While Korean media in New York City was abuzz with the news that North Korea had conducted its third nuclear test, the radioactive blast left members of the city’s Korean community decidedly nonplussed. Read More
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. Read More
It’s Election Day in New York next Thursday! But instead of a titanic battle between ideologies–your Mitt Romneys vs. Barack Obamas, if you will–the options on the ballot will be little-noticed state legislative contests between candidates of the same party, often with few policy differences.
However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some exciting races happening. From “Who Gets Arrested for Raping a Grandmother?” to “Assemblywoman Caught Up in Sex Scandal with Two Young Men,” there’s been no shortage of nasty drama and mud slinging as voters head to the polls.
Here’s a breakdown of who’s running and why it might matter who wins. The list below focuses on Democratic races because the few Republican primaries in this staunchly blue city tend to have clear favorites or are taking place in such Democratic territory that the victor is reasonably likely to be irrelevant. Read More
Myungsuk Lee, one of many candidates vying to replace Assemblywoman Grace Meng’s soon-to-be-vacated seat, has been battered by a couple recent New York Post articles reporting the existence of prostitution ads in the newspaper he owns, the Korean American Times. But, according to a source monitoring the Korean language media, it seems Mr. Lee is not going to be taking the issue sitting down.
Mr. Lee reportedly held a press conference last Friday arguing that the alleged brothels are, in fact, legal businesses, and said he would seek to file a lawsuit against the Post for defamation and libel. In a translation provided to The Politicker, Mr. Lee further said he would seek a face-to-face discussion with the publication’s management, which he said produces articles ”against Korean-American community at large.” Read More
Ron Kim, a former staffer for two governors of New York and candidate for the State Assembly in Queens, has just been endorsed by one of his former bosses: Governor David Paterson. The endorsement is somewhat unique as Mr. Paterson doesn’t normally give them out. Indeed, after a press conference in April, he told us that his current status as a radio show host precluded him from weighing in on political races like the one between Congressman Charlie Rangel and State Senator Adriano Espaillat.
“Ron Kim represents all that is possible in this great country,” Mr. Paterson said in a release this afternoon. “After excelling as a student here in New York City, Ron went on to work at the highest levels of New York City, and New York State government. Ron’s experience in New York government puts him in a strong position to best represent his district in the Assembly. I am endorsing him today because he understands what it will take to deliver jobs and opportunities for Queens.”
Earlier this week, Ethel Chen registered a campaign committee to run for Assemblywoman Grace Meng’s seat. Like Ms. Meng, Ms. Chen is a Democrat, and even though there remains some doubt as to whether Ms. Meng might be running for reelection or as the Democratic nominee for an open congressional seat, Ms. Chen is one of several candidates plowing forward with their campaigns.
This week, Democrat Ron Kim and Republican Phil Gim also declared their campaigns, setting up a primaries in a field that may already be set to include Democrats Isaac Sasson and John Scandalios, as well as Republican Sunny Hahn. Read More
