Via Wiki Commons.

2013 Mayoral Race

Bill de Blasio outraised his potential rivals for mayor.

Anthony Weiner referred to speculation about a comeback as a “clown question.”

Public Advocate

Daniel Squadron is leading the fundraising race.

Queens

The Queens DA may look into an Assembly candidate’s running of prostitution ads in his newspaper.

The Queens BP race is heating up.

US Senate

Wendy Long’s campaign remains in deep debt.

Brooklyn

Abraham Tischler says he would vote for Ruben Diaz, Sr. for majority leader.

State Senate

The Senate GOP has a major cash advantage over the Senate Dems.

Neil Breslin slammed his primary challenger for taking IDC money.

The IDC PAC has more than 300K on hand.

Elsewhere

Lots of money has been raised in the race to replace Jack McEneny.

Erie Democratic chairman Len Lenihan retired.

Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons

Manhattan

Guillermo Linares is in for a Senate run against Adriano Espaillat, while Mark Levine appears to be dropping his candidacy.

Charlie Rangel issued a statement congratulating Espaillat.

U.S. Senate

Wendy Long challenged Kirsten Gillibrand to a series of five debates.

2013 Mayoral Race

John Catsmatidis doesn’t think Christine Quinn is a lock to get Mayor Bloomberg’s endorsement.

Queens

Jerry Iannece hired the Parkside Group and picked up John Liu’s backing.

Staten Island

An Assembly candidate is trying to make hay of Marty Golden’s “feminine presence” class.

Elsewhere

After getting ballot status in 2010, the Green Party is having an easier time than usual this year.

Maggie Brooks’s fundraising haul kept her competitive with her opponent, Louise Slaughter.

To read more from City & State click here.

Adriano Espaillat is reportedly preparing to conceded to Charlie Rangel and will run instead for state Senate re-election.

Certification of Rangel’s win will likely come on Tuesday.

Brooklyn

Marty Golden was called a “sexist pig” on CNN for wanting to hold his now-cancelled feminine etiquette event.

Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes has a primary opponent.

MoveOn.org really, really regrets going after Charles Barron during his congressional primary.

2013 Mayoral Race

The various candidates are using social media, but are wary of repeating Rep. Anthony Weiner’s Twitter incident.

U.S. Senate

Kirsten Gillibrand told reporters that her values are fundamentally different from those of Wendy Long.

To read more from City & State click here.

After voting on the Upper East Side, Long said she was heading out on whirlwind tour of the state: flying to Buffalo, then driving to Rochester and Syracuse before returning to New York City tonight.

“I think everything is a key battleground,” Long said. “I haven’t given up on any part of the state.”

Long cited the support of the big upstate counties at the Republican convention, and also said she was focusing on Staten Island and was competing in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Yet Long also acknowledged the challenge of running as a political unknown, especially given the shortness of the primary season. She said her strategy had been to reach out to voters in the Republican base at Tea Party meetings and Republican picnics.

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

Rudy Giuliani. Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons.

U.S. Senate

Wendy Long and Bob Turner got into a spat over a robocall Rudy Giuliani recorded for Turner.

Brooklyn

Fearing the potential election of Charles Barron, a flood of national campaign cash in flowing in for Hakeem Jeffries.

Nydia Velazquez and her challengers debated on NY1.

Manhattan

Tom Duane officially endorsed Brad Hoylman.

Queens

Grace Meng loaned her campaign $60,000.

Staten Island

Despite ample fodder, Mark Murphy is largely keeping things positive in his battle with Michael Grimm.

State Senate

Sen. Steve Saland lost the Conservative line over his gay marriage vote.

Elsewhere

Sunday was a frenzied day of campaigning in New York’s congressional primaries.

Ex-Gov. George Pataki recorded a robocall blasting Sean Patrick Maloney.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he isn’t weighing in on the NY-18 primary.

Cuomo did endorse Velazquez, Jeffries and Charlie Rangel.

To read more from City & State click here.

Wendy Long is a Manhattan lawyer and political newcomer whose campaign has suffered some financial setbacks. She currently holds $193,000 in debt, City & State recently reported, though a campaign spokesperson said she will have sufficient funds to compete in the primary due to prominent backers. Long has an extensive history of involvement in conservative activism and politics as a lobbyist for conservative judges; she pushes for an end to what she sees as “limited self-government” and “elite liberal” destruction of the Constitution and individual rights and enterprise. According to Norquist’s release, Long is the only candidate of the three who has committed to not raising taxes.

Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos accuses his opponents of being indecisive on the tax issue and focuses heavily on his own history of business experience in finance. Prior to his political career, Maragos was a vice president at Chase Manhattan Bank and Citibank before founding SDS Financial Technologies, of which he was president for over 20 years. Maragos says that what’s lacking in Congress is solid economic theory above all else. He believes the government’s top priority is restoring economic growth and creating private sector jobs. Maragos says our economy requires a “fundamental restructuring,” including a restoration to free market principles.
Despite the contentious issues on the table, experts anticipate a low turnout at the primaries; a recent Siena College poll shows 70 percent of Republican voters do not prefer any candidate.

Long, one of the leading contenders for the GOP nomination to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, raised $104,000 between early April and early June. She now has $81,000 more in debts than in cash.

The financial problems may help explain the departure of two Long staffers. Late last month, well-paid campaign manager Dick Wadhams departed and was replaced by operative Rob Ryan.

And on May 15, Long campaign fundraiser Christina Comer departed after a month of working for Long. In both instances, Long’s campaign has said that the moves were not results of financial difficulties.

The report shows that Wadhams is owed $37,000, Verus Partners $22,500, the Casale Group $60,000 and Prosper Group $15,600, among several other smaller debts owed to vendors. Long also owes herself $28,000 for travel/phone expenses, and has lent $17,000 to the campaign.

Long’s debt is not a complete surprise, since her first campaign filing showed a very high burn rate.

In his latest filing, Long’s opponent, Brooklyn/Queens Congressman Bob Turner raised just over $104,000 from early April to early June, and himself had just $108,000 on hand for the campaign’s stretch run. The third candidate, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, has not yet released his filing.

Meanwhile, the winner of the three-way GOP primary on June 26 will face off against Gillibrand, who has more than $9 million in the bank.

UPDATE:

Here’s a statement from Long’s campaign spokesman, David Catalfamo.

“With the help of endorsements from leading state and national conservatives like Steve Forbes, Grover Norquist, Laura Ingraham, John Bolton and Sean Hannity today, Wendy has attracted the support of 176 individual donors from 27 states. It’s clear that momentum is building around Wendy’s candidacy and she will have the resources necessary to compete and win on June 26th.”

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

The three Republican candidates are struggling to get attention.

2013 Mayoral Race

Greg David suggests that Christine Quinn hedge her bets by running on an independent line.

Comptroller

Dan Garodnick came out against stop-and-frisk.

Manhattan

Things got heated during an NY 1 debate between Charlie Rangel and Adriano Espaillat.

Kirsten Gillibrand has $9.9 million in the bank.

More candidates emerged for Tom Duane’s seat.

Queens

The Daily News endorsed Rep. Rory Lancman.

As did the Queens Chronicle.

Lancman’s literature swiped at both his opponents.

The race to replace Grace Meng is divided on ethnic lines.

President Obama endorsed Greg Meeks.

Brooklyn

The Obama administration is concerned about Charles Barron.

Hakeem Jeffries raised $250K.

Elsewhere

Rep. Anne Marie Buerkle was assisted by special interest cash.

To read more from City & State click here.

Charter School supporters are gearing up.

Brooklyn

David Storobin’s district office will be the same one that was used by Carl Kruger.

Charles Barron’s affinity for Nehru jackets could be a problem in Congress.

Tenants PAC is going after Marty Golden.

The Amsterdam News is backing Charles Barron.

Queens

A breakdown of the key neighborhoods in the NY-06 race.

A rare policy disagreement has emerged in the race.

U.S. Senate

Wendy Long’s campaign is using Fred Dicker’s words to fundraise.

Elsewhere

Ex-Assemblyman David Koon, who is running for his old seat, apologized for comments slamming his constituents following a 2010 loss.

There was a bit of a Twitter fight in the Democratic primary to take on Nan Hayworth.

To read more from City & State click here.

Wendy Long

WINNERS

Liz Benjamin – What a happy two-year anniversary present for Capital Tonight superblogger Liz Benjamin: a “dossier” of her “generally snarky” blog posts from the Cuomo administration, helpfully gift wrapped by Buzzfeed’s Ben Smith. Not that Benjamin needed evidence that she was getting under the governor’s skin; we’re sure she’s received more than a few of those infamous off-the-record phone calls from you-know-who. And her response to the news that everyone else in New York politics was tripping over themselves to Tweet? Barely a shrug. More like generally unflappable.

Maggie Brooks – The Republican Monroe County executive’s congressional bid got off to a strong start: she raised over a quarter million dollars in under two weeks, outdoing her Democratic opponent Rep. Louise Slaughter, and earning the designation as a promising “Young Gun” candidate by the NRCC. Meanwhile, the 82-year-old Slaughter has had to defend herself on questions about her health and fitness to run. Brooks has even been able to deflect questions about national issues, though the local press has started taking her to task for staying mum.

Hakeem Jeffries – It’s one thing to end up winning a campaign by default when your opponent drops out if you’re not a great candidate, but for Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, who has run a gracious campaign against incumbent Ed Towns, the news that Towns would decline to run for re-election was just icing on a well-run campaign cake. Jeffries has made an impressive fundraising haul already, with $390,000 cash on hand. If he doesn’t spend it all running against Councilman Charles Barron, it’s just added muscle for future runs.

Sheldon Silver – The Assembly speaker got two bits of good news this week. First, the seating of Didi Barrett as the 101st Democratic member of his conference gave Silver back his veto-proof majority in the Assembly. And public polls show that voters continue to support his push for an increase in the minimum wage. And with the passage of Senate-approved mixed-martial arts bill hanging in the balance, he may have the necessary chits he needs to make a deal. And that’s where all that’s Silver turns gold.

David Yassky – The Taxi and Limousine Commission passed rules to put into place the far-reaching agreement between Cuomo and Bloomberg on expanding taxi service in the outer boroughs, a win for Yassky and his boss, Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Owners of the city’s yellow cabs are irate and they’re suing to block the plan, but the development means more business for livery cabs and a big influx of cash for New York City from the sale of the new permits.

LOSERS

Jeffrey Gottlieb — Jeffrey, we hardly knew ye. And yet, we wouldn’t have known you at all but for your controversial, late entry into the NY-6 congressional race in Queens, where you were immediately pegged as a “plant” by Assemblyman Rory Lancman — allegedly running at the behest of Assemblywoman Grace Meng. Of course, the New York Post took things to the next level by rifling through the personal lives of an obscure congressional candidate, and finding a history of arson and mental hospitalization. It all ended yesterday when Gottlieb withdrew from the race and threw his signatures to Stephen Green. Hope your record’s clean, Mr. Green.

Carl Kruger – The former Senator’s plea for leniency was sadder than an abandoned baby in a cardboard box, sadder than a dead puppy, sadder than a blank passport belonging to someone who never got to go anywhere in his life. It’s sadder than all these things because it contains all three and more, in a maudlin retelling of Kruger’s life that would have been more effective told straight. As it is, the overkill in the 77-page sentencing memo might be indicative of just how worried Kruger is the judge in the case will throw the book at him, especially considering the federal prosecutors’ plan to ask for nine-years in jail for the former senator, sad life story notwithstanding.

Wendy Long – GOP Senate hopeful Wendy Long knew her race against Kirsten Gillibrand would be an uphill battle. And with the release of her FEC filings this week, the public can see what an uphill battle costs – more than half of what she has managed to raise so far. Long was incensed by the publicizing of her publicly available campaign finance filings, and dubiously claimed that Gillibrand’s camp was responsible. But her fingers would probably be better served punching donor phone numbers than pointing at rivals.

To read the full list and vote for this week’s ultimate political winner and loser visit City & State by clicking here.