Helen Rosenthal, one of the leading Democrats campaigning for an Upper West Side Council district, cut a $1,000 check for former Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s aborted Senate campaign. But despite the neighborhood’s status as a progressive bastion, Ms. Rosenthal’s campaign told Politicker she stood by the contribution as a strategic play against a more conservative rival. Read More
TRENTON – Gov. Chris Christie tapped state Attorney General Jeff Chiesa as the New Jersey’s next U.S. senator.
“It became clear to me that Attorney General Chiesa was the best decision,” Mr. Christie said. Read More
Friends, family, dozens of senators and other officials, including Vice President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, gathered under a Park Avenue synagogue’s stained glass dome Wednesday to pay tribute to New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg, who died Monday at the age of 89.
The touching service included many moments of laughter and tears. But the highlight was the eulogy by Mr. Biden, who joked about how Mr. Lautenberg never stopped one-upping him during the 25 years they served together as close friends in the senate. Read More
Gov. Chris Christie today called for a special election on Oct. 16 to replace U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died Monday at the age of 89.
The October special election means the primary will be held on Aug. 13. Read More
Congressman Charlie Rangel reacted to the death of New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg Monday, expressing deep sadness at the loss of a long-time friend and the oldest member of the senate, whom he said America “loved so much.”
“Oh shit,” he said when told about the news of Mr. Lautenberg’s death at 89 by a reporter at a press event outside of Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem. “Oh God.” Read More
The U.S. Senate voted down a bipartisan deal to expand background checks to gun shows and internet sales today, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg isn’t happy.
“Today’s vote is a damning indictment of the stranglehold that special interests have on Washington,” Mr. Bloomberg declared in a statement condemning both parties for their inaction. Read More
Although gun control advocates–including the New York Daily News editorial board–have sharply criticized the U.S. Senate for moving forward with gun legislation that mostly just focuses on expanding background checks, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is just fine with it.
“I think this is not perfect but it takes you 90 percent of the way–maybe 95 percent of the way–towards more rational gun laws,” Mr. Bloomberg said during his weekly WOR radio show this morning. “And the public is overwhelmingly in favor of background checks. A couple of the editorial boards thinks it’s not enough, but the public does and I do.” Read More
Senator Chuck Schumer may have broken the record for most puns crammed into a political press release with his response to the news five people and two companies were busted by federal officials for illegally smuggling honey from China. Though his statement was quite brief, Mr. Schumer managed to fill it with an un-bee-lievably high number of honey-themed puns.
“This successful sting operation is sure to be a buzz kill for would-be honey smugglers,” Mr. Schumer said. “For too long, foreign smuggling of this product has created a sticky situation for domestic honey producers. We need a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to honey laundering.” Read More
American Crossroads, the Karl Rove-backed “super PAC” that invested millions of dollars in last year’s elections, has a new target–actress Ashley Judd.
Ms. Judd is reportedly considering a run against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky, but American Crossroads might prefer if the actress never moved forward with her campaign. Accordingly, the group released a YouTube ad unloading a barrage of hits against Ms. Judd and arguing that she’s “an Obama-following, radical, Hollywood liberal” who’s out of step with Kentucky’s conservative politics. Read More
WASHINGTON D.C. — Long Island chef Butch Yamali is telling Senator Chuck Schumer to go duck himself after the Inauguration.
Senator Schumer was able to put his own New York-centric spin on today’s festivities in his capacity as chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. However, Mr. Yamali doesn’t feel Mr. Schumer went far enough to honor his home state and is holding a press conference tomorrow to “formally rebuke” the senator for not having Long Island duck at the inaugural meal at the Capitol Building. Read More
