Photograph of Clinton and Obama before the Ohio debate earlier this week by Rick Bowmer/AP Hillary Clinton's campaign happily announced that the Senator from New York had raised $35 million during February, her best month ever. Adviser Harold Ickes used the news to accentuate the positive, "We have been through a dry period in the last eleven contests but we are about to start our upswing." Clinton is thrilled with the fundraising efforts, saying,......

Governor Spitzer may back off his controversial plan to offer driver's licenses to illegal immigrants after weeks of bipartisan criticism. During a trip to San Juan, Puerto, Spitzer didn't quite rule out shelving the plan, acknowledging, "It's a tough issue." Spitzer's aides are apparently worried that the issue is preventing the governor "from advancing or even discussing other matters." The issue is disliked by voters, elected officials, and pundits all around - and also......

Brushing aside the Staten Island Borough President's repeated criticism and endorsement of his opponent, Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan won re-election in a landslide over Democratic challenger Michael Ryan. Donovan, whose 51st birthday was also yesterday, said during the celebration, "Tonight, you guys made me real happy." The SI DA's race became unexpectedly contentious when SI Borough President James Molinaro, who Donovan worked under as a Deputy Beep and considered a friend, attacked Donovan's......

It's Election Day, which means it's time for people to go to the polls. City offices and public schools are closed, and alternate side of the street parking is suspended, as are garbage and recycling pick-up. It's an optional state holiday; federal offices are open and there is mail delivery. While there aren't many big races, there are a few notable ones, namely the Staten Island District Attorney's race which pits incumbent Daniel Donovan (R)......

MUSIC: If you haven't checked out the Summer of Love exhibit at the Whitney, head over there after work and get a double dose of rock while you're at it. Tonight Dirty Projectors and Lucky Dragons take the stage at Whitney Live. Get there early to get in. Check out this "Take Away Show" in New York featuring the Dirty Projectors. Friday // 6pm // The Whitney [945 Madison Ave at 75th St] // Free......

Governor Eliot Spitzer is cleaning house in Albany every which way. The latest thing to get the Steamroller Spruce Up? The state's I Love NY tourism campaign. Spitzer announced that advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi would work on the campaign - and that the "I Love NY" logo would not change. Spitzer wasted no time in blaming former Governor Pataki for "under-managing" the brand. From the Daily News:"I don't want to be critical of anybody,......

Yesterday, conservative Nicholas Sarkozy won the French presidential election over the Socialist Party's Segolene Royal (who was attempting to become France's first female president). Besides the violence that erupted, what we found interesting was the fact that voter turnout was 84% in France. Sure, France is a smaller country than the U.S. and there isn't an Electoral College equivalent, but the voter turnout for the Bush-Kerry 2004 election was 60% - and that was 6.4%......

One of the most bizarre City Council elections will be taking place tomorrow. Brooklyn's 40th District gets its second special election to fill the City Council seat vacated by Yvette Clarke, who was elected to Congress. The first special election took place in February, with Mathieu "The Haitian Sensation" Eugene, the Clarke-endorsed candidate, winning handily. However, Eugene's residency was challenged: He told WNYC's Brian Lehrer right before the election that he did not live in......

The next time Mayor Bloomberg engages in a friendly wager with the mayor of a rival city, he should raise the stakes to something on the order of a Bag Full of Tiffany Diamonds, just to see the other mayor sweat. Bloomberg could certainly afford it, because as the New York Post reports today, the Mayor is also the richest man in the city. The mayor is worth a staggering $13.6 billion - more than......

There are special elections and extra special elections. Residents of Brooklyn's 40th Council District, includes Flatbush and Crown Heights, already voted in a special election and now they will be voting in an extra special election. The special election was held to fill the council seat of Yvette Clark, who was elected to Congress. Matheiu Eugene beat nine others to win the special election. Following his victory questions were raised about where Eugene lived on......

Residency, schmediency! The historic City Council victory for Mathieu Eugene continues to be debated. Eugene, the first Haitian-American elected to City Council, won the election for the 40th District in Brooklyn, but didn't actually live in the district. Eugene had postponed the swearing-in on Thursday as he looked for an apartment (though Eugene's lawyer said the swearing-in was postponed because votes weren't certified). And he was apparently succesful, because the Times reports Eugene's now residing......

Just after the victory of Mathieu Eugene’s 10-candidate run for Brooklyn’s 40th Council District on Tuesday, questions regarding his residency in the Flatbush district have now put his official claim to the seat on hold. Elected candidates must reside in the electing district during the time of the election, but not necessarily during the time of filing for nomination. There’s the rub. So today at City Hall, the expectations and celebrations of a political newcomer......

After Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver blocked Governor Pataki's Moynihan Station plans last October, we wondered how Governor Spitzer would take up the task and spar with Silver. To refresh your memory, Spitzer's problem with Pataki's Moynihan Station plans was that they were incomplete, given that developers had more extensive ideas about a Farley Post Office and Madison Square Garden revitalization (known as "plan B"); Pataki, on the other hand, wanted to get the plan A......

On Election Day, Alan Hevesi won re-election for State Comptroller, in spite of news that he used a state driver to chauffeur his wife for many years. This tidbit, offered by Republican challenger Christopher Callaghan, prompted: 1) A State Ethics Commission report that found Hevesi did violate state law; 2) For many Democrats, including Eliot Spitzer, to drop their endorsements; and 3) Governor Pataki to request an investigation on whether Hevesi should be removed. But......

Though canvassing is still being done in Virginia in the Senate race between Republican incumbent George Allen and Democrat challenger Jim Webb, the AP and other news organizations named Webb the winner, with his narrow margin of 7,000 votes over Allen. And the Democrats seized that news excitedly. The NY Times reports Senator Charles Schumer, who headed the Democratic campaign to take back Senate seats, as saying,"It is virtually 100 percent that Webb is......

Hilarious: The NY Times' election blog, The Empire Zone, reports that Chelsea Clinton's name wasn't found in the book of registered voters at the West 20th Street polling place: "The book containing her name was apparently forwarded to the wrong district, denying her the ability to enter a polling booth." D'oh! So she - and probably the other people in that book - had to fill out an "affidavit vote," ensuring that she would be......

The polls are open and it's time for you to cast your votes for the various races. Find your voting place here or call 311; report concerns about voting fraud to 1-866-VOTE NYC. Here's the Guide for the Last Minute Voter from Gotham Gazette. Pollsters are expecting a "fairly robust turnout" for the midterms. There are much more heated big elections in NJ and Connecticut, as the unexpectedly big race in NY is the State......

Tomorrow is Election Day! There are many big elections this year, so if you haven't thought about how you're voting, we highly recommend Gotham Gazette's Guide For The Last Minute Voter, 2006 General Election to understand the candidates and issues. Many races seem like runaways (Governor, Senate), but the State Comptroller race is in play, as are some Congressional races; you may also be able to vote for State Assembly races. And there are......

A girl was shot after a community center Halloween party on Saturday - and there may be a link to the Chicken Noodle rappers From Upper East Side mansion to 7 World Trade Center: The Academy of the Sciences have moves downtown Fun fact: 73% of the city's registered domestic partnerships are for straight couples Alan Hevesi is persona-non-grata the Democrats' Election Day party... politics is so like high school! Buy your own CBGB's......

Governor Pataki came back to New York (he cut a trip in Hungary short!) and announced that a former U.S. Attorney would investigate whether State Comptroller Alan Hevesi should be removed from office. Hello, caution! Pataki called having David Kelley (who previously prosecuted Martha Stewart in the Imclone case and is a registered Democrat) review the matter an "extra step" before possibly asking the Senate to remove Hevesi. From the NY Post: "We want......

As expected, Attorney General and gubernatorial front runner Eliot Spitzer withdrew his support of State Comptroller Alan Hevesi. Spitzer acknowledged the State Ethics Commission's findings about Hevesi's use of a state driver to chauffeur his wife, saying it did present "information that compromises Alan Hevesi’s ability to fulfill his responsibilities.” Additionally, Spitzer doesn't think Hevesi should continue as comptroller, even if he is re-elected! But it doesn't mean that Spitzer is endorsing Republican Chris Callaghan.......

The NY State Ethics Commission said that State Comtroller Alan Hevesi did violate state law by having a state driver chauffeur his wife. And now it seems that Hevesi is more likely to resign now with this finding. The ethics panel report also found that Hevesi underestimated how much he owed back for the driver and lied about his wife needing a driver because of security concerns - and that the state driver Hevesi hired......

With Election Day in a little more than two weeks, candidates are pushing into the home stretch by rallying their supporters and looking for undecided voters. The NY Times made some more big endorsements. The Gray Lady threw support behind Eliot Spitzer for Governor and Andrew Cuomo for Attorney General. The Spitzer endorsement was enthusiastic and hopeful, while the Cuomo one...well, here's a bit from it which contrasts Cuomo with the embattled Republican Jeannine Pirro:The......

Siena College released poll numbers for various NY election races yesterday. In the wackiest race of all - the Attorney General race between Democrat Andrew Cuomo and Republican Jeanine Pirro - it looks like the embattled Pirro is gaining slightly on Cuomo. Cuomo now leads by 13 points, 50 to Pirro's 37, but a month ago, Cuomo led by 17 points. But it's not like voters are suddenly switching sides - Cuomo's numbers went down......

Yesterday, the countries on the United Nations Security Council had an emegency meeting after North Korea announced it had tested a nuclear device. The U.S. proposed cargo inspections and limited sanctions to North Korea (including luxury items - and Kim Jong Il loves his Henessy), as well as banning any military trade. The North Korea nuclear tests now bring up some new questions about how the administration handled the situation, making international policy even more......

Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent his post-election day basking in his resounding victory, traveling the city (hugging wellwishers, photo ops with kids, buying pastries), promising that he would turn to a career of philanthropy after his second term is over in 2009. And he did work some. The NY Times dives into the voting returns, and says that he "crossed ehtnic barriers" for his win: Estimates say that Bloomberg got about half of the black vote,......

At the moment the copious press concerning the MTA revolves around two and a half distinct political ends, one very visible and one regularly being pushed under the radar: The Bond Act and the Union negotiations (with a dash of the regular maintenance issues for good measure). The Bond Act, which is on the block this election day, in the long term is probably more important than the negotiations, though not necessarily in the short......

The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes performed to pre-recorded music as the labor dispute between the orchestra musicians' union and Radio City Music Hall management continued. Now, this is the confusing thing to Gothamist: Early stories we'd read said the musicians would actually strike and have a picket line, but it seems that musicians did show up to play, with or without a contract, only for the management to turn them away. It's clearly a......

On Sundays, Gothamist publishes opinion pieces on issues relevant to life in NYC. Here's one: This time last year, all I wanted was for everyone to vote. Everything I did revolved around electoral politics, because, like many of my peers, I just wanted W out of the White House. I preached that the only way this country could have a true representative of the people was if everyone voted. When I overheard my neighbors on......

NY Times photographer Ozier Muhammad took this great photograph of the MTA's board voting to give riders holiday discount fares that'll cost the agency $50 million. Gothamist loves this photo because it remind us that when we dress up like an old, white man on Halloween, we can not only call ourselves say we're some sort of Beltway politician, we can also say we're on the board of the MTA. After the 12-2 vote,......