Nick Reisman

Republican House candidate David Bellavia filed today petition signatures in Albany to appear on the Conservative and Republican lines ahead of the June 26 primary against former Erie County Executive Chris Collins.

Bellavia said in an interview the ballot status was a sign of his organizational strength.

“The support that we have, the people who carried the petitions, the committee members, the chairmen, everyday we’re building a larger and larger army. It’s great. It’s humbling, but it’s a really exciting time … I think it’s a little bit of a window into what we’re going to do.”

Bellavia is running in the sprawling district represented by Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul, considered by national Republicans and observers as ripe for a GOP pickup. The newly drawn district is more Republican than the one in which Hochul scored an upset victory against Assemblywoman Jane Corwin.

His campaign did not immediately provide a breakdown of the signatures.

The Congressional campaign of Cortland Councilman Richard Becker is disputing the finer points of rival Democrat Sean Maloney’s campaign finance report, which posted on the FEC’s website over the weekend.

The Becker campaign takes with most of Maloney’s money coming from outside of the district — “a clear indication of transparent carpetbagging,” according to Becker’s press shop.

And Becker’s campaign claims that despite Maloney’s exceptionally good fundraising efforts, he only has $212,712 for the June 26 primary, which also features Wappingers Falls Mayor Matt Alexander.

From the Becker campaign:

“It is also more than a little disingenuous for Sean to claim he’s been running for only two months when in fact he seems to have been seeking elected office for the better part of the last decade. During his tenure at the Spitzer administration, Sean was sharply criticized by the NY Times and good government groups for exploiting loopholes in state ethics and campaign finance rules to effectively continue running a campaign while working on the Second Floor. His behavior was blasted by the League of Women Voters, Common Cause, and NYPIRG as a ‘flagrant misuse of campaign dollars,’ an example of how Albany insiders ‘who make the rules benefit from them,’ and ‘disturbing, and some would say heartbreaking,’ and he was admonished that ‘at some point, you have to start setting an example.’ “

Still, it makes sense for Becker’s people to temper Maloney’s fundraising news, considering his cash on hand is comparatively higher.

Maloney has raised around $325,000 in the last eight weeks and has $322,000 of that on hand. Maloney campaign points to incumbent Rep. Nan Hayworth being outraised by $30,000.

Becker has raised about $86,000 over three months and has a high burn rate. he has $218,000 in the bank, with $125,000 coming from a loan.

Republican House candidate Joe Carvin has loaned his campaign $1 million in order to work toward unseating longtime incumbent Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey in Westchester County.

“America is challenged as never before,” Carvin said in a statement, “and we have to be up to that challenge. The focus of this nation must stay fixed on reducing our annual operating deficits and our national debt or they will weigh as an anchor on the economic future of our nation. I have no interest in becoming a politician; I am asking to be sent to Washington to fulfill a specific mission and then I will come home.”

His campaign reported raising $75,500 and has spent more than $32,000 so far.

Carvin, the Rye town supervisor and a former hedge-fund manager, had initially dipped his toe in the U.S. Senate race before dropping out the morning of the state Republican convention in Rochester. At the time, Carvin had pledged to make the $1 million loan his only personal contribution.

The newly formed NY-19 covers northern Westchester County. While heavily Democratic and is still considered a safe hold the part, Lowey’s new district leans slightly more Republican.

In recent election cycles, she has never faced a serious Republican opponent. In 2010, Republicans nominated Jim Russell, who the party dumped after past published writings appeared to show him opposed to interracial marriage.

Longtime Brooklyn Rep. Ed Towns has decided to not seek re-election this fall, according to Politico Sunday night.

Towns, a Democrat who faces stiff primary challenges from Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and Councilman Charles Barron, has represented the Brooklyn-based district in the House since 1983.

The incumbent has sought to temper rumors of his retirement despite his fundraising only three days ago hired Democratic consultant/operative/guru Hank Sheinkopf (though Sheinkopf himself didn’t close the door on a Towns retirement, either).

With Towns out of the picture, it’s likely establishment support will swing toward Jeffries, who is viewed as a rising star in Democratic circles and will be well funded heading in to the June 26 primary.

He already has netted key labor endorsements. But Barron, a former member of the Black Panthers, has a knack for getting under opponents’ skin and can garner his own unique brand of publicity.