Albert Baldeo

As expected, the Queens County Democratic Organization endorsed Hiram Monserrate for State Senate over incumbent John Sabini earlier today. It’s a major coup for Monserrate, who has been steadily building a base of support in the Jackson Heights-Elmhurst district independent of the county organization.

Most people I've spoken with since the announcement cited Sabini's vulnerabilities (DUI arrest, a narrow reelection in 2006, and low profile outside campaign season) as a reason for the decision. But the other major explanation has to do with demographics: the district has become steadily less white since Sabini was first elected, and more Latino and Asian.

So, what does this say about the Queens County Democratic Organization, arguably the city’s most influential Democratic machine? Is the organization weak for not being able to protect (an admittedly vulnerable) incumbent against a strong challenger? Or is the county organization simply smart for going with a likely winner?  read more »

State Senator Serph Maltese of Queens, who squeaked through past his 2006 re-election opponent by 783 votes, has spent thousands of dollars running ads in local papers in his district, according to his latest financial disclosure.

Maltese spent $2,073.25 at the Queens Ledger on January 18, $1,710 at the Queens Chronicle on January 29, another $1,454.25 at the Queens Ledger on February 12, and $3,170 at the Queens Courier on March 2, among others.

Overall, Maltese raised $105,392.41, spent $78,826.32 and has $62,008.96 left on hand.

The man who almost beat him, Albert Baldeo, raised only $19,400, but has $222,868.64 on hand. (Baldeo, it's worth noting, loaned himself $200,000.)

Democratic Councilman Joe Addabbo is having a fund-raiser on May 24th for his not-yet-announced race for state Senate against Republican Serph Maltese.

Maltese is best known outside his Queens district for having one of the closest re-election campaigns last year. Democrats narrowly lost that race with candidate Albert Baldeo, who is vowing to run again.

Helping out Addabbo, according to this fund-raising email a reader forwarded, is Stuart Appelbaum of RWDSU, and other labor leaders. Addabbo, coincidentally, chairs the labor committee in the Council.

"I gave him a pass in 2006," Addabbo just told me just now, referring to his decision not to run against Maltese earlier.

Addabbo said he'll make his formal announcement about the 2008 cycle at an appropriate time. That appropriate time, he said, won't be May 24th.

And from the department of weird coincidences...Addabbo was talked about as a potential state Senate candidate last year by unnamed people in Bloomberg's administration. Today, Addabbo appeared alongside Bloomberg in the Rockaways, where Bloomberg was denying a story, from unnamed sources, about running for governor.

The fund-raising email is after the jump.  read more »

Pictured here at Malcolm Smith's inauguration ceremony in Queens on Friday night are Albert Baldeo, the Democratic candidate who narrowly lost to Republican state Senator Serph Maltese, and political consultant Gary Tilzer, who blogs under the name "Oneshirt".

The two have been making the rounds at Democratic events, reminding everyone that they came within about 900 votes of ousting an incumbent state senator -- without any organizational aid from the party. Needless to say, they wouldn't mind a little help the second time around.

-- Azi Paybarah

State Senator Serph Maltese got 14,235 votes on the Republican line in his re-election bid against Albert Baldeo, who ran on the Democratic line and got 17,046 votes.

In most states, that would have made Baldeo the winner.

But here in New York, where the bizarre practice of cross-endorsing is considered normal, 1,621 Independence Party votes plus another 2,084 Conservative Party votes carried Maltese across the finish line.

Note the absence of another well-known third party: Working Families. They didn't make any endorsement in this race, seeing Baldeo, a relatively unknown, under-funded candidate as too much of a long-shot to help.

Oh well.

-- Azi Paybarah

Writing in today's Times, Jonathan Hicks hit on the curious indifference some Democrats have exhibited towards their party's razor-thin loss to Republican state Senator Serph Maltese in Queens.

The theory behind the lack of interest is that Maltese enjoys good relations with his Democratic counterparts that has somehow tempered their enthusiasm for ending his legislative career. And as a member of the majority, he's been a reliable source of state aid for the city and Queens in particular.

But a Democratic insider told me there's been a slight change of attitude.

Senate Democrats will be sending lawyer Henry Burger - who is in charge of the Andrea Stewart-Cousins recount in Westchester - to oversee the recount in Queens, where less than 800 votes separates Maltese from his opponent, Albert Baldeo.

-- Azi Paybarah