to-toe, political observers have already grabbed their popcorn and staring directly at New York's 8th Congressional District, previously held by veteran Rep. Ed Towns.

The seat's boundaries were changed in redistricting, taking the majority African American district and sending it down through Russian Jewish neighborhoods like Brighton Beach as well as white areas like Howard Beach in Queens. With Mr. Jeffries campaigning hard for these votes (he's been running a steady stream of ads on post-Shabbos Jewish radio, activists in these neighborhoods have rallying hard against Mr. Barron and there is a Sephardic anti-Barron PAC in the mix), it will be particularly interesting to see how big of a margin he racks up in these precincts and what turnout looks like, as socially conservative constituencies may not necessarily be excited for the idea of a liberal congressman named Hakeem either.

Even though Mr. Jeffries is the favorite candidate in the race, Democrats are concerned about some of Mr. Barron's more provocative positions and statements and there are more than a few operatives that won't be able to rest easy until they see the Associated Press declaring his rival the winner.

Anyway, what will you be looking for tomorrow when the results come trickling in? Is there a certain candidate that needs to clear a threshold in order to remain legitimate? A challenger that will show herself to be a rising star if she does well? Will endorsements matter? Incumbency? The economy?

Let us know what you will be looking for by shooting an email at dfreedlander [@] observer.com. If you promise to refrain from excessive spin, anonymous and semi-anonymous submissions are welcome.

Here are some of our thoughts:

Vito Lopez’s Big Day
A lot of the framing of this election season has been about the “Brooklyn Spring”—insurgents rising up against the party establishment. If only it were so simple. Instead Vito Lopez, head of the Brooklyn Democratic Party is backing one longshot and one favorite. The longshot is Erik Dilan, who is going up against local icon Nydia Velazquez. The favorite is Hakeem Jeffries, who is going up against firebrand Charles Barron. But even here the lines are so neat. Mr. Jeffries is also a favorite of Brooklyn’s Democratic reformers who want to boot Mr. Lopez out, as well as Gov. Andrew Cuomo and most of the city’s elected class. So even though Mr. Lopez counts himself a Jeffries fan, a win here won’t be too big of a mark in his favor—although he did make things a lot easier for Mr. Jeffries by chasing incumbent Ed Towns out of the race. A win by Mr. Dilan, however, would represent an incredible coup for the Brooklyn boss and would amount to a stunning comeback for someone who even only a few years ago looked like he was done for due to a series of city and federal investigations into his non-profit.

Most wise political heads I have spoken with think Ms. Velazquez is the favorite headed into tomorrow, but pay attention to the margin of victory. She has skated through Election Day after Election Day for decades now, and if Mr. Dilan gets under 10 points, expect the congresswoman to see regular challenges from now on, possibly again from Mr. Dilan in 2014.

Will Ethnicity Trump All?
The redrawing of the lines meant that Gary Ackerman’s old seat in Queens is now a plurality Asian, and that Charlie Rangel’s Harlem seat is now a majority Latino. Ethnicity is just about thicker than anything in New York politics, and it will be interesting to see if Mr. Rangel’s long record and incumbency beats out the desire of Hispanics to elect one of their own, Adriano Espaillat, to Congress (if he wins, Mr. Espaillat would be the first Dominican in Congress.) Meanwhile, out in Queens, Grace Meng is running to become the first Asian from New York in Congress. Her opponent, Rory Lancman, has a lot of support from some of the politically powerful labor unions affiliated with the Working Families Party. Will pathbreaking candidates energize enough voters to beat out sophisticated ground operations?

And speaking of the WFP:
Over the last several years, the Working Families Party has found itself on opposite sides with the Queens County Democratic Party. And in a sign of the shift in political power from county machines to labor machines, the WFP won more often then they lost. The Meng/Lancman race though is a pretty big stage for the WFP, and it will be interesting to see if they can topple the county party—which backs Meng—in order to get one of their own in Congress.

Turnout, Especially In the US Senate Primary:
With the odd June primary, turnout is expected to be stunningly and embarrassingly low. How low remains anyone’s guess, and is actually the biggest wild card headed into tomorrow. If not enough people show up to vote, even the wildest of wild cards has a shot, and easy favorites could be in for a humbling election night.

For those and other reasons, pay attention to turnout in the GOP US Senate primary between Bob Turner, Wendy Long and George Maragos. That race has gotten an awfully little bit of attention, and if turnout is as low as it appears to be, then Kirsten Gillibrand should be feeling pretty good over the next several months.

Mitt Romney celebrating his victories last night. (Photo: Getty)

A Siena College Research Institute poll of registered voters released today showed Rick Santorum will have his work cut out for him when he and Mitt Romney go head to head in New York State's Republican presidential primary on April 24th.

“Given their favorability ratings among Republicans, it's not surprising that Romney has opened a wide lead in New York's Republican presidential primary," Siena pollster Steve Greenberg said in a statement. "He is supported by 38 percent of Republicans, with Santorum being supported by 23 percent, Gingrich 13 percent and Paul 11 percent."

"The race has changed dramatically since early February when Romney led narrowly over Gingrich, and Santorum was in fourth place,” he added.

Mr. Romney beats Mr. Santorum among every demographic in the poll, including gender, ideology, religion, region, income, and age. The only data points where Mr. Romney didn't hold a dominating double-digit edge is among self-described conservatives, where he led by only 6, and among 18-34 year olds, where it is actually Mr. Paul in the lead with 42% of the vote.

Regardless of who wins the Republican primary, President Barack Obama looks strongly favored to win New York in the general election this November. Siena showed Mr. Obama up 26% over Mr. Romney and 34% over Mr. Santorum.

Click Fullscreen to view the full cross-tabs below:

Mitt Romney, happy. (Photo: Getty)

Mitt Romney bested Rick Santorum in a pair Republican presidential primaries tonight--a widely expected win in Arizona and a close, crucial victory in Michigan. With his wins tonight, Mr. Romney built on his delegate lead and stopped the momentum Mr. Santorum was beginning to enjoy after a trio of victories in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado earlier this month. Mr. Romney has a personal history in Michigan. His father served as governor there from 1963 until 1969. Despite Mr. Romney's ties to the Wolverine State, the race became close as Mr. Santorum surged in the polls. Both candidates made a major push to win Michigan complete with vicious ads and accusations of dirty politics.

Mr. Santorum's chances of earning the Republican nomination may have suffered a setback, but his campaign likely isn't giving up. Earlier this morning, Mr. Santorum's campaign manager, Michael Biundo, wrote a post on his Facebook page declaring his candidate the real winner of Michigan primary regardless of the outcome.

"No matter what happens here on election day. Rick Santorum has already won Mitts home state of Michigan by making him out spend us at least five to one in what should have been a easy victory for him," Mr. Biundo wrote.

The next vote coming up before next week's "Super Tuesday" flood of states is Washington, which votes this Saturday.