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Carl Paladino
Long: No Regrets
Sep 28th - 12:49 pm
Here’s state Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long telling me during a CapTon interview last night that he has “no regrets” about backing now-former gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio, but also wishes he had “some more lengthy conversations” with Carl Paladino prior to his success in landing the GOP line.
“I have no regrets with being with, standing with, Rick,” Long said. “He’s a fine, fine individual. And I think I’ll have hopefully no regrets, and I believe I will have no regrets, working next to Carl Paladino if, in fact, the state committee selects him Wednesday.”
Long couldn’t help but get in a bit of a parting dig at state GOP Chairman Ed Cox (without specifically calling him out by name), saying the “dysfunction of the Republican Party, and with happened with leadership…cutting Rick off at every turn” gave Paladino an opening through which to mount a long-shot petition drive to force a primary – and win.
$510.96 Per Vote…To Lose?! (Updated)
Sep 28th - 12:02 pm
NYPIRG has a breakdown of the Sept. 14 spending based on the 10-day post primary reports filed to date with the state Board of Elections with 118 of the candidates who ran in intra-party battles this year.
The prize for the most cash spent per vote goes to losing state Senate challenger Isaac Sasson – one of two candidates who unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Queens Democratic Sen. Toby Stavisky, each dropping more than $100,000 of his own money on the race.
UPDATE: NYPIRG has released an amended list after hearing from Sasson’s campaign, which amended its own filing, saying there was a typo that vastly overstated his spending.
Sasson is now at No. 3. No. 1 is former Assemblyman Nelson Denis, who spent $163.68 per vote in a failed quest for the seat Assemblyman Adrian Espaillat is vacating to run for Sen. Eric Schneiderman’s seat.
Sasson, a former chemistry professor and researcher who won millions in the state Lottery, got 34 percent of the vote, while his fellow challenger, John Messer, a lawyer and former NYC employee, received 21 percent.
In the five-way AG primary, Sean Coffey spent the most, dropping $6.85 million – most of it his own cash – and coming in a distant third behind the winner, Sen. Eric Schneiderman, and second-place finisher, Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice. Coffey ranked No. 7 on the list of who spent the most per vote ($69.66).
GOP gubernatorial hopeful Carl Paladino is far down the list – No. 80 – even though he spent $3.68 million – again, most of it his own money – which translated into $13.40 per vote. Rick Lazio spent $2.57 million, ranked 71st and clocked in at $15.35 per vote.
Cuomo Returns To Buffalo
Sep 28th - 9:11 am
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo is back on the home turf of his GOP opponent, Carl Paladino, today, appearing in Buffalo to make what his campaign promises will be a “major economic policy and job creation announcement.”
In typical Cuomo campaign style, the press was given just two-and-a-half hours notice of the event, which will take place at Synacor, Inc. Headquarters.
Cuomo was in Buffalo last week for a $1,000-a-head fundraiser. He was greeted by the Paladino campaign’s duck and chicken, who chided the AG for failing to make firm plans to face off against the Buffalo businessman in a debate.
In recent days, Cuomo has adopted a more aggressive approach in dealing with Paladino, who got a boost yesterday when Rick Lazio bowed out of the race and state Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long signaled a willingness to let Paladino onto Row D (if his fellow party leaders agree).
After relegating the task of slamming Paladino to his surrogates for several weeks, Cuomo himself is now engaging in verbal battle with his opponent, calling him an “extremist.”
Barbour: Paladino Could Make NY Competitive
Sep 27th - 7:30 pm
Here’s RGA Chairman Haley Barbour, who’s in NYC to headline a fundraiser for the state GOP, discussing the candidacy of Carl Paladino, who, as of today, appears poised to unite the Conservative and Republican lines in the battle against Democrat Andrew Cuomo.
Barbour said Paladino “won an enormous victory” and is showing signs of giving the AG a run for his money. He didn’t rule out getting involved in the contest, financially speaking. But he didn’t rule it in, either.
“We have to take our resources and put them where we can do the most good, get the most bang for our buck, so we won’t rule out anything,” Barbour said.
“But we want to make sure this is a competitive race first, and it looks like this has the makings.”
According to Maggie Haberman, Barbour will be meeting Paladino later this evening.
The Ladies Of ‘The View’ Do Not Approve Of Paladino
Sep 27th - 5:04 pm
…compliments of the state Democratic Party, which deems this must-see TV.
Joy Behar quipped that is all of Paladino’s “illegitimate children” vote for him, then he might actually win in November.
For the record, he has only fathered one child out of wedlock that we know of, and he has incorporated her into his family, as was reported in great detail by the Post and Times this weekend.
‘Flawed Individuals’
Sep 27th - 2:11 pm
Here’s Rick Lazio’s press conference officially ending his gubernatorial bid, which was supposed to be his grand return to the public stage and ended up being the likely end of his political career.
He notably did not endorse the man who defeated him in the GOP primary, Carl Paladino, and also took his erstwhile Democratic target, Andrew Cuomo, to task, calling both candidates “flawed individuals, flawed in terms of public character, flawed in terms of ideas and principles that will restore growth and pride to our great state.”
“While my heart beckons me forward, my head tells me my continued presence on the Conservative line would simply lead to the election of Andrew Cuomo, and the continuation of an entrenched political machine,” Lazio said. “I do not want to be responsible for that, and that is unacceptable.”
Lazio said he believes governing “requires public character, an understanding of how government works and the true problems that we’re facing, and ultimately, really, the experience and the ability to make the changes that have been promised.”
He said he gets the “whole primal scream thing,” but doesn’t believe the anger that has bolstered Paladino’s candidacy will go away until the state’s economic prospects improve.
(NOTE: Sorry for the delay in getting this posted. As you’ve probably noticed, we’re having some technical difficulties).
Long: ‘I’ll Lead The Party To Endorse Carl Paladino’
Sep 27th - 1:03 pm
State Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long told me just now he’s had a “turnaround” on Carl Paladino and will “lead the party to endorse” the Buffalo businessman now that Rick Lazio has officially ended his gubernatorial run.
“I’m going to make it very clear that I believe that’s the road we should go , and I believe that’s the road we have to travel,” Long said.
“That’s a turnaround, yes. Carl and I have had some conversations…we’re willing to close the book on the past and move forward and fight together for the people of New York.”
Long said his party will hold another state convention on Wednesday – this was an already-scheduled post-primary reorganization meeting at which an entire new state committee (and I believe the chairman) will be reconstituted.
Long said Paladino will be nominated at the meeting, and he suspects there will be some leaders who won’t support him (recall that initially after the GOP primary, Conservative leaders had a conference call and expressed a desire to run one of their own on Row D if Lazio decided not to run).
But ultimately, he said, Paladino will likely get the line. He’s not an enrolled Conservative, remember, and so needs permission to run on the line in the form of a Wilson Pakula, which the committee needs to approve as well.
Paladino Hits Cuomo On Farkas (Updated)
Sep 27th - 9:11 am
GOP gubernatorial nominee Carl Paladino has launched a new attack against his Democratic opponent, Andrew Cuomo, accusing him of taking a “payoff” from his longtime friend, former employer and campaign contributor, real estate magnate Andrew Farkas.
In this attack, Paladino is seeking to turn the tables on Cuomo, questioning his integrity and ethics much in the same way Cuomo’s camp has done with the Buffalo businessman, casting him as unfit to serve as governor.
The Voice’s Wayne Barrett wrote in great detail about the relationship between Farkas and Cuomo back in 2006 when Cuomo was running for AG. Barrett described Cuomo as attached “at the hip to a onetime scandal-scarred kingpin of a housing empire he denounced himself when he was Bill Clinton’s secretary of Housing and Urban Development.”
Cuomo personally approved the filing in 1997 by federal prosecutors of a lawsuit against Farkas’ then-company, Insignia Financial Services, that accused the company of paying $7.6 million in kickbacks to the owners of federally-subsidized housing projects it managed.
He also approved an out-of-court settlement with Insignia that allowed the company to complete a billion-dollar sale of its residential portfolio only five days later. I believe that’s what Paladino is talking about in a new Web video just posted on his campaign home page. Here’s the script:
“Hi, I’m Carl Paladino. Slumlord and Cuomo campaign finance chairman Andrew Farkas was caught red-handed taking nearly $8 million in illegal kickbacks using tax money earmarked for the maintenance of federal housing projects. Instead of prosecuting Farkas, Andrew Cuomo gave Farkas a pass in which he paid no penalties, admitted no wrongdoing and was allowed to continue milking federal housing programs.”
“Andrew Cuomo took a $1.2 million payment from Mr. Farkas as well as $800,000 in campaign contributions in return for his decision not to prosecute Farkas. Where I come from, this is called a payoff. The entire sleazy transaction demonstrates why Andrew Cuomo does not have the integrity or the ethics to be governor of New York. Quite simply, Andrew Cuomo is for sale, and history demonstrates that he can be bought.”
UPDATE: Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto just issued this statement in response to the attack ad.
“Pay to play Paladino is now rewriting history with a mud pen. The fact is, a company Mr. Farkas purchased, Insignia, settled with the Department of Justice in 1997, not with HUD. Furthermore, Andrew Cuomo didn’t meet Andrew Farkas until 2002 – after he had left HUD – and all of his earnings from his work at Island Capital have been appropriately disclosed,” Vlasto said.
“This issue has been reported on extensively over the years and Paladino should know better than to try to call this a payoff. Indeed, Mr. Paladino’s career as a landlord has revolved around political payoffs making him the pay to play king of New York State, so he should really know better.”
Barron Backers Rain On Cuomo’s Harlem Parade
Sep 27th - 8:15 am
AG Andrew Cuomo plan to engage in a little retail politics at the 125th Street A-train stop in Harlem this morning was quickly scuttled when supporters of his long-shot gubernatorial opponent, NYC Councilman Charles Barron, showed up, NY1′s Josh Robin reports.
“Cuomo got entirely overrun by Charles Barron protesters and abandoned the subway stop gladhandling,” Robin says. “The rain didn’t help either.”
Barron himself was not on hand, Robin tells me. Barron petitioned his way into the November gubernatorial election on what he’s calling the Freedom Party line to protest the lack of any candidates of color on the statewide Democratic ticket.
Cuomo tried to shake hands at least three times before abandoning the effort, Robin says.
He was flanked by Assemblyman Keith Wright, chairman of the Manhattan Democratic Party, and former state Comptroller H. Carl McCcall. Rep. Charlie Rangel, who just survived a tough primary in the face of 13 ethics villations charges, is at the meeting.
The Barron backers only numbered a half dozen, but they were vocal and effective. They shouted “Harlem is not for sale!” and “Cuomo-Paladino: Different name, same game!” (Yikes).
Cuomo seemed striking “unsettled” by the incident and rushed inside the Dwyer Cultural Center at 123rd Street for a meeting with black officials – including McCall, his 2002 primary opponent; former NYC Comptroller Bill Thompson, who is one of three Cuomo campaign co-chairs; and the Rev. Al Sharpton – at which he will be strategizing how to win back the support of black voters and engage his GOP opponent, Carl Paladino, on the subject of race.
Up until this point, Cuomo has relied on surrogates to slam Paladino and brand him as a racist. He’s mulling a more direct form of personal engagement with the Buffalo businessman at a time when he’s under pressure from many corners – including the Times editorial page – to quit mooning around his Rose Garden and come out swinging.
Cuomo-Schniederman vs. Paladino-Donovan
Sep 26th - 4:23 pm
Here’s a video of the brief Q-and-A session with reporters by Sen. Eric Schneiderman and AG Andrew Cuomo after today’s endorsement event outside Central Park.
Cuomo insisted he had “no concerns at all” about Schneiderman’s ability to investigate public corruption in the Legislature after being a member of it since 1998. He went on to note that the AG’s office is “multifaceted”, including everything from environmental protection to labor law enforcement, and believes Schneiderman “can perform all those functions and all those tasks extraordinarily well.”
Cuomo reiterated his support of “progressive politics”, stressing that his calls for fiscal conservatism don’t mean he is no longer a liberal on social issues like abortion rights (which is shaping up to be a big focus of the Schneiderman-Donovan general election battle).
Cuomo said his decision to support Schneiderman on the Democratic line was never in doubt after he won the five-way primary, regardless of widespread belief he preferred Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice early on due to her ticket-balancing capabilities. The AG noted he and Schneiderman have worked together a long time – dating back to Mario Cuomo’s 1982 campaign – and added: “I’m very comfortable with this.”
Right at the end of the Q-and-A, Cuomo was asked to comment about today’s Post cover story on Carl Paladino’s out-of-wedlock child and the unusual lack of animosity between the girl’s mother and his wife. Cuomo declined, but Schneiderman got this dig in: “There are enough substantive distinctions between the Paladino-Donovan ticket and the Cuomo-Schniederman ticket that we can stay on the substance, I think.”
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