It's no secret that the incumbent party doesn't have much of an edge this election season, unless their constituents have magically found nothing to complain about. That's why this year, the incumbent Democrats are wising up and intentionally neglecting to mention their party affiliation in their campaign ads. Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf told the Times, “So why would you mention that you’re a Democrat? The smarter thing to do is, don’t tell them what kind of party you are, tell them what you’re going to do." And above all, be the fun guy they want to get a beer with! more ›

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer recommended using the jobless to help the homeless yesterday. But he should take a page out of Brooklyn Democratic party boss Vito Lopez's book, skip the desperate jobless middlemen, and go straight for the cheapest labor: junkies! According to the Post, Assemblyman Lopez used dozens of addicts who lived at El Regreso, a rehabilitation center funded by Lopez, to work 16-hour shifts going door-to-door to help get Lopez re-elected as district leader last month. more ›

The Daily News reports the shocking news that mad-as-hell Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino's wife is "a registered Democrat." Which means she "couldn't cast a ballot during her husband's monster win over Republican rival Rick Lazio last week." Paladino's campaign manager Michael Caputo said that the tough-talking Buffalo millionaire was a "conservative Democrat" until 2005, adding that the couple "usually cancel[s] each other out" at the polls. Caputo was also crowing the Quinnipiac poll that showed Paladino trailing Cuomo by just 6 points—"With this kind of poll, we believe Carl can compete financially with Andrew Cuomo"—but a Marist poll to be released soon may show Cuomo with a far more comfortable lead. more ›

Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who is under the spotlight because his nonprofit paid his girlfriend and another employee Pedro Espada Jr.-style salaries, was re-elected as the Brooklyn Democratic party boss. The night was filled with drama: Brooklyn Paper reports that not only did Lopez reveal his cancer is back, but the New Kings Democrats tried to get Lopez to resign! Matt Cowherd, who founded the group, said, "Lopez does all he can to operate our local Democratic Party in the least democratic way possible. He sends out paper proxies encouraging county committee members to skip the biennial meeting, and whenever possible, he packs the state committee with human proxies." more ›

Rep. Charles Rangel (D) spoke to reporters from the Harlem district he's served for over 40 years and said he was speaking against the advice of his lawyers. He claimed he was glad for the public House trial next week—he's accused of numerous ethics violations—because then there will be more facts, "I cannot think of anything that relieves me more than to be able to say to my constituents, 'This is the result of the investigation' so that they would know who Charlie Rangel is.'... Those of you who know me know that saying, 'No comment' is very, very difficult for me." Heck, he even apologized to Luke Russert—video below: more ›

To no one's surprise, NY Democrats picked Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer to run for their Senate seats this fall. According to the AP, "Schumer reported $21.8 million in his campaign account last month and polls put him far ahead of potential Republican challengers," and WNYT says of the junior Senator, "Gillibrand has been considered more vulnerable than Schumer by Republicans, but no prominent Republican is running against her. Polls show Gillibrand leading potential challengers." more ›

The NY Times looks at the war chest of Steve Levy, who shed his Democratic allegiance in a bid to run for NY Governor as a Republican. Specifically, how much of Levy's $4 million was accumulated from Democratic donors (Levy's GOP rival Rick Lazio has about $640,000). While there are no rules about returning money, Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf "playfully" suggested Levy give it back, "These are cases of consumer fraud. The label said ‘Democrat’ or it said ‘Republican.’ But when you opened up the package, you got the exact opposite." There's even a Levy Pay Us Back website. more ›

A former Bush adviser who many considered the most formidable Republican Senate candidate has decided he won't run against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Even though Dan Senor had won the backing of some influential state Republicans, the defense expert, one-time spokesman for Iraq's coalition government, and husband of CNN's Campbell Brown won't pursue public office—yet. more ›

Twelve of the city's most liberal Councilmembers have joined forces to push for progressive policies like the creation of more living-wage jobs, paid sick days, increased rent regulations, more affordable housing, greater police accountability, and the legalization of same-sex marriage. The politicians—all Democrats—intend to vote as a bloc, potentially forming a left-wing body that can more effectively promote progressive governance, the Times reports. more ›

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 ›

Rep. Mike McMahon has been scorned by his Democratic peers for opposing the health care reform bill, but his Staten Island constituents are celebrating his decision. "I agree with him to vote 'no' on health care because every time they [the government] gets into something, the prices go up on everything," 83-year-old Olympia Skunakis told the Daily News. more ›

With a special election for his old Queens seat scheduled for tomorrow, expelled former senator Hiram Monserrate is down 42 points in the polls with Democrat Jose Peralta favored to win. Monserrate was convicted of slashing his girlfriend Karla Giraldo in 2008, briefly abandoned the Democratic Party and voted for legislation to ban gay marriage, but some critics say Peralta is hardly an improvement. According to the Daily News, he's accused of directing $500,000 to a long-defunct nonprofit (he claims he realized his mistake and got most of it back), but that's not all. 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 ›

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 ›

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. 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 ›

Since January Harold Ford Jr.—the Wall Street executive from Tennessee who threatened to take on Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the Democratic primary—has confounded us with weird references to electric cord whippings, pedicures and parakeets, but now he says he won't run after all. We'll miss you Ford, but at least we'll have one last dance: the non-carpetbagger has penned the official announcement, an opinion piece for Times. Ford says if he ran the primary would be "brutal and highly negative," leaving the state vulnerable to a Republican win. His solution: do nothing. “I refuse to do anything,” he writes, “that would help Republicans win a Senate seat in New York, and give the Senate majority to the Republicans.” 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 ›

A sour new press release sent from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's campaign minutes ago is titled "Simple Yes or No Question: Did Harold Ford Jr. Dodge NY Taxes to Claim His Merrill Lynch Bonus in Tennessee?" But back in 2006, she was faced with a similar question, and gave no simple answer. Her Republican opponent for a seat in Congress asked her to release her tax records, but the Democrat put her foot down, saying she refused to be "bullied," reports the Post. Sounds familiar. more ›

Other than the fact it might have been illegal, was the expulsion of disgraced state Sen. Hiram Monserrate a bad idea? Voting to kick out Monserrate following his misdemeanor conviction for domestic assault leaves Democrats with a precarious 31-30 majority in Albany, where a 32-vote quorum is needed to pass any legislation. more ›

Another unofficial candidate is considering vying for Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's seat. Real estate billionaire and Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman is apparently thinking about running against the Paterson appointee. Though he's a registered Democrat, the 72-year-old reportedly thinks Gillibrand is weak, and is considering entering the race as a Republican or an independent candidate so he doesn't have to take part in a primary. more ›

Remember State Sen. Pedro Espada — the embattled Bronx Democrat who put Republicans in power when he shifted party affiliation? Remember "Napoleon Dynamite" — the movie that wasn't nearly as funny as people thought it was? Well now you can have a tee-shirt that will forever link the two. more ›

If there's one thing that brings Albany Democrats and Albany Republicans together, it's their general dislike of state Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens). According to the Daily News, Senate GOP Leader Dean Skelos believes there's a "real possibility" that Republicans will band together with some Democrats to bring to the Senate floor a resolution to expel Monserrate — who was convicted of misdemeanor assault for slashing his girlfriend with a broken glass. more ›

Percy Sutton, described by the NY Times as "one of the nation’s most prominent black political and business leaders," died yesterday at age 89. Governor Paterson's spokeswoman confirmed Sutton's death, but did not know the cause. Paterson issued a statement saying, "Percy was fiercely loyal, compassionate and a truly kind soul. He will be missed but his legacy lives on through the next generations of African-Americans he inspired to pursue and fulfill their own dreams and ambitions." more ›

New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen rejected an offer to perform at the inauguration of his state's Governor-Elect Chris Christie — possibly because Christie is a Republican. more ›

Both Senator Charles Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will formally endorse City Comptroller William Thompson for mayor today in Union Square. However, City Room wonders, "But will Chuck or Kirsten actually say anything bad about Mike?" more ›

Adam Sullivan had big plans to take down Congressman Jerry Nadler, who, as chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Constitution, refuses to hold hearings to investigate the impeachment of President Bush. Last month Sullivan, a director and actor, announced his bid to oust the incumbent, and impeachment activists began rallying to the cause. Just one problem – Sullivan had registered as a Democrat far too late to run in November. He formally quit the race today but still has Nadler in his crosshairs, saying, “His outright contempt for the process of impeachment makes him… complicit in our nation’s current suffering and the assaults on our freedoms.” more ›