Weiner Ahead In 2013 (!) Fundraising

The Wall Street Journal ran a story today about the cash on hand for various mayoral contendors. Weiner has $3.9 million in campaign cash, and Quinn also healthy with $2.7 million war chest. “Five officials contemplating mayoral bids in 2013 have provided The Wall Street Journal with details of their disclosures:” Quinn, Weiner, Stringer, Thompson, and Liu. Bill de Blasio declined to particpate.

Stringer is the only mayoral contendor who raised much money in the past six months:

Mr. Stringer raised more than $600,000 this year, and he said he intends to carry over about $1 million from his re-election campaign last year.

“I’m gratified by the close to 1,000 people who contributed, and I’m moving forward,” Mr. Stringer said in an interview. “This is a long journey.”

Thompson has also made his intentions clear:

“It is definitely my intention to run for mayor in 2013 and we’ll begin that process in the latter part of this year,” Mr. Thompson said in an interview.

2013 is going to be an interesting year. If all five ran, we’d also have big fields in the comptroller and Manhattan Borough President races. Not that my political acumen matters much, but if all five ran and went the distance to Primary day, I would bet on Liu.

Quote o’ the Day: Merely Physics

Asked to predict what sort of working relationship he’d have with Michael Bloomberg over the next four years, the incoming city comptroller John Liu talked about physics.

“An electromagnetic force,” he said, “it’s unlike gravity. Gravitational force is only one direction, it’s an attractive force. Electromagnetic forces can be attractive or repulsive.”

Observer: John Liu Says It’s All Business

Let’s Go Win This Thing

In the season finale of West Wing, when the Democratic Nominee for president is finally decided and giving his acceptance speech, Alan Alda’s character, the Republican Nominee Arnie Vinnick, stands up and exclaims “Ok, let’s go win this thing.”

We’re certainly not supporting Republican candidates, but the Democratic Nominees for City Comptroller and Public Advocate have finally been decided. John Liu narrowly defeated David Yassky for the NYC Comptroller nomination 56% to 44% and Bill DeBlasio trounced Mark Green for the Public Advocate nomination 63% to 37%. Only about 200k New Yorkers voted in the runoff.

So what now? All of these long and hard fought campaigns deserve praise. They contributed to the democratic process by providing options and helped shape the debates in their own ways. Young people from across this city, and many of them MYD members, joined or volunteered for candidates. I know that, when one pours their heart and soul into an effort like this, that the impulse is to just give up if they lose. But, I implore you to remain active and keep pushing.

The election is not over, and we still need to get as many Democrats on the ballot as possible. Our work is not over, and in many ways, it is just beginning. Over the next four weeks, MYD will be making aggressive pushes to win back City Hall and influence other local races. In fact, we have a phone bank at the Bill Thompson for Mayor campaign offices on Monday and Wednesday next week from 6pm – 9pm (99 Madison Ave). If you have time, please come by.

Let’s go win this thing.

Come A Long Way

Campaign biopic from candidate John Liu, who is running for NYC Comptroller.

At about the 1:40 mark, Liu says, “So, I was on a subway and I was reading a paper and on the front page of The New York Times I see this article about my council member talking about how Asians are always looking to invade, not assimilate, that Asians are nothing more than food merchants, illegal aliens and criminal smugglers. I was thinking, ‘I’m Asian and I’m none of those things.’”

And: “So, the following year I ran against my council member.”

Liu subsequently became the first Asian-American elected to legislative office in NYC. Astonishingly, that didn’t happen until 2001. (I am blown away by this!)

You can read about what the NYC Comptroller does here and watch a previously posted video from another candidate, David Yassky, here.

Important note! Our posting of this video is NOT an endorsement of John Liu’s candidacy for City Comptroller. MYD is an official part of the Democratic party and cannot endorse candidates in contested primaries. But in the interest of full disclosure, we bump into John quite frequently at many events geared towards the young and politically active, like the New Leaders Council.

Liu Recalls A Different Era in Flushing

Rallying the Base

I just got back from a rally in Queens in support of Senator Malcolm Smith as Majority Leader. Of course, the guest of honor couldn’t make it, as he’s in Albany, taking care of business. But, it was an opportunity for those in his district to get vocal about what’s happened in the State Senate, what this coup means, and what can be done.

Speakers included Reverend Floyd Flake, Councilman (and Comptroller Candidate) John Liu, Borough President Helen Marshall, Councilman Leroy Comrie, former Councilman Archie Spigner and other community leaders. It was interesting to see a community come together so quickly and fervently with support.

Speakers cited how Senator Smith had been active and committed for decades – long before he himself became a senator, how he worked for Reverend Flake when he was known as Congressman Flake, how he had worked for Former Mayor Ed Koch, and how he had ran and lost twice before finally winning the seat of Senator.

It was his work ethic, commitment to the community, and persistence that evoked support. In some sense, it was a betrayal of all of these that evoked ire toward Sens. Monserrate and Espada. There was a call for support among Democratic leadership across the State, and an ongoing chant to channel people’s “anger into action.”

For more pictures, see our photo gallery.