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Liz Benjamin
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Posts by Liz Benjamin
Basile Not Running For Senate
May 25th - 12:31 pm
State GOP Executive Director Tom Basile released a statement just now announcing that he is not, in fact, going to run for the state Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tom Morahan.
I have been asked by a number of individuals in the Party in Rockland to consider running for the Senate seat,” Basile said.
“I am truly humbled that leaders from the Rockland County GOP would consider me to follow our great Senator Morahan who has served our Party and our people so effectively over many years. While I have explored the opportunity, I will not be a candidate for State Senate.”
“I remain fully committed to realizing Chairman Cox’s vision of a revitalized State Republican Party that will offer New Yorkers an alternative to the Democrat policies that have brought this state to the brink of financial ruin.”
“In this critical election year, the Party and our candidates are my top priorities.”
I believe, in my limited knowledge of sports analogies, they call this taking one for the team.
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Holtzman Takes A Pass On AG, Doesn’t Endorse
May 25th - 11:31 am
Not that this is any big surprise, but former NYC Comptroller/ex-Rep. Liz Holtzman has decided not to run for AG after all, leaving Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice the lone woman in the field.
“As I began to campaign around the state, I was heartened by the enthusiasm of voters for my possible candidacy. So many urged me to run and I thank them all,” Holtzman said in a statement released this morning.
“However, in spite of the positive response and encouraging poll numbers, getting in at such a late stage in the process created insuperable obstacles to waging a winning campaign.”
Holtzman’s release went on to note that her background as a former Brooklyn DA and “anti-corruption” congresswoman who “stood up to Nixon during Watergate,” she was “perfectly suited for the job” and “confident” that she would have been able to do it.
She also signaled a desire to stay in the political game, saying the state needs leaders to take on Wall Street (even though she had declined to pledge not to accept finance industry campaign cash), clean up Albany, champion marriage equality and fight environmental polluters.
(Holtzman’s full statement appears after the jump).
Holtzman has been looking for a way back into elected office for a while now.
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Jacobs Has a Change Of Heart On AG Ballot
May 25th - 10:32 am
Less than 24 hours after deciding to have a single ballot for the AG race – a move likely to benefit only three of the five contenders, at best – state Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs has had a change of heart.
“I want to be very clear on this: Because we’ve had five candidates who have, over the year, worked hard to get substantial support throughout the state committee and have that support, I am going to allow a two ballot process which will end up letting all five on the ballot,” Jacobs told me this morning.
“…Important county chairs took a look at the reaction to our decision,” the chairman continued. “And I am now anxious to make sure the process is as inclusive as possible for these candidates, who really have received substantial support.”
When I asked Jacobs who had gotten to him since we last spoke, he laughed at first.
He then turned serious, telling me that he had received an earful from a number of sides – particularly the Democratic Rural Conference county chairs who had given their nod to Eric Dinallo in their straw poll and felt the one-ballot process disadvantaged him.
They have a point.
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Indy Chair On Cuomo: ‘Proud To Hold His Coat’
May 25th - 9:05 am
For the first time in its history, the state Independence Party is poised to give a pre-convention nod to AG Andrew Cuomo for governor, and he appears ready to accept the party’s line in spite of an ongoing investigation by the Manhattan DA’s office.
The executive committee of the state’s third-largest minor party is scheduled to meet in Troy this afternoon and will all but surely vote “unanimously” to endorse Cuomo, according to Indy Chairman Frank MacKay.
The decision will be codified by the full party at its convention in Albany on June 5, MacKay said.
Cuomo will join MacKay at 12:30 p.m. for a joint press conference in Troy to announce the party’s decision.
The Indys recently gave a very early endorsement to Sen. Chuck Schumer, but have never before chosen a standard bearer before the convention, MacKay said. I asked why the party is going this route, and he replied:
“We’re getting out ahead and letting all the other candidates know we are with Andrew Cuomo.”
“…I think Andrew Cuomo is a proven statesman. I think he’s the one man out there – the one person out there – that can handle the issues and the challenges and he certainly has the experience.”
“I believe strongly that he’ll be the next governor, and we’re proud to hold his coat on the way to the governor’s mansion.”
(That’s a rather unfortunate choice of words. A similar phrase employed by Cuomo to criticize then-Gov. George Pataki’s post-9/11 leadership in comparison to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani ignited a spate of negative press during the 2002 gubernatorial campaign, which Cuomo ended up quitting early).
I asked MacKay if he expects Cuomo to accept Row C, and he replied: “Absolutely. We are fully expecting Andrew Cuomo to be our gubernatorial candidate.”
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Here And Now
May 25th - 8:28 am
The Democratic convention officially kicks off in Rye Brook today. (No link).
The executive committee of the state Independence Party plans to endorse Andrew Cuomo for governor in Troy at 12:30 p.m. today. Cuomo will be on hand. (No link).
An assistant to Mayor Bloomberg who is paid by both the taxpayers and the billionaire mayor is reportedly a key witness in the case of the missing $750,000 that has been bedeviling the Indys.
As the party faithful gathered in Westchester County, Assembly Democrats conferenced until 1 a.m. on a deal to lift the charter school cap. It doesn’t look likely to pass at the moment.
AG hopeful Sen. Eric Schneiderman, who will be racing back and forth between Rye and Albany, has a new campaign Website.
Cuomo has at least a 40-point lead over his GOP opponents, according to a new Siena poll.
…That’s in spite of the fact that Cuomo and the Republicans seeking to defeat him share a number of views about fiscal prudence.
Bill Hammond thinks Cuomo is a lot more like former Gov. George Pataki than he is like his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo.
Pat Barrett says Cuomo is “aware of the problems upstate,” adding: “We will not be forgotten.
Barrett, a former state GOP chairman, is one of a group of Republicans reaching out on Cuomo’s behalf.
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Extras
May 24th - 6:42 pm
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie accused AG Andrew Cuomo of poaching.
If Cuomo doesn’t have coattails it could be a problem for some congressional candidates.
Republican Mike McKeon explains his change of heart on Cuomo.
Daily Intel thinks Myers Mermel has an “awesome name,” but no chance at winning the governor’s race.
The state Labor Department has a blog.
Gov. David Paterson proposed a $25 million bailout for NYRA.
The Oswego Conservatives endorsed Doug Hoffman.
The Ulster County Conservative chairman endorsed Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy for governor. (No link).
“Leave Stevie.”
El Diario wants to protect the public advocate.
Reps. Dan Maffei and Bill Owens backed Sean Coffey for AG.
There will be “painful” education cuts in NYC unless Albany comes through.
The Assembly Democrats are reportedly split over the governor’s EFP-sweep plan to fund parks.
Former NYC Councilwoman Melinda Katz is doing well in the private sector.
Bill Clinton will speak at Colgate University.
The GOP will hold its governor vote next Wednesday.
Welcome to Nick Reisman, the newest member of the Gannett Albany Bureau, who wrote his first Politics on the Hudson post today.
GOP US Senate Breakdown (Jr. Senator Edition)
May 24th - 6:17 pm
Heading into next week’s GOP convention in Manhattan, Bruce Blakeman so far leads the endorsement race, with 22 chairs/counties representing 31.7 percent of the weighted convention vote.
That’s going to become 23 chairs by the end of the day, as I’m told the Jefferson County GOP is poised to sign on with Blakeman, too, boosting his tally to about 32.4 percent.
Blakeman, a former Nassau County legislator and ex-Port Authority Board member, was the first Republican to throw his hat into the ring against Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, announcing his campaign back in January.
He also was the first to claim he had hit the 25 percent mark neccessary to get onto the ballot.
According to the Blakeman campaign’s tally, former Rep. Joe DioGuardi has four counties with 11.6 percent and economist David Malpass has seven counties totaling 6.4 percent.
That leaves a fairly sizable chunk of the weighted vote unaccounted for, but there’s plenty of time for jockeying yet.
UPDATE: State GOP spokesman Alex Carey sent over the following statement in response to my reference to Cox’s effort to get Malpass to switch races and challenge Schumer instead of Gillibrand:
“Most of the candidates for Senator Gillibrand’s seat were approached at various points by certain Republican State Committeemen, other than Chairman Cox, to gauge the candidates’ interest in running against Senator Schumer, only because there was no candidate for that vacancy for some time.”
“Chairman Cox is extremely pleased with David Malpass’ decision to run against Senator Gillibrand, and never interfered, in any way, to coerce him to run instead against Senator Schumer.”
Higgins For Rice
May 24th - 6:00 pm
Rep. Brian Higgins has added his name to the growing list of endorsers of Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice’s bid to replace Andrew Cuomo, saying she has the “the experience, the passion and the vision to be an excellent attorney general.”
The Buffalo-area Democrat said Rice is “truly a standout” in a field of “very impressive candidates,” and also cited his expectation that she will advocate on behalf of Western NY.
“Like the people of this community, she knows what it takes to stand up and fight for what’s right,” Higgins added in a statement released by the Rice campaign.
“She has the integrity it takes to reform government, the toughness it take on violent criminals and white-collar thieves, and the legal experience it takes to advocate for the rights of New Yorkers across the state. I wholeheartedly support her candidacy and I look forward to campaigning alongside her during the months ahead.”
The timing of this is, of course, designed to demonstrate that Rice has statewide support going into the convention tomorrow.
Erie County accounts for 5.54 percent of the weighted vote and is so far unpledged in the AG’s race. Rice has already passed the 25 percent mark necessary to get onto the ballot. The higher she can run up her weighted vote tally, the more of her opponents she force to go the petition route – or drop out of the race.
One Ballot For AG At Dem Convention
May 24th - 4:25 pm
The question of how the AG vote will work at the Democratic state convention in Rye this week has been answered: There will be a single ballot and the “chips will fall where they may,” according to a county chairman with knowledge of the process.
The idea of simply letting all five Democratic AG contenders onto the ballot by having multiple votes was briefly considered, but apparently that has since been shot down.
“The only way to let everyone on is through multiple ballots,” the chairman said. “That’s a machination and a manipulation.”
“…At the end of the day the sense of a lot of people is that if we do that, then what we’re basically saying is: Why even bother having a state committee and a party at all?…The rules are the rules. You follow the rules or you manipulate them.”
This decision will benefit Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice, who is the current frontrunner of the Democrats vying to replace AG Andrew Cuomo – both in today’s Siena poll and in county chair support, as she has Nassau, Suffolk, Brooklyn, Albany, Greene, Chemung and Oswego in her corner.
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Silver: It Takes Three To Tango In Albany
May 24th - 3:55 pm
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver today responded to AG Andrew Cuomo’s criticism in his usual inscrutable way, taking a few subtle shots at the newly-announced Democratic gubernatorial hopeful while also insisting the two “can work together” just fine and dandy if and when Cuomo is elected governor.
“He’s been my candidate for governor for quite a while,” Silver said of Cuomo, whom he endorsed yesterday (via press release).
“He was my constituent. I’ve worked with him I do believe that he and I can work effectively together in terms of governing New York.”
“…Since his father, there have been three governors of this state,” the speaker continued. “And most of the time people look at the governor and how they lead this state. I think that’s what’s happening now and that’s what Andrew wants to change.”
“So, I think in all of his criticisms, he – and most of the press reports – probably omitted the fact that there was a governor or two involved in that as well.”
Silver did note that Cuomo doesn’t get to vote on who the speaker is. (The AG himself said as much at the Israel Day parade yesterday), and also declined to address the issues specifically outlined in Cuomo’s book, saying: “I have not had the privilege of having an autographed copy.”
As for whether he will sign Cuomo’s reform pledge – or any other pledge, for that matter – Silver said: “I don’t sign anybody’s pledges. Pledges are fixed in time, usually, and they really don’t mean much.”
Silver said as much when he was asked about former Mayor Ed Koch’s New York Uprising pledge, which, incidentally, has been sent to all the legislative candidates.
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