Columbia Street in Albany is one of those modern marvels of urban transportation.  It's one of those streets that becomes a one way street in one direction and then in a different one.  And a different one.  I was wondering how I was to find Congressional candidate Tracey Brooks's campaign headquarters...

...in a torrential downpour, that is.  For those who aren't film buffs, rain symbolizes change.  Which is the big word in all 2008 elections.  This includes the 21st Congressional District of New York where Tracey Brooks is one of five Democrats seeking to replace a Democratic veteran of two decades.

In the interview below the fold, Tracey goes deeper into her life's story and experience than ever before, and faces questions that may be the closest any candidate in the race gets to Hardball.  Campaigns themselves can be an obstacle course, as can an interview, but as she says in the interview below:

"Never have I faced anything with an obstacle perspective, but rather a can-do, will-do, must-do perspective...just like we have approached this race."

Orginally Posted On The Albany Project

JULY 19, 2008 - Yesterday night, the Albany Jewish Community Center and NORC hosted a forum featuring all seven candidates vying for both major party lines in an open Congressional race to fill the vacancy that will be left when Rep. Mike McNulty (D-Green Island) retires.  It was the first debate held after the filing of nominating petitions, so all seven candidates will be appearing on the ballot for the September 9th primary.

"I am not the League of Women Voters!" the hostess pointed out at the beginning of the forum, before asking the first question of all the candidates: would they all sign a civility pledge as drawn up by the League?  The response was unanimous in the affirmative, and the candidates kept to that pledge for the entirety of the debate.

Below the fold, you get the candidates opening and closing statements and their answers to six questions submitted from the audience.

The Albany Times Union yesterday debuted the first article in a series chronicling the growth of the Capital Region’s suburbs in the last half century and the effect it is having on the present day.  Yesterday’s cover story gives the editorial introduction, and today’s page prints comments from the TU’s blog.

Now, with the price of gas above $4 a gallon, some wonder if the Capital Region, and the rest of the country, is at a crossroads. Can the growth of suburbia continue? Can the region maintain its high quality of life if existing trends continue? Will fuel become so pricey people can no longer afford commutes from the outlying suburbs?

As I read the article and the comments, I couldn’t help but notice that these questions have great relevance to the Democratic primary for Congress in the 21st district.  Indeed, some are exactly the same questions being asked of the four Democrats running for the seat.

Complete analysis below the fold...

Oringainally Posted on The Albany Project

When I met Darius Shahinfar at the Tea & Tap Room in Albany, he greeted me with an anecdote about this story, which joked that, if elected, his name would mess up all the Congressional spell-checkers.  The unusual name is of Iranian origin, as Darius is a first-generation Iranian-American, named after one of the great emperors of ancient Persia.

But while he recalled this story with a sense of humor over introductions, he introduced his campaign to with a sense of confidence over coffee.   The race in the 21st shrank with the turning in of petitions, and he now has only three opponents.  Something he said during the course of the interview, however, indicated that he didn’t see things quite that way:

"I’m not running against Paul Tonko, I’m not running against Phil, I’m not running against Tracey...I’m running for Congress."  Shahinfar said as part of the interview below the fold.

There's been much talk about filing nominating petitions lately, and I think a wrap up is needed.  Per the Times Union report, candidates Tracey Brooks, Darius Shahinfar, Phil Steck, and Paul Tonko all handed in enough Democratic signatures to make the cut.

Four Democratic candidates emerged from the petition-filing deadline Thursday, chopping in half the crowded field that once numbered up to 10 Democratic hopefuls in the most competitive 21st race in more than 50 years.

Full coverage below the flip...

Paul Tonko was one of the most talked-about candidates for months before he decided to run about two months ago, and "officially" a few weeks ago.  He could often be heard saying he would "hit the ground running" both on the campaign and in Mike McNulty's seat once the Congressman retired and the recently resigned NYSERDA presient and 23-year Assembly veteran Tonko took the cake.

But judging from Tonko's performance on the web as the Times Union reported yesterday, Tonko may have hit the ground running, but when it comes to hitting the Web, a better saying might be "I've fallen, and I can't get up."

Find out how the big name fell flat below the flip...

Originally Posted at The Albany Project

Now that the big Democratic primary for President is over with Hillary Clinton suspending her campaign this weekend, it’s time to turn our primary-attention to races for Congress and state houses.  First question on  the list: how does Hillary’s exit and Barack Obama’s triumph affect the many Democratic primaries that are still ongoing?

In New York’s 21st Congressional District, the question has greater weight: candidate Tracey Brooks, the only woman in a field of eight other men seeking retiring Representative Mike McNulty’s seat, has made the fact that she served as an aide to Senator Clinton a centerpiece of her campaign.

So does Hillary’s exit help or hurt the Congressional hopeful from Albany?  The Times Union considered this question just before Clinton’s exit:  Feel free to join the discussion below the fold.

Originally Posted on The Albany Project.

It turns out the packed Democratic primary in the Capital District is gaining some attention in Central New York thanks to candidate Paul Tonko having years of connections as a former Assemblyman and recently resigned NYSERDA President.

From the Syracuse Post-Standard under the headline Key lawmaker milks the system for his backyard:

For 15 years, Paul Tonko could be counted on to criticize state energy policy and National Grid's prices.

At the same time, the chairman of the Assembly Energy Committee quietly asked the state's energy agencies and the utility for a favor:

A breakdown of an investigation into Paul Tonko's energy record below the fold.

Phil Steck gets Independence Party Backing
Working Families endorse Paul Tonko
Former Republican party chair enters Democratic Primary

When the Working Families Party endorsed Paul Tonko, they released a statement entitled "In Crowded Field, Third Party Hopes to Give Progressive Candidate Major Boost."

This could also have been said about Phil Steck, who has recieved the backing of the Independence Party.  The two now have third-party support in an eight...make that nine-way race to fill Mike McNulty's shoes when he retires.

...and in "who cares" news, the dueling Republicans picked up their backing too: Conservatives for Buhrmaster and Presidential candidate Ron Paul for Vasquez.  More on the primary that will produce the next Congressman for the 21st below the fold.

You know those strobe lights that go off during fire alarms?  They help to alert the deaf to the emergency.  One of the of the New York State laws that required this new safety measure.  Craig Burridge, now a candidate for Congress in the crowded field to fill a Democratic vacancy after Mike McNulty retires, has a framed copy of the signed law he worked on in the New York State Senate on the wall of his office.
  His office right now is Chief Executive Officer of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, and he is now making his first run for elected office in a race against seven other Democrats.   In the first of a series, I interviewed Mr. Burridge last week to get a better idea of who the candidate is.
  Most of the attention on the 21st, in the mainstream and on the netroots, has been on "front-runners" Tracey Brooks, Phil Steck, and Paul Tonko.  Yet put eight Democrats together, and you’re bound for a wealth of talent.   And as far as discounting any of them as "low-tier", goes Mr. Burridge himself had some choice words to answer:

  "Discount me at your own risk." said Craig Burridge in the interview below the fold.

The recent endorsement of Congressional candidate Phil Steck by the Albany County Democratic Committee has recieved much coverage in the local mainstream  press as a "controversy" for about a week now.  Here on the netroots, there was much debate about the impact of the county's endorsement; the county is home to 55% of the voters in Congressman McNulty's district, and the endorsement was made from amongst a field of eight Democrats seeking to replace him after his retirement.

After a week, Metroland, the district's independent newsaper finally hit the nail on the head and interviewed the endorsed candidate himself extensively:

The Powers That Were

Phil Steck thwarts old guard and secures the Albany County Democratic Committee endorsement for U.S. representative in the 21st District

The rest of the story below the flip...

Twenty-five years ago today, the longest-tenured Mayor in American history, Erastus Corning 2nd, died.  First elected in 1941 and one half of the last political machine in the country (the Corning-O'Connel machine outlasted even the Daley family's organization in Chicago), Erastus Corning's footprint on Albany county politics continues to quitely influence recent developments in a packed and heated primary in New York's 21st Congressional District.

How the past relates to the present below the fold...

The drawn-out fight for the Democratic nomination for President is winding down and has exceeded my attention span.  I've moved on to paying much closer attention to the Democratic primary in my home district, NY-21, which is now heating up and almost parallells the national primary.  I've known for at least a month that Obama has all but clinched the nomination, and that makes me proud as an Obama supporter who lives in his rival's home state.

I took my last break from the race for the White House when scandal at the governor's mansion here in New York this spring gave us our first African-American Governor, David Paterson.  The man was a Super Delegate for Hillary at the time Governor Spitzer resigned, but this fact has not been highlighted much until now.

To say nothing of the impact it would have as the first black governor from the state of his rival, Obama should now receive the support of Governor Paterson as a super delegate because of Hillary Clinton's recent gaffe of gaffe's regarding RFK's assassination.

Cross Posted on The Albany Project.

The past couple of days have rocketed the packed Democratic Primary for Congress in NY-21 into the limeight.  Yesterday saw a flurry of campaign movement over the Albany County Democratic Committee's endorsement of Phil Steck over Tracey Brooks and Paul Tonko after hundreds of commitee members walked out.

As the Times Union reports today, this is still making headlines in a race that has now heated up to become one of the most hotly contested Democratic races in the country.  Just days after the announcement of local superstar Paul Tonko and months into a media bias towards establishment-backed Tracey Brooks, Phil Steck has successfully swung the momentum of the race in his favor with a decisive victory.

It was only two days ago that former Assemblyman and NYSERDA President Paul Tonko made his campaign for Congress official after months of speculation.  It was a few weeks ago that seven of eight Democratic candidates were screened by the Albany County Democratic Committee for their endorsement.  

At these two events, and at last week's eight-way debate, Paul Tonko made his argument that he could "hit the ground running" in Congress and on the campaign trail.  Yet Phil Steck's strongly-worded resopnse to Tonko's announcement made it clear the primary will be a marathon.  The Steck campaign appears to confirm this today by winning the endorsement of the Albany County Democratic Committee.

The full story below the fold...

Longtime Former Assemblyman, Recently Resigned Spitzer Appointee Finally Makes Things Official, Also Scores Early Endorsement

Cross Posted at The Albany Project.

When Mike McNulty (D, NY-21) annouced his intentions to retire from Congress after 20 years of service, Paul Tonko's name was instantly tossed about in print and on airwaves as a possible successor.  Several other Capital Region career-politicians had similar rumours circulating this winter, yet Paul Tonko was the only one who neither confirmed nor denied the halo surrounding the possibility of his candidacy.

Today, Paul Tonko will officially annouce that, yes, he is running for Congress.  He will do so tonight at the Albany Labor Temple at 5:30.  In doing so, he joins seven other Democrats who have already officially annouced their candidacy, and with whom he debated with a week ago while still an unofficial candidate.

Cross-Posted at The Albany Project.

Last night, eight candidates to replace retiring Representative Mike McNulty (D-Green Island) met at the SEIU 1199 headquarters in downtown Albany, hosted by Democracy fro the Hudson Mowhawk Region and the RFK Democrats.  According to the Times Union about 150 people were in attendance, packing the house to hear John Aretakis, Tracey Brooks, Craig Burridge, Lester Freeman, Darius Shahinfar, Phil Steck, Paul Tonko, and Arthur Welser make their way through introductions, general questions, a "lightning round", and closing arguments.

I was lucky to be one of those 150 people in the audience, and was taking notes.  Below the fold is the summary of all the questions from all the candidates that you won't find anywhere else...

Dems Prepare for First Big Debate
Steck Campaign Reports Movement Leading Up To Debate
Tonko Liabilities Begin to Emerge Even Before Official Announcement
Brooks-Hillary Similarities Add Up At Gas Pump

A whopping eight Democrats will make their case tonight that they are the most qualified to replace retiring Representative Mike McNulty at the first official primary debate of the season.

It is sure to be closely watched and dominate the news on the campaign from this point forward.  But what's been happening in the lead-up to this event should not be missed.

There's more below the flip...