Incumbents and establishment candidates beware.

Or not.

Rand Paul beat Trey Grayson in Kentucky. Party-switching Sen. Arlen Spector went down to Rep. Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania. Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln was pushed into a runoff election.

Specter’s loss does not bode well for President Obama, Democrats or incumbents in general in the upcoming 2010 midterms, writes Tom DeFrank.

“You always had that sense about him, that he was in this to get money in his pocket,” ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer said of his old nemesis, former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno.

Will Spitzer get Campbell Brown’s time slot at CNN? He says no, but he has said no about so many things…

Gov. David Paterson said he doesn’t have sufficient “resources” to persuade recalcitrant lawmakers to agree to lift the charter school cap.

AG Andrew Cuomo will seek a property tax cap, a source close to him tells Newsday.

Weitz & Luxenberg, the Manhattan firm where Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is of-counsel, is pouring money into the campaign coffers of one of the Democratic AG candidates, Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice. (A son of one of the firm’s partners works for her).

“Oh, Scotty, beam me up.”

Staten Island Assembly members Janele Hyer-Spencer and Matthew Titone told Paterson what they think of him during a closed door meeting at the Capitol this week, and what they said wasn’t positive.

GOP LG hopeful M. Myers Mermel got a check from RGA head Haley Barbour.

Rick Lazio went after Cuomo during a fundraiser in Nassau County.

“The faster we put this together and put it to bed, the better,” said state Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long, explaining why he called his convention before the Republicans will hold theirs.

Suffolk County Conservative Chairman Ed Walsh threatened to draft someone to primary Lazio if he lands Row D.

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy wants Elena Kagan to reveal more about her stance on abortion.

Lloyd Constantine is hawking his book in Buffalo.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s wife was busted for DWI in Bedford, Westchester County.

She was arrested outside a school.

NYC Councilman Dan Halloran won’t challenge Rep. Gary Ackerman this fall, but isn’t ruling out a run in two years.

US Education Secretary Arne Duncan visited a Brooklyn charter school with Mayor Bloomberg and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

AFT President Randi Weingarten called Duncan to urge him to add a third school to his itinerary. He complied.

NYSUT is shopping for a candidate to challenge Sen. Craig Johnson and reportedly offering what the senator called a “bounty” for ousting him.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew says Bloomberg should use retirement incentives to prevent teacher layoffs.

LG Richard Ravitch doesn’t think Albany can “survive” through November with no budget.

Paterson insisted NYRA will get a loan to enable racing at Belmont and Saratoga to continue as planned this summer.

A poll commissioned by Rep. Carolyn Maloney shows her with a big lead over her primary opponent, Reshma Saujani.

On what would have been Sean Bell’s 27th birthday, a judge ruled his family’s civil lawsuit against the city and the five police officers who shot and killed him can go to trial.

Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks accused the state of putting her local government in fiscal jeopardy.

Azi Paybarah moderated a debate between two Republicans fighting for Row B in the 14th Congressional District.

Staten Island DA Dan Donovan campaigned for AG in Rochester.

Paterson and the Senate struck a two-way Power for Jobs deal; the Assembly is not yet on board.

In Rensselaer County, 10 school budgets passed, but one was too close to call.

The Schenectady school budget failed.

Ditto for budgets in Canastota, Onondaga, Fulton, Saugerties, Rondout Valley and Ossining and Katonah-Lewisboro.

More rejected budgets in Jamestown, Southwestern, Brocton and Fredonia (all in Chautauqua County).

All 12 budgets in Saratoga County passed.

Just one budget failed in Erie and Niagara counties.

Former President Clinton has joined the push to bring the FIFA World Cup to the US.

Orange County Executive Ed Diana won’t challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

This is very odd. (This used to say that an article about Rep. Maurice Hinchey and his ties to Saugerties development projects planned by the Kingston Freeman had been “delayed” pending the confirmation of “an element of the story”…unsure why it’s not appearing for some readers. Sorry.)

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