New York, NY – Mayor Michael Bloomberg accused Democratic attorney general nominee Eric Schneiderman of seeking the job to push his “social agenda,” and GOP rival Dan Donovan turned up the heat hours later when his campaign accused Mr. Schneiderman’s team of “racial politicking.”
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The hotly contested race between Mr. Schneiderman, a state senator, and Mr. Donovan, the Richmond County district attorney, grew increasingly nasty as the campaigns traded acrimonious statements impugning the other’s integrity. Messrs. Schneiderman and Donovan are tied among likely voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released this week.
Mr. Bloomberg, a supporter of Mr. Donovan, kicked off the recriminations on his weekly radio show when he said New Yorkers need an attorney general “who’s going to focus on crime, not push their social agenda.”
The mayor said it’s “very disruptive for a governor” to have the state’s chief legal officer advancing a social agenda. Mr. Schneiderman “certainly pushes a social agenda, and that’s not what the job is,” Mr. Bloomberg said.
In an interview, Mr. Donovan echoed Mr. Bloomberg’s broadside, pointing out that Mr. Schneiderman promised the Rev. Al Sharpton’s organization “will have an annex in Albany for the first time in the history of this state.”
Mr. Donovan told The Wall Street Journal it was wrong of Mr. Schneiderman to promise “special treatment” to one organization. “Nineteen million people are going to have an annex in the attorney general’s office when I become the attorney general, not one specific group,” he said.
Responding to the “social agenda” allegations, James Freedland, a spokesman for Mr. Schneiderman, said, “If voters want a passive attorney general, who thinks the go-along-to-get-along status quo is just fine, they should vote for someone else.”
Mr. Freedland said, “We’re proud that Eric Schneiderman has a record in the tradition of Andrew Cuomo, of standing up to powerful forces and demanding results on behalf of New Yorkers.”
Mr. Cuomo, current attorney general and the Democratic nominee for governor, has not made any endorsement in the race. A spokesman for Mr. Cuomo refused to rule out the possibility of Mr. Cuomo backing Mr. Donovan. (Mr. Schneiderman picked up on Friday the endorsement of City Comptroller John Liu, a Democrat who supported a rival of Mr. Schneiderman’s in the primary.)
This week, Mr. Schneiderman’s campaign lambasted Mr. Donovan for failing to condemn some of GOP gubernatorial nominee Carl Paladino’s inflammatory remarks and the racist emails he sent to friends. The campaign also noted that Mr. Donovan had lauded former NYPD commissioner Bernard Kerik when he was nominated for homeland security secretary; Mr. Kerik is now in federal prison after pleading guilty to eight felony charges, including tax fraud.
In a stinging rebuke, Marcus Reese, Mr. Donovan’s campaign manager, who is black, released a statement calling Mr. Schneiderman’s charges of racism “pathetic” and “vile.” He urged Mr. Schneiderman to “disavow this type of divisive, and frankly reprehensible racial-politicking going forward.”
On Friday, after days of avoiding any criticism of Mr. Paladino, Mr. Donovan took the candidate to task. “That language is offensive,” he said, referring to the emails.
Mr. Donovan told the Journal on Friday he would accept Mr. Paladino’s endorsement. Mr. Paladino’s campaign manager said Mr. Paladino supports Mr. Donovan’s candidacy.
This guy Eric Schneiderman is a far left wing liberal radical like Obama you people in NY better wise up you keep voting this nut jobs into office all you get is roads which are falling apart, public school that stink, spending out of control, taxes though the roof. Your legislators is corrupt. Man you guys need to wise up and stop voting for the guy who promises you he’ll pay your mortgage and everything else throw this bums out, you hear Shelly Silver. Vote NO to socialism/liberalism.
FWIW the New York State Constitution does not make the office of Attorney General a crime-fighting position; it puts that responsibility in the hands of local District Attorneys.
#1 ,
Schneiderman is my state senator. He is not responsible for any of the things you describe because until 2009 Democrats in the State Senate were prevented by the Republican majority from having any say on anything whatsoever; no vote was ever taken unless the Republicans had agreed that it would pass — yes, including your high state taxes.
Eric Schneiderman has proven himself to be an ultra left-wing liberal from the word go. When he promised (in his overblown hype) to “Give the “Rev.” al sharpton an annex in his office” he put out a warning sign to all decent people not to vote for him. He is just as much trouble as that racist, anti-Semitic nut at the other end of the political spectrum, Karl Paladino. So far, the candidates endorsed by the Tea Party have proven themselves to be overblown, idealistic, zealots who, not only are lacking in political savvy and experience but have a high deficiency in character and common sense.
But the real mass start when the Dems got control of the state senate, so albany became a one party system, and the Dems are raising taxes like never before.
Gee, can it be that that I actually agree with Mike Bloomberg?
Yet, our assemblyman Dov Hikind saw fit to endorse Schneiderman in the primary.
Hikind is moving more and more leftward to be in line with his pal “orthodox” shelly silver.