Leroy Comrie. (Photo: Facebook)

The Queens County Democratic Party is expected to endorse Councilman Leroy Comrie for borough president next week, according to four sources plugged into various sides of the race.

The sources--some of whom were disappointed in the decision--told Politicker that Congressman Joe Crowley, the head of the borough's Democratic organization, will probably endorse Mr. Comrie to balance his leadership position in one of the most demographically diverse counties in the country.

"Crowley has a lot pressure, he's got to deal with African-American district leaders who want him," said one Queens Democrat familiar with the decision-making process. "It is what it is."

"It's about 80 percent they're going with Leroy," another Democratic source said. "The black district leaders are strongly behind Leroy. And Joe needs to protect his leadership."

Mr. Comrie, who represents a predominately black southeastern Queens district, was not endorsed by an influential power broker in the area, Rev. Floyd Flake, but sources said Mr. Crowley is still fond of Mr. Comrie, a veteran member of the City Council.

The decision of the relatively powerful county organization comes even as Ms. Comrie's fund-raising continues to lag behind his competitors. According to the latest finance reports released yesterday, he has about $40,000 left in his account, compared with Councilman Peter Vallone's $800,000, former Councilwoman Melinda Katz's $337,000, State Sen. José Peralta's $138,000 and former Assemblyman Barry Grodenchik' $72,000.

Mr. Comrie and Mr. Crowley did not immediately return requests for comment.

Grace Meng (Photo: YNN)

Assemblywoman Grace Meng, who has the backing of the Queens County Democratic Party as she campaigns for her party's nomination in New York's 6th Congressional District, pointed out in two separate interviews yesterday evening that this election is the first time she's had the Democratic establishment's backing in a competitive primary, not to mention the small army of elected officials that have endorsed her candidacy.

"I'm proud for the first time of one of my primary elections to even have the support of Congressman Crowley and the Queens County Democratic organization," she said on Capital Tonight. "When I first got elected I didn't have any institutional support."

On Inside City Hall, she made the same point but lumped in her labor support when asked about some of the unions that got behind one of her electoral competitors, Assemblyman Rory Lancman and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley.

"I mean, everything's important," she responded. "I'm proud to receive the endorsement that we've gotten from various local elected officials. I'm proud to receive the endorsement of the Democratic Party in Queens. I'm proud to receive the endorsement of local unions, Local 1500, Hotel Trades Council."

"When I first ran for office I didn't have any institutional support, no labor, no Queens County," she added. "So I'm really proud of what we've been able to receive so far."

Of course, Ms. Meng doesn't have a large pool of past elections to look back upon. She was first elected in 2008 by ousting the Democratic incumbent, Ellen Young, and didn't even have an opponent in the 2010 election.

Update: It's also fair to note that Ms. Meng is the only candidate in the race who has ran against the county organization before.

McCone lives in Bay Ridge, which  is outside of the 9th Congressional District. This is a major disadvantage on its own,  but is compounded by the fact that Congressman Joe Crowley and the Queens County Democratic Party are far more likely to choose someone from their home borough.

That said, McCone could serve as a place-holder if the seat were to be redistricted out, as expected, next year.

In an interview with The Politicker, McCone said that two sitting Congressmen, including one from the New York delegation--he declined to say who--have met with him about making a bid for the seat, and added that he has been in contact with "several, several" labor leaders.

"I've been involved in government affairs all my life," McCone said. "I've not just been civically and socially involved, but I've been an advocate for ordinary working men and women. "

McCone ran for the City Council in 1997 and lost. He acknowledged that "many qualified people" have expressed an interest in the seat, but said that one of his strengths was that "I'm not a professional politician."

If the seat was eliminated, he said: "It wouldn't bother me one bit. It would have no effect on me."

McCone would probably appeal most to the powers-that-be as a placeholder to keep the seat warm for a year or so until it got merged into another district. He declined, however, to rule out running against a sitting Democratic incumbent should that happen.

"That's not worth speculating on," he said. "It's time to help the ordinary voter and the people of Brooklyn and Queens. They have gone through an awful lot recently."