Politics on the Hudson

A test of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s popularity in his lower Manhattan district will come tomorrow as he faces two Democratic candidates in a primary, including community activist Paul Newell who picked up the endorsements of the major New York City newspapers.

Silver’s other opponent is Luke Henry, a city attorney.

The Daily News in endorsing Newell said, “After 32 years in his seat, including 14 years as the Assembly’s maximum leader, Silver embodies the insider’s game that has captured the state Legislature, to the detriment of 19 million New Yorkers.”

Fred Dicker at the New York Post, which also endorsed Newell, wrote today that Silver needs a big victory to avoid looking weak, even as the most powerful Democrat in the state Legislature.
If Silver doesn’t win by more than 50 percent, he’s a “political dead man,” one prominent Democrat said.

Silver has spent little on the race, showing that he’s not too concerned and still has nearly $3 million in his campaign coffers. Newell, meanwhile, had just $37,000, as of the 11-day, pre-primary filing.

But Newell has gained the media’s attention and apparently Silver, who was out campaigning last week with a fleet of seven vans.

And today, the Working Families Party, which is endorsing Silver, compared him to Ted Kennedy, saying “Time after time, on the crucial fights of the day – Silver has been the most important leader standing up to right-wing corporate power. He beat back Republican attempts to end rent regulation, slash public schools, and reduce access to healthcare coverage. He actually believes that the government has a role to play in making sure everyone has a decent shot in life. That’s not trivial. ”