What could make the NY State gubernatorial race better than having a matchup between frontrunner and Democratic establishment figure Andrew Cuomo versus intensely out-spoken Tea Party millionaire Carl Paladino? Why, having the rejected Republican candidate, Rick Lazio, stay on the Conservative Party line on the November ballot! A source tells the Daily News that Lazio feels there's "room for a moderate voice in a race when one candidate is a nut and the other is an Albany insider... It's such a bizarre year and such a bizarre time, and, let's face it, Carl Paladino is one sentence from dropping the N-word at any moment." more ›

Steve Levy, the Suffolk County Executive who switched from being a Democrat to a Republican in order to run for governor this fall, could be out of luck come election time. Politico's Ben Smith reports that NY State Conservative Party has moved up its convention to be three days before the Republican Convention, which is "seen as a direct challenge to Republican State Chairman Ed Cox's efforts to insert [Levy] on his party's line... No Republican has been elected statewide in decades without the Conservative line." Conservative Party chairman Mike Long says he's committed to Rick Lazio running on the Republican ticket, which could point to a Lazio vs. Andrew Cuomo matchup this fall...if Cuomo ever confirms he's running. more ›

"I'm going to be the Conservative and the Republican candidate," said gubernatorial hopeful Rick Lazio, who yesterday received the endorsement of the state Conservative Party. When asked what he thinks of Long Island executive Steve Levy’s recent announcement that he’ll defect from the Democratic party to vie for the Republican nomination, he said “I am not worried about him,” but there’s reason to think he should be. For Lazio—who’s short on funds and quiet on the issues—the endorsement could give a boost to a campaign without much oomph. Just as easily it could be taken away. more ›

A lawsuit filed Monday against the City Campaign Finance Board seeks to overturn a recently enacted funding law that opponents assert will just make the City Council richer - and whiter. The recently-enacted campaign finance restrictions reduces the contributions from companies who do business with the city by a whopping 92%. Translation: In a mayoral race, the individual limit on giving is now $400, versus $4,950; in City Council races, it's $250, down from $2,950. more ›

Staten Island Borough President James P. Molinaro was not happy when DA and former aide Daniel M. Donovan Jr. recused himself from the trial of Molinaro's grandson Steven for violating his probation and intimidating a paperboy he'd previously assaulted. Last week, the borough president placed a full page ad in the Staten Island Advance newspaper expressing his displeasure with Donovan punting the case to the Manhattan DA, feeling that it improperly biased the eventual jurors in the case. Steven Molinaro wound up being convicted and a will be serving several years in prison. more ›

Former District Attorney Arthur Branch - a.k.a. former Senator Fred Thompson - came back to New York City to speak at a NY State Conservative Party event. He made clear he's really conservative, saying, "Some think the way to beat the Democrats next year is to be more like them. I could not disagree more. My friends, I suggest it's not time for psychological flexibilities in terms of our principles. That's the surefire way of making sure we don't win." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg continued his Transatlantic trip, heading from Paris to a couple stops in Britain. And if you believe the billionaire isn't running for President, well, get a load of what he said while speaking to Britain's conservative party:

“The Conservative Party in the U.K. is much more fiscally conservative than many American politicians who call themselves conservative. Too many of our conservatives in the United States want to run up enormous deficits and hope that some way, somehow, someone else will pay for it. That’s not conservatism, that’s alchemy at best, or if you like, lunacy.”

Animal New York takes issue with Matthew Long, the firefighter hospitalized for almost six months after being injured during the transit strike and finally went home with much fanfare last week. Long was injured while biking to his stationhouse and a private bus (chartered by Bear Stearns for its employees) hit him; he is now suing the Transport Workers Union as well as Bear Stearns, and the van company. Animal New York says Long should be "discussing just how dangerous the streets of NYC are when it comes to cycling" instead, noting that Long admitted he doesn't usually bike in the city. Animal New York has photographs of the road where Long was hit - a stretch of East 52nd Street riddled with potholes. Hmm, maybe Long will have a case against the City of New York and the Department of Transportation as well? more ›

Attorney General Eliot Spitzerrefused to stop the gay marriages in New Paltz, saying, "I have no problem with gay marriage. I think the law has moved to a point where people are comfortable that [marriage] can be extended to people of the same sex." Spitzer had been asked by Governor Pataki to stop the marriages. So the real debate will be in Albany, leaving it to Governor Pataki to struggle with what to do; according to the Daily News, Pataki "defied calls from his Conservative Party allies to push for a state Defense of Marriage Act, which would shield New York from having to recognize other states' gay marriages." However, Governor Pataki, with other political aspirations in mind, may fold to appeal to a conservative base. more ›