Michael Arcuri

Representative John Hall, a Democrat whose district is in the Hudson Valley, told me last night he is concerned that illegal immigrants who obtain a driver's license under Eliot Spitzer's plan could use it as a "breeder document to secure more documentation."

Hall, who was in town for the Empire State Pride Agenda fund-raiser at the Hilton, told me:

"I'm concerned with what kind of security measures will be in place to ensure that people receiving licenses are who they say they are and that it won't be used as a breeder document to secure more documentation. My wife was assistant state attorney general in Tennessee when they did the same thing and their experience in Tennessee was that more undocumented immigrants came to the state specifically because they knew they could receive a driver's license where they couldn't in other states. So, it does increase the traffic in the states that choose to do this. I haven't made up my mind yet but I'm concerned that the procedures to protect our security."

Hall did say that he's undecided about Spitzer's plan, but the concerns he raised are among the most critical and detailed yet from a Democrat in New York's delegation.

Hall is one of the three freshman Democratic congressman in the state that Spitzer, as head of the party here, has to help re-elect. (The others are Kirsten Gillibrand, who opposes the plan, and Michael Arcuri, whose office hasn't returned several messages about the issue.)

Representative Anthony Weiner, a likely mayoral candidate, has also been critical of the plan, saying in a statement that it raised "legitimate problems."

If you’re following where everybody stands on Eliot Spitzer’s plan to allow illegal immigrants to obtain a New York State driver’s license, update your score cards.

Adolfo Carrion supports it. Speaking on NY1 News last night, Carrion said, “I support this initiative until there is a national, rational response to this, which I think we need to deal with.” Earlier, Carrion had gone with a statement that was less specific.

On the show, Carrion described Spitzer plan as a “limited response” and a “practical solution,” which Democrats are grappling with. Carrion said Spitzer “is going to take a hit, and he’s taking a hit. And there are Democrats in this town, in this very city and across the state, who feel now that they’re painted into a corner.”

Among the Democrats who, as far as I'm aware, still haven't taken a position on the issue: Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer and Representatives John Hall, Mike Arcuri and Tim Bishop.

If anyone knows anything about where they stand, please let me know.

In January, New York sent four freshmen to congress. So far, they have authored a total of 23 bills.

Nine came from Michael Arcuri upstate. Another nine came from John Hall in the Hudson Valley. And the last five came from Kirsten Gillibrand from Glens Falls.

Yvette Clarke of Brooklyn, so far, has not authored any. (After a reader pointed this out to me, I checked it on Library of Congress web site.) I emailed Clarke's office to ask if that was accurate. A spokesperson from Clarke's office, Vanessa Milara, emailed to say, “Yes that site is accurate. She has not introduced legislation, however she has co-sponsored a variety of legislation."

Here is singer-turned Democratic congressman John Hall discussing his opposition to the troop surge in Iraq. "No amount of wrongs is going to make the president's policy towards Iraq right," he said.

And here is newly-elected upstate Democrat Michael Arcuri: "I think victory in Iraq means bringing as many of our troops home alive as possible."

-- Azi Paybarah

Fox News has declared Mike Arcuri the winner in New York's 24th Congressional District, defeating Republican Ray Meier in the race to succeed the retiring Sherwood Boehlert. CNN has not yet called the race, which Arcuri leads by about 10 points with two-thirds of the votes counted. -- Steve Kornacki

There are as yet no projected winners in the five most closely-watched House races in New York.

Democrats Mike Arcuri in the 24th District and Kristen Gillibrand in the 20th have jumped out to narrow early leads. Both seats have been eyed lustily by national Democrats as part of their effort to wrest the House from the GOP. Also, Dan Maffei, a former Congressional aide, is running even with incumbent Republican Jim Walsh in the Syracuse-area 25th District, and Eric Massa is slightly behind Republican incumbent Randy Kuhl in the 29th District.

With about 10 percent of the vote in, Tom Reynolds, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, holds an eight-point edge over Democrat Jack Davis in the 26th District, where the results figure to say something about the locals' response to Reynolds' role in the Mark Foley affair.

-- Steve Kornacki