Ruben Diaz Sr.

Democratic hopes of taking over the New York State Senate this year may hinge on Rubén Díaz Sr. And that’s not good for them.

Mr. Díaz is a conservative member of their conference who, to their chagrin, is in the habit of flaunting his coziness with the Republican Party.

And now, Mr. Díaz -- the only Democratic state senator to run for reelection this year with the support of the G.O.P. -- is justifying his actions to his Democratic colleagues by calling into question their own partisan credentials.

In an interview, Mr. Díaz recalled the 2005 mayoral election, when Democrat Fernando Ferrer opposed (then) Republican Michael Bloomberg.  read more »

Democratic State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr.--who is running for re-election on both the Republican ticket and the Democratic one--wants to clear the air about a few things.

He called to say that his August 13 fund-raiser features Democratic State Senate Leader Malcolm Smith and conference co-chair Jeff Klein, but they are not behind the event.

“They are not organizing it,” Diaz told me. “They never organized nothing for me.” Diaz said his paid fund-raiser for the event is Anne Noonan, and that he is calling contributors himself.

Diaz also said of the party, “I’ve been there when they needed me,” and added that he contributed money to help his conference pick up seats.  read more »

Ruben Diaz, Sr. the Democratic State Senator who is planning to run on both the Democratic and Republican tickets in his district, is having an August 16 fund-raiser hosted by Democratic leadership.

Diaz told me the event is happening at Maestro’s restaurant in the Bronx, and is being organized by State Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith and Jeff Klein, the co-chair of the conference.

The event should be worth checking out to see who shows up and if much is said about Diaz’s social conservatism. Unlike most of his Democratic colleagues, Diaz says he opposes same-sex marriage, stem cell research, and abortion.

Diaz said he supports Democrats when it comes to expanding affordable housing, improving public schools and job creation.  read more »

Democratic State Senator Ruben Diaz of the Bronx, who told Danny Hakim earlier today that he is planning to run on both the Democratic and Republican tickets in his district (he only has competition on the Democratic side) is becoming a bit like the Joe Lieberman of Albany.  read more »

Diaz is a deeply religious Pentecostal Christian, and Lieberman is an Orthodox Jew. In the last few years, Lieberman hasbroken with national Democrats over foreign policy consistently (and is currently a surrogate for John McCain), while Diaz is opposed to both gay marriage and abortion. Also, depending on how many seats Democrats pick up this November,

Democratic State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr., one of a handful of elected Democrats who oppose abortion in New York State, is giving some credit to Vito Fossella in a public letter:  read more »

A day after the City Council voted in favor of congestion pricing, and before the state legislature has a chance to, critics of the plan are making the argument that it is a financial burden on community services and charities.  read more »