Results tagged “politics”

A Long Island Democrat is planning to become a Republican so he has a better shot at becoming Governor. In a move that could turn out shaking up an election many thought was already decided—even though the predicted winner still hasn't officially declared his candidacy—Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy will leave the Democratic Party and become a Republican in pursuit of higher office. more ›

What is it about Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand that makes so many people consider running against her? Today, two Republican candidates—one an economist, the other the father of a moderately famous person—announced that they will campaign against the appointed Senator. more ›

Add another name to the list of unexpected candidates considering running against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Mayor Bloomberg's longtime girlfriend Diana Taylor has reportedly been meeting with Republicans to discuss a possible campaign. The race has already seen a short-lived Democratic campaign by former Congressman and pundit Harold Ford Jr. and an already-canceled Republican run by Daily News publisher Mort Zuckerman—not to mention a still pending Republican campaign by former Bush adviser Dan Senor, husband of CNN anchor Campbell Brown. So what's the deal with the city's unofficial First Lady? more ›

With Mort Zuckerman out of the running, Republicans are trying to convince former Bush advisor Dan Senor to run for Senate. Considering Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's relatively low numbers in polls, GOP insiders think Senor—a defense expert, former spokesman for Iraq's coalition government, investment firm co-founder, and husband of CNN anchor Campbell Brown—could win the seat. more ›

Obama administration officials rejected former Rep. Eric Massa's claims he was forced out of office because he opposed healthcare legislation—not because he was facing sexual harassment allegations for telling a male staffer the two of them ought to be "fracking." White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Massa's claims aren't credible because he keeps giving different reasons for his resignation, including his health, his "salty" language, and now a Democratic conspiracy. "I think this whole story is ridiculous. I think the latest excuse is silly and ridiculous," Gibbs said. more ›

According to Daily News sports columnist and political writer Mike Lupica, Attorney General and probable gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo hasn't become the state's top Democrat because of his hard work, but because he's "the last man standing." Since 2006, former Comptroller Alan Hevesi resigned after pleading guilty to fraud, Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned after being outed in a prostitution scandal, and Gov. David Paterson has become embroiled in a ballooning ethics investigation. That leaves Cuomo at the top of the pile, which could turn out being enough to get him into higher office. "[N]obody is looking for white knights. Sometimes just being in the room 10 minutes longer than anybody else is enough." more ›

In 2008, police accused state Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV of drunk driving when he was spotted driving erratically on the West Side Highway. But after two years—and multiple delays—his trial still hasn't begun, raising questions about whether his case has been adjourned repeatedly because of his political clout as the son of a famed Harlem lawmaker. "It certainly has all of the bells and whistles of 'Hmm,'" defense lawyer Mark Cohen told the Times. "I would think that the typical client who is not attending to, quote unquote, state business does not get the courtesy to put his sink in or perhaps go to a trade show." more ›

Hiram Monserrate has found one constituency that will stand behind him as he tries to fight his way back into the state Senate—people who don't like gays. Thanks to his vote against the same-sex marriage bill, the former Queens legislator has won the support of Corona Rev. Ricardo Reyes. "I have seen a generation sunk down by the gay community," Reyes told the Queens Village Times. "If we vote for a gay marriage situation ... we are sending our children to practice something against the Bible." more ›

It's not a good time to be a Democratic politician. With elections just eight months away and Democratic leaders already under scrutiny for their positions on healthcare and the economy, ethics scandals involving Gov. Paterson, Rep. Charlie Rangel and Rep. Eric Massa have given Republicans another way to attack their rivals. more ›

Former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Jr. wasn't worried that people considered him a carpetbagger for running for Senate in New York, but he was "dumbfounded" by the fact the pro-choice groups wouldn't support his campaign, according to the Times. Before dropping out of the race, Ford—who once labeled himself as pro-life—tried and failed to win over abortion rights activists. "He was dumbfounded that it kept tripping him up," said a friend. more ›

One day after former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Jr. announced he wouldn't run for Senate, real estate billionaire and Daily News publisher Mort Zuckerman also bailed out of the race. Unlike Ford, who claims he quit to avoid an ugly primary, the 72-year-old said he won't run because he's too busy with family and business obligations: "[I]t is very difficult to see how I can devote the necessary time to either a campaign, or to working in Washington, if I were to win." more ›

Senator Jim Bunning (R-Kentucky) ended his objection to a $10 billion Senate bill to extend emergency unemployment benefits.The Senate will be able to vote on the bill tonight. more ›

Now that Harold Ford Jr. is out of the Senate race, attention has turned to another speculative candidate—Daily News publisher and real estate billionaire Mort Zuckerman. According to Politico, the possible Republican and Independent candidate has a lot of things going for him, including a personal fortune and a media empire at his bidding. But the 72-year-old could run into trouble because he's also known for breaking up unions and eliminating pensions at the Daily News, and raising a baby but refusing to disclose the identity of the child's mother. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg's right hand man is leaving his job at City Hall—so he can work for Bloomberg LP. Deputy Mayor for Government Affairs Kevin Sheekey will return to the Mayor's media company, where he worked from 1997 to 2001, to take a post advising Bloomberg on his acclaimed "philanthropic efforts." more ›

Yesterday, Senator Jim Bunning (R-Kentucky) blocked the $10 billion Senate bill that would have granted an emergency extension to unemployment benefits across the country. Politico reports that Bunning's move "has united Democrats and sent Republicans hiding from the political backlash." Senator Charles Schumer chided Bunning, "I've gone around the state and met with New Yorkers who had the same jobs for years and years, but lost it and can't find work no matter how hard they look. It is unfair and almost inhumane to cut these fine people off from their benefits." more ›

Former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Jr. will not run for Senate in New York state. The Merrill Lynch executive says he could defeat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand—but a "brutal and highly negative primary" would have done too much damage to the Democratic party. "I refuse to do anything that would help Republicans win a Senate seat in New York, and give the Senate majority to the Republicans," he said. more ›

Possible Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. was booed and heckled by a gay Democratic club for his past record on same-sex marriage. Since voting twice to amend the Constitution to ban gay marriage as a Congressman in Tennessee, Ford claims he has come to support marriage equality. But that wasn't enough to win over the Stonewall Democrats in the West Village. more ›

The list of possible candidates considering challenging Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand keeps on growing. Dan Senor—a former advisor to Pres. Bush and a one-time spokesman for Iraq's provisional government—is reportedly "very interested" in running on the Republican ticket. more ›

Possible Senate candidate and former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Jr. called his likely rival a "hypocrite" and a "tobacco apologist" in an open letter. According to the Post, the Merrill Lynch executive—who has come under fire for tax discrepancies and not disclosing if he received a "taxpayer-backed" bonus—demanded Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand release her tax records. "Why won't you release your tax returns from when you defended big tobacco companies?" more ›

A judge has ruled that public school teachers cannot wear political buttons in the classroom—despite the pleas of educators who say it's their constitutional right. Gotham Gazette reports a Manhattan judge upheld a ban on political buttons, backing existing regulations mandating that "while on duty or in contact with students, all school personnel should maintain a posture of complete neutrality with respect to all candidates." Some teachers claim the ruling violates their right to free speech, and argue that older students are mature enough to understand that a "button is not part of the curriculum," or an endorsement from the school itself. Though he ruled against buttons, the judge allowed teachers to share political materials in areas closed to students. more ›

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wants her likely Democratic rival to tell voters if he received a "taxpayer-backed" bonus from his Wall Street job. Gillibrand is pushing former Tennessee lawmaker, current Merrill Lynch employee, and possible Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. to say whether or not he received cash during a controversial round of bonuses at the end of 2008 from companies that were bailed out with TARP funds. more ›

After being named Stephen Colbert's "Alpha Dog of the Week" for brazenly changing his positions as he considers a Senate race in New York, former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Jr. sat down with the comic and addressed insinuations that he's a carpet-bagger and a flip-flopper. more ›

Since he announced his interest in running against Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, former Tennessee lawmaker and New York newcomer Harold Ford was having a hard time making friends in this "city of transients." But that's come to an end now that he's buddied up with Brooklyn political boss and power broker Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Bushwick), whose influence might help Ford avoid the lengthy and costly process of petitioning to get his name on the primary ballot. According to the Observer, after lunching with the Lopez twice at Cono and Sons in Williamsburg, the Party Boss was willing to offer a "personal endorsement" of Ford, while the likely Senate candidate said this of his new friendship with the Lopez: "It's amazing that it's been a week. I feel like it's been about two years, three years since we've known each other." Recent polls show Gillibrand leading Ford 44 percent to 27 percent, however 25 percent of voters are still undecided. more ›

The state's budget might be the least of Governor Paterson's monetary woes. New filings reveal that Paterson has just $620,000 in available cash to spend on the upcoming Democratic primary, while his likely rival Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has a whopping $12 million on hand. With Cuomo sitting on nearly 20 times as much money as Paterson, insiders are already saying the Governor doesn't stand a chance. "A governor with $600,000 on hand less than a year before the general election is a dead duck," said Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. more ›

We knew Jon Corzine was being immature and plain-old mean when he attacked opponent Chris Christie’s weight last year, but new research shows the jab was bad politics too. According to another “no fair” new study voters prefer their male politicians tubby, though they like their female ones slender. Results showed voters think heavy men are more reliable and sometimes more inspiring than their skinny counterparts. more ›

Even though he hasn't officially declared his Senate candidacy yet, Harold Ford has been on a very strange charm offensive the past couple weeks, with a bonanza of increasingly weird insults and interviews alike. Following "his handlers" trading jabs with potential rival Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Ford sat down with the Post's own Woodward-in-residence Cindy Adams for a brief chat in a Brooklyn coffeehouse, in which the "New Yorker at heart" told her "New York is a city of transients," and described some of he and his wife's favorite haunts: "And we both love our neighborhood. Places like Rosa Mexicana, Starbucks, BLT Fish or, after church, First Presbyterian on 12th and Fifth, it's Big Daddy's on Park and 20th. They do great fried chicken." Jeez, I wonder if he travels to Starbucks via helicopter too. more ›

The increasingly bizarre and still unofficial race between Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and former Tennessee lawmaker Harold Ford Jr. just keeps getting stranger. After Ford escalated his attacks against the appointed Senator by calling her a "parakeet," Gillibrand called up the Post to rant about her possible rival. "I really don't know who Harold Ford thinks I am but I'm not gonna be pushed aside [by] his banker buddies," she said in what the tabloid described as an "unsolicited phone call." She added: "Him calling me names doesn't hurt me but it affects New York because it distracts from issues." more ›

Sure, Harold Ford's having a hard time making friends in the Democratic Party, but who needs liberals when you've got buddies like Stephen Colbert. The Comedy Central host honored the former Tennessee lawmaker and Senate hopeful by dubbing him the "Alpha Dog of the Week" and praised him for his changing perspectives on same-sex marriage and abortion. "He believes that every American has the right to choose—when it is politically expedient to be pro life," said Colbert. more ›

Just weeks after trouncing Councilman Charles Barron (D-East New York) to be re-elected as Council Speaker, Councilwoman Christine Quinn (D-Chelsea) stripped Barron of his position chairing the Higher Education Committee. In a near repeat of the 48-1 vote in the Speaker race, the Council voted 47-1 to demote Barron. In both instances, Barron cast the only vote in his favor. more ›

After a disastrous Q and A with the Times in which former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Jr. revealed he officially moved to New York last year, gets chauffeured to work, and has only visited Staten Island by helicopter, the likely Senate candidate tried to prove he's a real New Yorker in an interview with the Daily News. "I love New York, I love the smell of New York. ... I love the subway," said Ford, who listed his hobbies as walking down Fifth Avenue at sunrise with a cup of coffee, strolling in Central Park, and jogging along the Hudson River. (Gawker has drafted a handy map so you can track Ford's appearances around the city). more ›