As we reported last week, Joe Lhota has picked up the endorsement of another county committee thus dealing a severe blow to the candidacy of Adolfo Carrion, now losing his magic entry to participate in the Republican primary.
On the same day that he received the endorsement of the city's council members, Joe Lhota has racked up the endorsement of Bronx County GOP Chairman Jay Savino, the Daily Politics blog has learned.
Joe Lhota may have won the first GOP debate by a single shot. Newt Gingrich's John King moment in the SC primary debate has turned into a tactical game changer for candidates seeking the spotlight. The most memorable moment of the Wednesday morning forum, sponsored by Crain's New York Business, came ahead of the closing statements, when Crain's columnist Greg David, in a question posed to Mr. Lhota, called former Mayor Rudy Giuliani a "jerk."
What happens when a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent and a Liberal enter a room together? It's a Republican mayoral debate. At least that was the impression of the first GOP mayoral debate hosted by Crains New York business in Manhattan Wednesday morning.
Three of the five candidates participating at the candidate forum are former Democrats who are seeking the Republican nomination; the other describes himself as a 'Clinton Democrat' or rather a 'Republicat' in short. Joe Lhota was the only pure Republican in the room; thus that was heart of the discussion - whether a pure Republican can win a mayoral contest in NYC.
Last night at a mayoral forum about poverty, City comptroller and mayoral candidate John Liu suggested a dramatic 60% increase of the minimum wage. "In New York City, we need a minimum wage of 11.50 an hour," Liu said. Of course, the crowd gathered roared with approval, Dana Rubenstein reports.
"Let me tell you something," said Liu. "Nine dollars buys you a lot more in Buffalo than it does in Brooklyn or the Bronx."
Don't tell me you're convinced that the mayoral frontrunner is at this point will indeed emerge as the favorite once campaign kicks in full steam. Looking back at 2009, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was coasting to a convincing victory, as a Quinnipiac University poll showed the mayor with a commanding 12-point lead over Bill Thompson, the Democratic challenger. A Marist College poll, released four days before the election, gave Bloomberg a 15-point advantage. But as the returns started streaming in on election night, the mayor’s lead evaporated, squeaking out at the end of the night a mere win of 4.6%.
Three of the potential Republican mayoral candidates met a welcoming crowd at the first Brooklyn Young Conservative Club' Presidents Day dinner Thursday night. Joe Lhota, George McDonald and Adolfo Carrion, who came with an Independence party slot in pocket addressed the crowd in acknowledging the significance of the Conservative party's growing base in Southern Brooklyn.
Former MTA chief and the favorite candidate in the Republican party, Joe Lhota introduced his candidacy by quipping: "I am Joe Lhota, and I am running for Mayor of NYC."
Channeling Jimmy McMillan's gubernatorial run in 2010 theme, Lhota reminded the crowd of the rent is too damn high slogan, saying "I will be the candidate who will say over and over: "The government is too damn expensive."
"The job is too complicated for on the job training," Lhota said while touting his experience in the private and public sector as the best equipped for the job and challenges "on day one."
"We are going to have an interesting race," Lhota said while pointing out the presence of Adolfo Carrion, presenting him as a third party candidate. "I think it is going to be very interesting to see how one can win this race," he added. Lhota's confidence lays in the belief, as he expressed later on in a private conversation that Carrion's candidacy will do more harm to the potential Democratic nominee.
Adolfo Carrion, who spoke right after him, briefly introduced himself as the one that could bring New Yorkers together. Adding that he's looking forward "to a robust discussion of the future of our city."
George McDonald also addressed the crowd by touting his experience in providing help for the homeless, "not by going to Bain Capital, but to main capital."
McDonald was approached by the Observer's Colin Campbell who asked him whether he is also Jewish, seen that every Republican candidate has somehow found some Jewish connection to their personal life. Shockingly, McDonald revealed that his wife is Jewish.
Adolfo Carrion, who won the nomination of the independence party for mayor, was asked yesterday by Celeste Katz about anti-Semitic remarks made in the past by Independence Party leader Lenora Fulani, who retracted the statements and apologized back in 2007, Azi Paybarah reports.
Carrion strongly objected to the idea that he was associating with anyone or anything anti-Semitic and said his advocacy for Israel practically makes him Jewish.
NY and LA will both pick mayors this year, but while LA is likely to pick a Jewish mayor, NYC who has lost a great Jewish Mayor (Ed Koch) and has had a Jewish mayor over the past 12 years, will likely remain without a Jewish mayor, Josh Nathan-Kaziswrites in the Jewish Forward.
Nearly every mayoral race in recent memory has included a Jewish candidate. Yet in 2013, not a single one of the handful of front-runners vying to replace Bloomberg is Jewish.
“That there is no Jewish candidate in this particular race is more a consequence of personal behavior on the part of the potential Jewish candidate than anything else,” quipped Flora Davidson, a professor of political science and urban studies at Barnard College, referring to Weiner, who resigned by disgrace..
Oh, remembers Nathan-Kazis, "there actually is one Jew in the New York City mayoral race. Tom Allon, a newspaper publisher, is running for mayor as a Republican, though his lack of name recognition makes him a long shot."
Joe Lhota, who is actually the favorite on the Republican side is also Jewish by law, as earlier reported.
What the forward is doing , is basically selecting the viability of the candidates to justify their claim (after all you need something to write a story) that No Jew is running this year for mayor. Its up to the voters, Mr. Josh Nathan-Kazis.
Adolfo Carrion's path to victory as a non-affiliated party candidate (well, independence) seems to lay in the hands of the non-voters. "The Silent Majority," he calls the 71% who did not bother to go out to vote on election day in 2009.
Adolfo Carrion will be running for mayor whether or not he gets on the Republican Party Line. “Absolutely. We’re going all the way to November,” Mr. Carrion told Ross Barkan for Politicker at a national Independence Party conference in Manhattan on Saturday. “We’re hopeful we can continue a discussion with the Republicans and they continue to engage us. But this is about ensuring that there is an independent choice for mayor of New York City. I think that’s where the voters are.”
'Don't think for a moment, by the way, that just because NYC is a liberal town a Republican candidate can't win this — that's how Bloomberg and Giuliani both won their seats," writes Linette Lopez in the Business Insider.
The question remains, in this epic race, who has the shine to stand up to the plate? And who are they?
In a brief profile of the top tier candidates, the Business Insider takes a close look at who might become the next mayor of NYC.
Christine Quinn's support among Liberal Democrats is the highest with 43%, with de Blasio in second place with only 13%.
Quinn's lead is bigger among Conservative Democrats with 38%, compared to only 33% among moderates. John Liu is in 2nd place with 16% of Conservative Democrats. Hence, 47% are still uncertain and might change their vote before election day.
Bill Thompson has the support of less than a quarter of his strongest base: African American voters, trailing Quinn's 29% of support. Only 32% have indicated they might change their preference before election day.
Chris Quinn and Joe Lhota, respectively lead in their party's mayoral primaries a new NY1/Marist poll shows. In the Democratic primary Quinn garners 37% of registered Democratic voters followed by former Comptroller Bill Thompson at 13%, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio at 12%, Comptroller John Liu at 9% and former Councilman Sal Albanese at 2%, with 26% of registered Democrats undecided.
The pretty bizarre mayoral election season may become even more exciting with a possible third party Independence Party challenger. Former Bronx Borough President Alfoldo Carrion Jr., who's awaiting the decision of the Republican county chairmen, is touted as a likely Independence Party candidate, following full-page ad spotted in free metro daily Wednesday, theDaily News reports.
The newspaper ad by the Independence party touted its role in electing Mayor Bloomberg and declaring that it was “now working with” Carrion “to become an independent candidate for mayor.” Sources inside the party and the Carrion campaign said the party will make the endorsement official within two weeks.
Can a long shot candidate, who's not even looked at, emerge as a top tier candidate, or even enter the run-off? The possibility and the chance of anyone hoping for this outcome are very low, yet given the demographics of the NYC population, we might wake up one day rubbing our eyes out of surprise.
An important lesson to political candidates: Don't ignore telephone calls and don't stop calling. It could boost or bust your campaign either way. Some times nudging for support can pay off.
In this case, either Carrion has Mazel (good luck), or Lhota really screwed up big time. Staten Island power broker Guy Molinari and GOP mayoral candidate Joe Lhota are no more buds, according to the Staten Island newspaper. Molinari has switched his support to the wannabe Republican Adolfo Carrion, paving the path for a majority among the city's county chairmen to grant him a Wilson Pekula to enter the GOP mayoral primary.
A few months ago, it looked like the savior of the Republican party in NYC will be non other than a Obama Democrat.
Carrion, who changed his party registration to unaffiliated, was seen as a gig for the Republicans to maintain NYC's control. Yet, in order to run on the Republican line he sought to seek the approval of 3 out of 5 County chairmen to grant him a Wilson-Pakula.
Now that Joe Lhota and John Catsimatidis, who both have the name recognition to fit the frame, have jumped into the ring, they both claim there’s no need for the GOP to look outside the ranks.
Looks like the five Boroughs Republican Chairmen have given up on the hope of coming together to support a single candidate, in favor of a Republican primary. "It is what it is. They are all qualified," said Brooklyn GOP Chairman Craig Eaton. "That's good for the Party," he added.
Celeste Katz published a raw video of the city's five Republican county committee chairmen speaking after Monday night's meeting with five of the candidates seeking the Republican nomination for mayor.
Former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión’s mayoral candidacy is in jeopardy, since he has failed to secure the support of three of the city’s five Republican county chairmen, the WSJ reported on Friday.
The two GOP chairmen that have previously committed themselves to Mr. Carrión, Brooklyn’s Craig Eaton and Jay Savino of the Bronx, have now privately shifted their support to Republican grocery billionaire John Catsimatidis, Chris Bragg reports in The insider. “Almost everyone is with John, it’s just not official yet,” one Republican insider told Bragg.
