In advance of the May 15 filing deadline, Bill Thompson’s mayoral campaign announced that they have raised more than $600,000 in the two-month filing period, almost double what his campaign had reported in the previous filing. Thompson’s chief campaign strategist and manager, Jonathan Prince, said that the uptick in fundraising lends credence to the notion that Thompson is building momentum in comparison to his Democratic rivals. “The campaign is starting to kick into high gear, and we have moved aggressively… [More]

With Latino and outer borough voters central to the win strategy of practically every candidate for mayor of New York City, the endorsement of Bronx Borough President Ruben Díaz Jr., the highest ranking Hispanic elected official in the Big Apple, has been highly coveted by the entire field. This morning the suspense surrounding who Díaz would get behind will come to an end with his announcement that he will support former City Comptroller Bill Thompson, the 2009 Democratic nominee for… [More]

Public safety was the topic for last night’s first televised debate between New York City’s Democratic candidates for mayor, meaning the candidates had plenty of material to hurl at the current Democratic frontrunner Christine Quinn. In the morning, Quinn gave a speech outlining her public safety agenda, and stated that she would not support a bill before the City Council that would prohibit racial profiling by the Police Department. During the debate, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio was the first to call out… [More]

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has received endorsements from two of the city’s most prominent Democratic activists, Victor and Sarah Kovner, both of whom have been mainstays of the New York City fundraising world for over 20 years. In a statement, both Victor and Sarah highlighted Quinn’s legislative victories, including the recent compromise on paid sick leave legislation, as part of the reason for their support. “We have known and admired Chris for many years,” the Kovners said.… [More]

Rumors circulated this week that New York City Republican mayoral candidate George McDonald would opt in to the city’s public matching funds program in the wake of the discouraging fundraising numbers the Doe Fund founder reported in the most recent campaign filing period. McDonald had just $1,884 in the bank, according to his campaign finance disclosure report. However, a spokesman for McDonald said that the candidate was still waiting on the verdict from his legal challenge, which argues that because… [More]

Could a Republican revolution begin in Brooklyn? Not likely, but the Republican National Committee made their best sales pitch yesterday at the Christian Cultural Center in East New York, hoping to change the public perception that the party does not represent the interests of minorities. The event was designed as a “listening session”; a solicitation of ideas from African-American Republicans on how the party could attract members of the black community. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was joined by… [More]

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn officially announced her campaign for mayor yesterday by touring one neighborhood in each of the five boroughs, an Ed Koch-esque attempt to introduce herself to voters and highlight some of her accomplishments, as well as showcase her outsized personality. Quinn’s campaign was officially announced a couple of hours before the five borough “Walk and Talk” tour began with a five-minute video posted on her campaign website of Quinn sitting in Moonstruck Diner in… [More]

Four of New York City’s Republican candidates for mayor and one Independence Party candidate touched on a wide range of issues Wednesday morning at a breakfast forum hosted by Crain’s New York Business, the first panel this election cycle to not include a single Democratic candidate. The candidates began the debate by assigning Mayor Michael Bloomberg a numeric grade, on a scale of 1 to 10, and despite Bloomberg’s moderate politics, most gave the mayor high marks, with Independence Party… [More]

Mayor Michael Bloomberg fired a subliminal shot at Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, a Democratic candidate for mayor, for releasing a report that accused the mayor and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn for systematically targeting small businesses in the outer boroughs and levying onerous fines against them. “The world is not as simple as a campaign, and it’s not true just to this campaign, it’s all campaigns,” Bloomberg said on his weekly radio appearance this morning on the John Gambling Show.… [More]

In front of his Park Slope row home, with a solid crowd of supporters braving the sub-freezing weather and waving newly printed red “de Blasio for Mayor” signs, New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio officially announced his intention to run for mayor. He joins former City Comptroller Bill Thompson and former City Councilman Sal Albanese as the only Democrats to declare their candidacy thus far. De Blasio has not been shy about making his family the public face… [More]