Now that Rep. Charles Rangel has been censured by the House for ethics violations, the question is whether he'll keep the Harlem Congressional seat he's held since 1970. The Daily News' Gatecrasher reports that apparently lame duck Governor David Paterson's name has been bandied about as a possible replacement: Even in spite of Paterson's baggage, a "Washington Insider says 'speculation around David has become hotter' over the last few weeks." more ›

Now that President Obama has officially opened himself up for criticism about the role he has taken in shaping New York's local politics, some Democrats are openly questioning where the presidential love for Bill Thompson is. One Democrat today is quoted as saying, "The first black President who tells the first black governor to get out, and he won't help the guy who wants to be the second black mayor? The irony is thick." more ›

Police are hoping that DNA testing may link a man they picked up in Harlem this weekend to the series of rapes that have occurred throughout Hamilton Heights over the last month. A Pennsylvania ex-con was picked up Saturday for questioning and is being held on an outstanding warrant as they await to see if his DNA matches a sample recovered from a discarded soda can during one of the four sexual assault incidents in Upper Manhattan. When the man was picked up over the weekend, he told cops, "If you're looking at me for something, I have a twin brother." (He doesn't.) But three of the four victims who have made it down to Special Victims Unit have failed to pick the suspect out of a lineup. Yesterday the Guardian Angels led a rally to continue to spread the word about the rapist. Assemblyman Keith Wright said, "This community will not rest until this person is arrested, indicted, convicted, and incarcerated." Wright is proposing $100,000 in state funds be made available for increased street lighting in the neighborhood. more ›

The Bronx man who was arrested Tuesday after going full monty during a flight bound from Charlotte to L.A. wasn't doing it to freak out the squares; he happens to be bipolar. Authorities have identified the U.S. Airways passenger as Keith Wright, a Navy veteran, and his wife Debra tells the Daily News that Keith left their Bronx home Tuesday without telling her, after spending days not eating or sleeping: "When I came home from work he wasn't around. Next thing I know I get a call from a FBI officer. That is when I knew." more ›

Every time Governor Paterson hopes that his approval rating has dipped as low it possibly could and will inevitably start turning around, a new poll proves him wrong. The newest Qunnipiac poll released today finds their lowest approval ever for a sitting governor in New York at 28%. That's even a dramatic drop from mid-February when Paterson seemed bombarded with bad press and yet still maintained a 45% approval rating. The manager of the poll summed up its results by saying, "There's nothing good for Paterson in this poll." more ›

With Mayor Bloomberg seemingly out of the running, state Republicans are turning their focus to Rudy Giuliani as a potential gubernatorial candidate. An adviser for the former mayor tells the Times that he and Giuliani have had a serious talk about the possibility of a 2010 run. Wanting to avoid another big loss by a little-known candidate, former State Island Borough President Guy Molinari said, "I can’t think of anyone who would be more popular than Giuliani." Many also see Governor Paterson, a relative unknown before being thrust into office after Eliot Spitzer's resignation earlier this year, as having positioned himself as a strong incumbent in a short amount of time. "It would be Luke Skywalker against Darth Vader, and the force would be with our governor,” said Assemblyman Keith L. T. Wright, a Harlem Democrat. more ›