NY Observer > Craig R. Johnson http://www.observer.com/taxonomy/term/26019/feed Articles from Observer.com en Breaking Down the Johnson Win http://www.observer.com/node/31420 johnson-vote.JPG

Here's a map showing where Democrat Craig Johnson got his votes from in his election to the state Senate from Nassau County, courtesy of number-crunchers at the Working Families Party. The darker the area on the map, the more heavily it went for Johnson.

Port Washington, apparently, is Johnson Country. -- Azi Paybarah]]> http://www.observer.com/node/31420#comments Politics Craig R. Johnson Johnson Country Port Washington Working Families Party Fri, 09 Feb 2007 04:30:00 -0500 Observer Staff 31420 at http://www.observer.com Elsewhere: DiNapoli, Toohey http://www.observer.com/node/31405 dinapoli-bruno-222.JPG

Martha Stark got the vote of at least one senate Republican.

Global Strategy Group just hired one of Eliot Spitzer's top campaign aides, Ryan Toohey.

Is there some flexibility in Rudy Giuliani's position on partial birth abortion?

Rick Carlin has notes on Albany's idea of ethnic diversity.

Harry Siegel, who is obsessed with the NYPD's stop-and-frisk numbers, thinks the huge increase in that statistic comes down to a change in paperwork, not policy.

Get ready for the Conservative Party's state convention, taking place in Albany starting on the 11th. Bill Murphy wonders how Craig Johnson's new colleagues will react to Johnson calling the legislature "dysfunctional" during his campaign.

Tim Russert took the stand in the Scooter Libby trial today.

The political blog for the Staten Island Advance has moved to a new site over here.

ReformNY compares electronic voting machines to ATMs and has some words from the head of the NYU Brennan Center on the issue.

Aaron Naparstek has more info about city employees driving the wife of the city's police commissioner.

And pictured above is Joe Bruno and Tom DiNapoli engaged in a handshakey kind of hug.

-- Azi Paybarah]]> http://www.observer.com/node/31405#comments Politics Albany Craig R. Johnson Global Strategy Group LLP Martha Stark Wed, 07 Feb 2007 13:53:38 -0500 Observer Staff 31405 at http://www.observer.com Maltese: No Defections http://www.observer.com/node/31394 malteseh-222.JPGI just caught up with Republican state Senator Serph Maltese to talk to him about yesterday's victory by Craig Johnson.

On one subject of immediate speculation -- the possibility of partisan defections -- Maltese said he spoke with John Bonacic and Joe Robach, two GOP state senators who, like him, are rumored to be considering a party switch that would hand control of the Senate to the Democrats.

"I spoke with both of them last night," Maltese said, "and both of them told me it's total baloney and they're not interested in switching parties."

He explained yesterday's loss in Nassau County, at least in part, by pointing to Iraq.

"There was still enough spillover from the war in Iraq and resentment from the president," Maltese said. "Hopefully in November of next year, the war will be resolved and our troops will be home and it won't be an issue."

About the anti-gay marriage flier from the Nassau County Conservative Campaign Committee, Maltese, a former Conservative Party chairman in Queens, said, "Anybody asks me anything about that, I say don't do it. They usually come back and hit you in the face."

And as for the impact of yesterday's loss on GOP state chairman Joe Mondello?

None, said Maltese.

"I don't know if that's a referendum on Joe and his leadership. I have full confidence in him," he said.

"They say the race was run in a textbook fashion," he continued, but there were "circumstances beyond his control."

-- Azi Paybarah]]> http://www.observer.com/node/31394#comments Politics Craig R. Johnson Joe Robach John Bonacic U.S. Republican Party Wed, 07 Feb 2007 06:43:04 -0500 Observer Staff 31394 at http://www.observer.com Early Numbers From Nassau http://www.observer.com/node/31386 A Democratic source called with some early numbers in the Nassau race: 52 percent for Democrat Craig Johnson and 48 percent for Republican Maureen O'Connell, with about 30 percent of the precincts reporting in [numbers updated].

This source also said that the districts which were expected to go heavily for the Republicans haven't reported in yet, meaning this lead will tighten, and possibly vanish.

If you've got more numbers, let me know.

Update: O'Connell is down by 2,000 votes with 13 election districts to go, according to a Republican source. My Democratic souce emailed me to say, "We won by 3." No concession speeches have been made.

-- Azi Paybarah]]> http://www.observer.com/node/31386#comments Politics Craig R. Johnson Maureen O'Connell Nassau Tue, 06 Feb 2007 17:13:42 -0500 Observer Staff 31386 at http://www.observer.com Gay Marriage Lit in Senate Race http://www.observer.com/node/31381 antigaymailer.jpg

New York Blade Reporter Kerry Eleveld just got a hold of this flier, which includes the following line:

"The only way to stop gay marriage is to stop Craig Johnson on election day. Staying home on election day is a vote for gay marriage."

UPDATE: The flier says it was paid for by the Nassau County Conservative Campaign Committee. Messages left at the office of the county Conservative Party, and at the home of the county chairman, were not returned. Neither was a message left with the Maureen O'Connell campaign.

-- Azi Paybarah]]> http://www.observer.com/node/31381#comments Politics Craig R. Johnson Maureen O'Connell Nassau County Conservative Campaign Committee Tue, 06 Feb 2007 11:09:24 -0500 Observer Staff 31381 at http://www.observer.com Really Early Numbers from Nassau http://www.observer.com/node/31370 Craig Johnson's campaign just released the numbers of Democrats and Republicans who have returned absentee ballots to the Nasau County Board of Elections.

So far, 860 registered Democrats have turned in ballots, as opposed to 799 registered Republicans.

For whatever that's worth.

Also, who's that Republican mayor on Maureen O'Connell's flier?

-- Azi Paybarah]]> http://www.observer.com/node/31370#comments Politics Craig R. Johnson Nasau County Board of Elections Mon, 05 Feb 2007 13:15:00 -0500 Observer Staff 31370 at http://www.observer.com Hillary and Rudy in Nassau http://www.observer.com/node/31359 Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton are campaigning into Nassau's 7th Senate district today, highlighting the importance of the race.

There's been talk that if Republicans lose this seat, other GOP state Senators may abandon ship, putting every statewide elected office and both houses of the state legislature into Democratic hands. (Can anyone say redistricting?)

Giuliani is coming into the race as Republican Maureen O'Connell touts her record of fighting terrorism with campaign literature that uses a doctored NYS Department of Homeland Security logo and the image of Osama Bin Laden.

Later today,the US Department of Justice will determine whether to send election monitors into the 7th District at the request of the Democrat Craig Johnson's campaign.

UPDATE: Democrat Craig Johnson's campaign requested that the DOJ monitor the race. Republican Chairman Joseph Mondello raised concerns of voter integrity. -- Azi Paybarah]]> http://www.observer.com/node/31359#comments Politics Craig R. Johnson Hillary Clinton Nassau Rudolph Giuliani Mon, 05 Feb 2007 04:26:29 -0500 Observer Staff 31359 at http://www.observer.com Robo-Calls During the Super Bowl? http://www.observer.com/node/31358 Republican Maureen O'Connell's people say it wasn't them who were calling Republicans. Craig Johnson's people are saying the same thing.

Don't worry folks. All this ends tomorrow.

-- Azi Paybarah]]> http://www.observer.com/node/31358#comments Politics Craig R. Johnson Maureen O'Connell Mon, 05 Feb 2007 04:11:51 -0500 Observer Staff 31358 at http://www.observer.com Events for February 3 - 5, 2007 http://www.observer.com/node/31356 Saturday

11 a.m. The city Office of New Schools holds new high school information fair at Martin Luther King, Jr. Educational Campus (122 Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattan). 12:30 p.m. Starrett City residents and advocates call on officials to block housing units from going to market rate apartments (City Christian Cultural Center, 12020 Flatlands Ave.)

1 p.m. Advocates ask Eliot Spitzer to change policy on access to driver license policy (101 Sixth Ave, 22nd Flr.).

2 p.m. Long Island state Senators discuss the impact of Spitzer's proposed budget on Long Island property taxpayers (62 Fairfield Ave., Mineola).

Volunteers for Democrat Craig Johnson are car-pooling from Astoria and Bayside

And Christine Quinn is joined by 11 other council members on a trip to Israel.

Sunday

11 a.m. The city's Office of New Schools holds new high school information fair at Martin Luther King, Jr. Educational Campus (122 Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattan).

11 a.m. NYC Comptroller Bill Thompson will appear on "Eyewitness News Up Close" with host Diana Williams [added].

Nassau Young Republicans campaign for Maureen O'Connell

Monday 7:15 a.m Spitzer campaigns with Craig Johnson at the LIRR station in Great Neck

1:00 p.m. Spitzer and education advocates make an announcement in the Blue Room at the state Capitol

7 p.m. Schools Chancellor Joel Klein attends meeting at PS 268 (133 East 53rd Street, BK) -- Azi Paybarah]]> http://www.observer.com/node/31356#comments Politics Craig R. Johnson Eliot Spitzer Martin Luther King Jr. Office of New Schools Fri, 02 Feb 2007 13:00:00 -0500 Observer Staff 31356 at http://www.observer.com O'Connell: Other Things to Do http://www.observer.com/node/31333 Two media outlets trying to book the two candidates running in a Feb. 7 special election for state Senate in Nassau are going to have to make due with just one.

Brian Lehrer's show this morning will only feature Democrat Craig Johnson because Maureen O'Connell is too busy to participate, her campaign spokesman Mike Arens told me yesterday. That's the same reason she's also declined to participate in a joint televised appearance with Johnson at ABC this Friday. (A person working at ABC said they only reached out to both campaigns about that event yesterday.)

When I asked Arens whether there was any duck-y aspect to what O'Connell was doing, he denied it strongly.

"She and her opponent have been on two televised new debates and three different newspaper editorial boards," he said.

He said that it was simply a matter of the campaign choosing to focus on getting O'Connell to meet or make personal contact with as many voters as possible in the district. So instead of doing debates, he said, O'Connell will be meeting with "senior citizens groups, walking door to door, [and joining] volunteers doing a train station in the morning." -- Azi Paybarah]]> http://www.observer.com/node/31333#comments Politics Brian Lehrer Craig R. Johnson Maureen O'Connell Mike Arens Thu, 01 Feb 2007 04:30:00 -0500 Observer Staff 31333 at http://www.observer.com