It's hard not to notice Dan Squadron these days. Voters are hearing the voice of Michael Bloomberg. They're seeing Chuck Schumer's name. And more than a few have had their hands shaken by Anthony Weiner.

The 28-year-old Democratic State Senate candidate, who has never held public office and whose experience has been largely under Schumer's tutelage, is looking to unseat 30-year incumbent Marty Connor of the Lower East Side.

Under normal circumstances, it would be an uphill battle--an insurgent candidate against a well-situated incumbent. But Squadron has built a campaign formidable enough to make it hard to identify which candidate is the underdog.  read more »

As noted earlier, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer threw his support behind Dan Squadron, becoming one of the most prominent Democrats to back him in his Democratic primary challenge to state Senator Marty Connor.

Connor has responded with this statement:

“The Manhattan Borough President and I have an excellent working relationship and I am confident it will continue once the voters send me back to Albany. I'm proud to be endorsed by the vast majority of the progressive unions, organizations and leaders in New York based on my strong record on education, affordable housing and quality health care.

“As the Democratic Senator with the most expertise on Senate Rules and practices, I look forward to adopting extensive Rules changes that promote open and honest government next year when we are in the majority.”

 read more »

On Tuesday, Michael Bloomberg endorsed state Senate candidate Dan Squadron, and this morning, several City Council members came out with their endorsement of Squadron’s opponent, incumbent Marty Connor. Among them was City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who has an extremely close working relationship with the mayor.

It'll be interesting to see how they (and Quinn in particular) react to the mayor's involvement in the race. Remember, Bloomberg did give money to the Republicans in Albany and, as Connor reminded me earlier, the mayor isn't exactly a Democrat any more and this is their primary.

Earlier, Connor supporters had some unfriendly words for another Squadron supporter, Chuck Schumer, who was getting involved in the race.

UPDATE: A Connor spokesman emailed me after today's press conference: "No one asked about the Bloomberg endorsement."  read more »

Marty Connor no longer has Chad Marlow as a spokesman.

Marlow’s company “terminated its consulting relationship with the Connor For Senate 08 campaign,” he said in an email to reporters just now.

But he added, “The Public Advocacy Group wishes to express it continuing belief that State Senator Martin Connor remains the only qualified candidate running to represent the 25th State Senatorial District in this Fall’s primary and general elections.”

Marlow has been an outspoken critic of Connor’s Democratic opponent, Dan Squadron. He’s also been outspoken about the cozy relationship between the Democrats and the Working Families Party.

This kind of abrupt change usually doesn't happen when everything is going well, but it's too early to say how it actually affects the campaign of an incumbent who, often, is his own spokesman.  read more »

Although it sometimes seems like 30-year incumbent State Senator Marty Connor is playing the underdog role in his race against young, Schumer-backed challenger Dan Squadron, Connor certainly has his share of establishment backing.

And here's more! On Monday, a number of members of Congress will endorse Connor at City Hall.

A release promises Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler and Nydia Velázquez at a press conference, as well as the possibility of Yvette Clarke, and the endorsement of Ed Towns, although he won't be able to make it. (He has to fend off Kevin Powell, after all.)  read more »

Marty Connor was endorsed by a number of his Democratic colleagues in the State Senate at a press conference on the City Hall steps just now.

While Connor racked up a good number of endorsements, his opponent, Dan Squadron, has the support of one very notable elected official: Chuck Schumer.

I asked two of these State Senators how they felt about Schumer’s involvement in the campaign.

Jeff Klein of the Bronx said, “Well, with all due respect to Senator Schumer, he represents us in the United States Senate. I think it’s clear that the senators that matter endorse Marty Connor.”

Bill Perkins chimed in, “Chuck has a history of endorsing those that work for him.  read more »

The spokesman for Marty Connor's re-election campaign, Chad Marlow, supports term limits, even though his boss, a state senator, has been in office since 1978.

In 2005, when the City Council was reportedly looking to alter the city's term-limit laws, Marlow authored a blog post on the Drum Major Institute’s web site called "Confessions of a Term Limits Convert." He wrote:

“If you believe our elected officials are largely comprised of highly talented, innovative thinkers who represent the very best our society has to offer the public sector, you would naturally oppose term limits. I do not.”

Connor’s opponent, Dan Squadron, talks frequently about the need to shake things up in Albany.  read more »

On the surface, the story is a familiar one.

A young insurgent, Dan Squadron, decides to challenge an entrenched incumbent, Marty Connor, in a State Senate race, in a year when public antipathy towards the ossified ways of Albany is greater than it has been in recent memory. The line between underdog liberal reformer and entrenched proponent of the status quo should be clear.

But a couple of unusual things have happened. Squadron, 28, has acquired the trappings, at least, of the establishment guy. He has raced out to a lead in high-increment fund-raising -- he has spent heavily but still has nearly $300,000 on hand, whereas Connor has barely spent $2500 and has only $83,000 -- and has gained support from some powerful labor entities like UNITE HERE, the Communication Workers of America and the union-backed Working Families Party.  read more »

Since Dean Skelos, the new State Senate majority leader, has said he will make addressing property taxes a major priority, and it's likely that taxes will be an issue in the upcoming election, I recently asked both candidates in the 25th Senate District about their positions on the issue.

Incumbent Marty Connor favors raising taxes on the wealthy (a "relatively small" hike, he wrote), while his challenger, Dan Squadron, wants to look to the federal government to guarantee school funds in exchange for tax cuts for the middle class. Squadron, if he wins, would likely have access to Washington because of his former boss, Chuck Schumer.  read more »

Superintern Bharat Ayyar has a report from a protest against reopening the Brooklyn House of Detention, where a hearty collection of elected officials pointed out that "people live here now."

He also sent in this dispatch on a delicate situation that unfolded there:

There was an unexpected guest at this afternoon’s rally to stop the Brooklyn House of Detention’s reopening and expansion: Dan Squadron, who is challenging State Senator Marty Connor in 25th district. His attendance was not announced prior to the event.

Connor was there, too, which could have made for an awkward situation. I asked Connor what he thought about Squadron making an appearance.  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/elected-officials-protest-brooklyn-jail-connor-squadron-show#comments Politics Brooklyn House of Detention Dan Squadron Marty Connor Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:38:12 -0400 Katharine Jose 71296 at http://www.observer.com