The Daily News reports that Hillary Clinton's Democratic National Convention appearance will be introduced not by former president Bill but daughter Chelsea. The former First Daughter was active in campaigning for her mother, winning kudos for her poise. And apparently it was Hillary's idea--a source said, "[Barack Obama] has a problem with Hillary's more fanatical women supporters, and this is a way to help with that." And in other campaign news, the a Financial Times......

Titans of industry are working to find a suitable mayoral candidate in a similar vein as Mayor Michael Bloomberg, according to the NY Times. The Times even calls the executives ("some of New York’s most influential business leaders: Martin Lipton, a founding partner of the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; the financier Steven Rattner; and Jerry I. Speyer, chairman of the developer Tishman Speyer") "desperate"--Mayor B ought to feel very flattered that......

As Senator John McCain continues to shake up his election team, ABC News reports that the McCain camp has tapped Mike DuHaime as the new political director. DuHaime managed former mayor Rudy Giuliani's unsuccessful presidential bid and was also the regional political director of the 2004 Bush-Cheney reelection effort. McCain is currently in Mexico, where he emphasized that borders must be secured (with "some walls...virtual fences...high-technology equipment") first before immigration reform can happen.......

A year ago, supporting Senator Hillary Clinton's bid for the White House seemed like a no-brainer to a number of people, including elected officials in New York. But now, after a bitter campaign that saw Senator Barack Obama end up the victor, many of those Clinton supporters are being targeted by challengers in this fall's elections. The NY Times looks at how some constituents are unhappy with officials for standing by Clinton, especially Representative Edolphus......

Even though everyone knows Albany is full of people doing terrible things, even politicians and lobbyists are shocked at the events of the past year, from Comptroller Alan Hevesi stepping down from Comptroller to former Senate Majority leader Joseph Bruno retiring, with nadir/peak being Eliot Spitzer's fall from grace. Various parties share their amazement with the times--lobbyists don't want to look at their Blackberries, Governor Paterson acknowledges the "consistent number of weird situations that just......

Photograph of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in Unity, NH by Elise Amendola/AP Former rivals Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton made their first joint appearance yesterday in New Hampshire, to kick off the Democrats' campaign for the White House. They put reports of bitter tensions and resentments between their campaigns behind them and Democratic presidential contender Obama praised Clinton and her husband, “I’ve admired her as a leader, I’ve learned from her as......

Photograph of Hillary Clinton greeting people outside Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. by Susan Walsh/AP Senator Hillary Clinton returned to her day job yesterday and was welcomed like royalty. Politico found that she was greeted by "a crowd of adoring interns, a phalanx of Senate staff, hugs from Democratic colleagues and an ovation from a closed luncheon of Democratic senators." While she only said she would fully support former rival and Democratic candidate Senator......

The Museum of the City of New York unveils a new exhibit today "coinciding with the 2008 election and providing insight into New York's often pivotal role in American electoral politics." Campaigning for President: New York and the American Election covers presidential politics spanning back to the inauguration of George Washington on lower Manhattan's Wall Street. Below are some of the pieces that will be on display, as well as some facts from the press......

The highest ranking Republican in NY State, State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, announced he would not seek re-election this fall. The 79-year-old released a statement; here is an excerpt (the full statement is after the jump: "Today I met with my Republican colleagues in the Senate and informed them that I will not be running for re-election this November. After 32 years in office, I have decided that it is time to move on with my life and to give my constituents an opportunity for new representation and my colleagues in the Senate who have supported me an opportunity for new leadership."...

Mayor Bloomberg was in the Sunshine State yesterday, attending a breakfast hosted by the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, and took the opportunity to slam the "whisper campaign" smears against Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama. Bloomberg said, "Let's make sure that we, as Jews and as voters, keep the conversation focused on the facts and not let it descend into false rumor and innuendo." Unfounded rumors, many spread in viral e-mail campaigns, about......

At a rally in Michigan, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama picked up an endorsement from Al Gore, the former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate. Gore said, "Looking back over the last eight years, I can tell you that we have already learned one important fact since the year 2000. Take it from me, elections matter. If you think the next appointments to the Supreme Court are important, you know that elections matter.” Gore......

Photograph of Senator John McCain at Federal Hall in lower Manhattan by LM Otero/AP While plans for a joint John McCain-Barack Obama town hall forum at Federal Hall in lower Manhattan fell through, McCain still appeared and took advantage of being the only presidential candidate there, saying, "It would have been a little more interesting tonight if Senator Obama had accepted my request." Obama's excuse was that the town hall happened too soon after......

Well, everyone wanted the 2008 election to begin after the long primary season, so now we get round-the-clock accusations and recriminations! While Barack Obama's campaign has been battered over its vice-presidential search team, to the point where one of the three members, James Johnson, resigned yesterday, John McCain's campaign has to deal with a Wednesday Today show appearance that could be edited down to a haunting soundbite. McCain was being questioned by Matt Lauer......

Yesterday, Republican presidential contender John McCain made a number of appearances in Manhattan to boost his campaign and rake in some donations. The tickets to the fund-raisers costs $28,500 a pop, so he made at least $2 million. During the day, Cindy McCain visited a Harlem charter school and told NY1, "I do not ever envision myself as being involved in the 'McCain administration,' as it's been put, at all. But my husband and I......

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama's weekend bicycle ride is still being parsed. To some, his bicycle seat seems too low. To others, his tires seem flat. And to many, his outfit just seemed like a way to look dorky, maybe because he's so cool. Commenters on the Huffington Post wondered why he was biking in jeans. The Chicago Tribune's Eric Zorn noted that "politicians are now best advised to avoid helmets of any sort"......

Given the presidential candidates' interest in a series of town hall-style forums for them to show their stuff to voters, Mayor Bloomberg and ABC News president David Westin proposed this morning that Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama kicks things off in NYC and participate in a 90-minute town hall at Federal Hall in lower Manhattan. However, McCain's and Obama's campaigns aren't so sure. Bloomberg and Westin's letter said, "We are thrilled to......

Now that Senator Hillary Clinton has officially conceded the Democratic presidential election (but never used to words concede) to Senator Barack Obama and pledged to support him, everyone is weighing in with what went wrong her campaign. The NY Times has long, fascinating article, "The Long Road to a Clinton Exit," that starts with an anecdote about former President Bill Clinton screaming about Indiana primary returns being too late. Politico breaks down "Hillary Clinton's......

Like the last party guest who lingers long after her welcome and leaves the hosts feeling a little awkward and anxious for her departure, Hillary Clinton finally conceded that she is not going to get the nomination of the Democratic Party in the 2008 Presidential election. In a fairly upbeat address at the National Buildings Museum in Washington, DC, Clinton pledged to work to unite Democrats after a long and bitter campaign. Senators Clinton......

Since it's been about two months since Mayor Bloomberg said, "I’m not seeking a third term," it's time for third term rumors to pop up again. Today, the NY Times reports the billionaire mayor is considering another run as Mayor or maybe doing something in Albany. A Bloomberg-commissioned poll found respondents do like Bloomberg BUT they don't want term limits lifted - what a conundrum! But they "were receptive to the idea of a Bloomberg......

After the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee decided to give Florida's and Michigan's delegates half votes, a dedicated Hillary Clinton supporter who had traveled from Manhattan to the meeting on Saturday vented to those gathering at the Marriott. And did she vent! Caught by left-leaning blog Firedoglake (video above), Harriet Christian, a self-described "older American woman," accused the Democratic Party of throwing female Democrats under the bus and called Barack Obama "an......

Senator Hillary Clinton won the Puerto Rico primary with about two-thirds of the votes over Senator Barack Obama. However, there was low voter turnout in what was considered an expected victory for Clinton, who campaigned vigorously on the island. Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe used the win to point to Obama's problems connecting with Latinos, telling reporters, “It was a 100 percent Hispanic primary and it shows that he has a problem with the Latino......

As most of yesterday's political news attention was on the fate of Florida's and Michigan's delegates, presidential hopeful Barack Obama announced his family "withdrew their membership at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ." The church, which he has described as where he found his spirituality, had become a favorite target of opponents, after it was reported his former pastor and mentor Jeremiah Wright made remarks implying America got what it deserved on September 11 and......

Photograph of Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws committee co-chairs Jim Roosevelt, second from left, and Alexis Herman, second from right, by Susan Walsh; also at the tale are Joe Sandler, DNC General Counsel, left, and DNC staff member Phil McNamara. In a televised meeting that could be subtitled "Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts," the Democratic Party's Rules & Bylaws Committee is meeting today to discuss and hear testimony on the dilemma of......

Representative Anthony Weiner explained to the AP why he's spending so much time campaigning for Hillary Clinton, even as the junior Senator from NY trails rival Barack Obama. Weiner said, "I'm doing a lot, but it's largely because I'm dating Huma." Finally--the Post suspected as much last October. Huma is Huma Abedin, Clinton's so-called "body woman," who is usually seen at the candidate's side. The Daily News' headline is "Yes, I'm hot for Hillary Clinton's......

Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton's remarks recalling Robert F. Kennedy's June 1968 assassination (as well as her husband's June 1992 California primary win), as why she was staying in the race, have caused an uproar. However, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Clinton supporter, said, "I've heard her make this reference before... I understand that the atmosphere is supercharged right now but I think it's a mistake for people to take offense." Yes, Clinton did make the......

Senator Hillary Clinton raised some eyebrows during a conversation with the editorial board of South Dakota newspaper The Argus Leader. She mentioned it's odd that people are trying to push her out of the campaign; video is above, partial transcript below: Clinton: I don’t know I don’t know I find it curious because it is unprecedented in history. I don’t understand it and between my opponent and his camp and some in the media,......

Photograph of John McCain holding shirts given to him by Roberto Martin-Perez, a former Cuban political prisoner, in Miami by Jeff Chiu/AP While his Democratic opponent has yet to be determined, Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain'a campaign made plans for for him to meet with three potential running mates this weekend. The invitees to McCain's Sedona, Arizona ranch are Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Louisana Bobby Jindal and former Masschusetts governor and former Republican......

When an "icon," "liberal lion" and member of one of the country's most famous political dynasties falls ill, it naturally becomes front page news, especially when it's someone whose life has had as many ups and downs as Senator Edward Kennedy's has. The NY Daily News says the 76-year-old is is in the "final fight of his life against a malignant brain tumor that never loses." The NY Post goes glass-half empty with a......

Doctors for Senator Edward Kennedy tell the AP the 76-year-old has a malignant brain tumor. He had suffered a seizure on Saturday, and the tumor was discovered when the doctors performed tests and is believed to be the cause of the seizure. His family rushed to his side at the Massachusetts General over the weekend, including niece Caroline Kennedy. The Senator and Caroline Kennedy notably threw their support behind Barack Obama's presidential nomination bid in......

Deciding that a DWI arrest and an extramarital affair resulting in a love child are too much burden going into November elections, Representative Vito Fossella has announced he will end his stint in Congress when his current term ends. He posted a letter explaining his decision--he wants to "concentrate on healing the wounds that I have caused to my wife and family"--on his website (the full letter is also below). Fossella's decision comes after......