To read more from City & State click here.

The below fundraising pitch was sent out Friday afternoon by former New York City Councilman Steve Orlow, a former “member at large” who now practices law in Flushing, and Eli Hertz, a pro-Israel author. In the pitch, the Lancman supporters profess that they were “shocked” at Crowley’s statement, and that the “flippant attitude towards Israel’s safety and security shows that certain candidates in Queens are simply not fit for the responsibilities of national office.”

Oh, and that people upset about Crowley’s comment should give money to Lancman.

In the Times article, Crowley says she would rather focus on issues like health care and care for the elderly. And in an email to City & State over the weekend, one of Crowley’s top campaign advisers wrote in defending the candidate’s comment:

Elizabeth Crowley believes that Israel is America’s most important ally in the Middle East — our strategic partner against global terrorism — and values that relationship and honors New York’s special bond with the people of Israel,” the Crowley adviser wrote.

However, there is distance between the candidates (Rory and Grace, on one hand, and Elizabeth on the other) in terms of *emphasis*.

* Israel is not the most important issue we face,

* it’s not the most important issue for most voters in this election, and

* Elizabeth’s campaign does not intend to be governed by what some people might view as the David Weprin/Bob Turner playbook.

When Elizabeth calls this is a distraction, that’s what she meant: candidates focusing on Israel to the detriment of other issues is a distracting for the electorate and, frankly, if folks are thinking of this race as “Israelapalooza,” as one person said in the Times, that’s a bit demeaning to the process and to voters. If Rory’s campaign or Grace’s campaign want to be recognized as “the Israel candidates” or “the Israel candidates,” — for fundraising purposes or otherwise — we’re not going to fight them for the privilege of running a single-issue campaign.

Assemblywoman Grace Meng and Republican Councilman Dan Halloran are also running, and like Lancman, both are paying their fair share of respect to Israel issues.

To read the article at City & State and see Lancman’s initial fundraising pitch, click here.

In his latest musing, Diaz tries to guess at who the “rat” is within the Democratic conference that fed that piece of speculation to Daily News reporter Ken Lovett, dropping the names of several of his Democratic colleagues as possibilities. And he even singles out Gov. Andrew Cuomo as a likely candidate for the leak.

You should know that as soon as I read the article, I went around asking people, “Who do you think is this high ranking source plotting to knock Sampson out?”  It is interesting to see all of the names that people mention, starting with Jeff Klein, Liz Krueger, Mike Ginaris and – now hold on to your hats folks – Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Out of all of them, Andrew Cuomo is the most frequent name mentioned.  Even during our Democratic closed-door Conference, his name was mentioned by most of the Senators.  To many, this plot is an act of desperation by those who already visualize a victory in November by the Democrats when the Republicans (will probably) lose their Majority and control of the Senate.

Strangely, Diaz himself called earlier this year for Sampson’s ouster at Senate minority leader, so his moral outrage about the leak seems a little bit odd. But at least, his public outcries against his colleagues are always on the record. And in his column today, Diaz seems to have had a change of heart about Sampson, now saying that with Democrats back in the majority, Sampson would be a “bionic reconstructed man” who is “better, faster, and stronger.”

Here’s the full release from Diaz:

To read the full article at City & State click here.

“I might just add that I do give a damn,” Espaillat said, “and I would look forward to working with Obama, and I certainly hope he will endorse me.”

At his own recent press conference to receive the backing of current Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., Rangel said he didn’t “give a damn” if he got Obama’s backing in the congressional race, though Rangel’s campaign later walked the statement back.

Espaillat was on hand at City Hall today to receive the endorsement of former Bronx borough president/White House director of the Office of Urban Affairs Adolfo Carrion, which was first reported this morning by City & State.

Carrion, for his part, said he does not believe Obama will get involved in a Democratic primary, simply because it’s a race between two Democrats. He also praised Rangel’s record in Congress, and did not take the bait when asked about Rangel’s ethics violations.

Meanwhile, Espaillat was put in an awkward situation during the press conference, when he was asked about a scandal several years ago involving Carrion getting free work on his Bronx house. In response, Espaillat said that he was entirely unaware of the well-publicized incident, which resulted in a $10,000 city fine.

“No, I’m not concerned about that, and I don’t think there is such things going on,” Espaillat said. “If you have information you can share with me, perhaps, you can give that to me after the press conference. Any other questions?”

Carrion declined to speak about his own political plans, which have included rumored interest in a run for comptroller, and even as a Republican candidate for mayor in 2013.

To read more from City & State click here.

Bill Thompson, courtesy of Wiki Commons.

2013 Mayoral Race

A major developer who gave campaign contributions to Bill Thompson also benefitted greatly from Thompson’s stint chairing the Battery Park City Authority.

Thompson was the only one of the major mayoral candidates who was not signed onto an op-ed backing the prevailing wage bill.

U.S. Senate

Mayor Ed Koch said that Bob Turner incorrectly downplayed Koch’s support of Turner’s rival, Kirsten Gillibrand.

State Senate

DSCC chairman Mike Gianaris said he didn’t encourage the JCOPE investigation into SRCC chairman Tom Libous.

Manhattan

Adriano Espaillat has long held higher political ambitions.

Charlie Rangel’s top adviser is confident he’ll win re-election.

Queens

The mysterious Robert Mittman issued a campaign press release.

Brooklyn

DC 37 is reportedly set to back Charles Barron.

District Leader Lincoln Restler faces a new bruising battle this year against a Vito Lopez-backed candidate.

Nydia Velazquez and Erik Martin Dilan both made their cases on Inside City Hall.

The Fidler-Storobin race appears headed for a recount.

Bronx

Bob Kappstatter appeared on the Perez Notes.

Elsewhere

NY State Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs is resigning, clearing the way for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to make his own pick.

Lawmakers agreed to move the state legislative primary date to Sept. 13.

The Club for Growth rated the conservative credentials of New York’s Tea Party freshmen.

To read more from City & State click here.

Hoylman, who narrowly lost a Lower Manhattan Council race in 2001, is the well-known chairman of Community Board 2. Others expected to run for the seat include Corey Johnson, the chairman of Community Board 4, and Yetta Kurland, a civil rights lawyer and radio host. All the candidates are LGBT identified.

Hoylman’s Council campaign committee popped up the very day that Quinn stormed out of a rally heralding the passage of the living wage bill, after an attendee criticized Mayor Michael Bloomberg –  a close Quinn ally who opposes the bill.

And in his Council race, Hoylman faces a similar balancing act as Quinn, as he runs in a liberal West Side district. The personal politics he espouses are liberal. Yet he has long served as the executive vice-president and general counsel of the Partnership for New York City, a pro-business group with close ties to Quinn and Bloomberg.

The situation has grown even more complex for Hoylman after Quinn decided to drop a contentious provision from the living wage bill three weeks ago. That led the the pro-business group, which had initially supported a compromise version of the bill, to drop its support.

To read the full piece at City and State click here.

“We know they know of price of buying government favors in Mexico, and I think all of us are deeply concerned that they may know the price of buying government favors in the United States, and possibly New York,” Lancman said. “I think that the Justice Department should examine very, very closely those who have accepted contributions from Wal-Mart.”

As it turns out, some of the state’s top Democrats, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, have accepted money from the Arkansas retail giant, in turmoil over charges that it bribed Mexican officials and then covered its actions up.

A quick look at state Board of Elections filings shows that Cuomo has taken $1,000, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver $1,500 and the State Democratic Party $15,000 from Wal-Mart. A slew of others have also taken Wal-Mart donations, including Republican Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. In other words, the three most powerful people in state government have taken money from the company.

In  a follow-up statement provided to City & State, Lancman said he was simply calling for a broader investigation into Wal-Mart’s actions in New York — and not calling into question the motives of those individuals who accepted the company’s donations.

To read the full article at City & State click here.

The candidates got a thumbs-down on their tech prowess.

Might Kristin Davis run for mayor?

Brooklyn

Hakeem Jeffries may end up getting the endorsement of Andrew Cuomo.

More on Simcha Felder’s state Senate plans.

Manhattan

Rangel and Espailliat are fighting over the endorsement decision of Oscar de la Renta.

State Senate

John Sampson says the Senate Dems’ minimum wage push isn’t about politics.

Elsewhere

Green Party candidates could affect the outcome of several congressional races.

Sheldon Silver may push for public financing for the NY comptroller’s race.

To read more from City & State click here.

Mayoral candidate, and current Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer.

2013 Mayoral Race

Three of the NYC mayoral candidates spoke at an educational panel.

U.S. Senate

Wendy Long has a very high burn rate so far.

Staten Island

Mark Murphy is staffing up.

Opponent Michael Grimm is having his petitions challenged for the Independence Party line.

Brooklyn

The retiring Ed Towns won’t use his petitions to try and anoint a successor.

State Senate

Senate Democrats are broke seven months before the battle to retake the chamber.

Roy McDonald picked up the endorsement of a Republican committee.

Elsewhere

Gatemouth looks at the implications of various fringe congressional candidates.

Assembly Democrats are making a final push to move state legislative primaries to June.

Rep. Louise Slaugher says her broken leg is just fine.

But the Buffalo News says Slaughter’s injury and age (82) could be real problems against Maggie Brooks.

To read more from City & State click here.

Al Sharpton.

From today’s Heard Around Town:

* With two congressional primaries taking place this year in two historically black New York City neighborhoods, many are asking, wither Rev. Al Sharpton? Will he endorse in the NY-13 race in Harlem or the NY-08 in Bed-Stuy? Some sources speculate that Sharpton could endorse Charles Barron, whose campaign is in need of a boost after Rep. Edolphus Towns dropped out, making it a two-way race between Barron and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries. But one knowledgeable source said Sharpton was unlikely to get involved, given the political dynamics at play. “The old school Sharpton voter is already a Barron voter,” the source said. “By endorsing Barron, Sharpton may alienate the new school Sharpton voters who recognize that Sharpton has grown. Sharpton has built on his legacy and his universality. An endorsement of Barron would set that image back.” And even though his National Action Network is based in Harlem, the source predicted that Sharpton could well sit out the NY-13 race as well. “He has friends on all sides,” said the source, who added that Sharpton, at the very least, wouldn’t endorse Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat over Rep. Charlie Rangel. A spokeswoman for Sharpton declined comment.

To read more from City & State click here.