Peter King

A pamphlet advertising the “National Center for Suburban Studies” was among the souvenirs Hofstra University distributed to reporters covering the final 2008 presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain on Oct. 15. The pamphlet’s back cover consisted of green-tinted cars commuting in heavy traffic. Travelers attending the debate from the city encountered a sign on the Northern State Parkway that read “Pres Debate at Hofstra U. Expect Delays.”

The most eventful and dramatic presidential campaign in living memory had its last confrontation in a part of the world known mostly for its traffic problems.

“It is odd when events like this come to Long Island,” said Dee Snider, a Long Island native and the former frontman of Twisted Sister.  read more »

Republican pollster Frank Luntz just finished a closed-door breakfast meeting with the New York and Wisconsin delegations here at the Marriott Hotel.

Representative Peter King of Long Island gave me a brief sketch of what Luntz said, specifically about Sarah Palin.

"Don't get distracted by what the media asks," King said. "Stress that she's a kick-ass reformer." 

In an email from the New York delegation:

“[We] will hold a luncheon at the Marriott City Center at 30 South 7th Street in Minneapolis, MN tomorrow, Wednesday September 3 beginning at 2:00 pm.

"The keynote speaker will be Rudy Giuliani. Additional speakers will include Governor George Pataki, Brigadier General Jon Reynolds, Dr. John Lehman, Governor Jane Swift and Congressman Luis Fortuno.

"Members of the media are invited to attend."

Which should relieve Representative Peter King somewhat of the responsibility of providing quotes to all the New York reporters covering the delegation.

ST. PAUL—Representative Pete King of New York thinks that Rudy Giuliani’s convention address, whenever it happens, and whatever else it accomplishes, is good for the former mayor.

“On one level it’s a real tribute to Rudy,” King said yesterday as he stood on the convention floor in the Xcel Energy Center with the New York delegation. “It shows the underlying support he has not just in the party but reaching out to independents around the country. This is an opportunity to really show what he can do. John McCain understands that to win you have to appeal to independents.”

Asked what the speech does for Giuliani, King said, “It reaffirms his standing in New York, that’s for sure.  read more »

ST. PAUL—Here’s Representative Peter King on the floor of the Xcel Energy Center a few minutes ago, saying the pregnancy of Sarah Palin’s teenage daughter “can’t be an issue in the campaign.”

“There’s not a family in America that who’s had a teenage daughter or a teenage son who hasn’t worried about this, thought about this," he said. "To me, the only test, the only question, is how the family reacted.”

MINNEAPOLIS--"I got a text message a little while ago,” New York State Republican Chairman Joe Mondello told reporters in the Marriott Hotel lobby. “He’ll let us know what the scoop is.”

Mondello, wearing pre-Day-1-casual blue jeans, said, “It doesn’t look very good for Republicans to be having parties while people are losing their homes.” He said the timing of the storm and the convention pose “a perception problem.”

The storm, Gustav, has been categorized at times as a level 4 hurricane, higher than Katrina, which was a level 3 when it made landfall in 2005.

Convention-goers here were informed via text message that John McCain will determine later today how they’ll proceed with the Republican National Convention as  read more »

Representative Peter King, a Republican, does not see any alternative to resignation for Eliot Spitzer.

"It has to be," said King.

King said that Spitzer's apparent participation in a prostitution ring was graver than having an affair or any other personal transgression because the governor's inclusion could have helped fund organized crime and put the office of the governor at risk of blackmail. For those reasons and others, King said, Spitzer had to go. He also said he was confident that the climate in Albany would benefit under the leadership of David Paterson.  read more »

ORLANDO, FL. -- Rudy Giuliani's heavy hitters have arrived to help his make-or-break effort to win the Florida primary.

Getting off the plane here, I just ran into Representative Peter King of Long Island and Giuliani inner-sanctum stalwarts Randy Levine and Denny Young.

We're all headed to the Rosen Centre (about a 15-minute drive from Disney World and only 10 from Sea World!) where the former mayor will be speaking at a "Women for Rudy" rally.  read more »

Representative Peter King of Long Island was one of the attendees at the Giuliani event in Litchfield this afternoon, where the former mayor received a lock of Abraham Lincoln’s hair.

As the Congressman was leaving, I asked him Rudy had any shot of winning New Hampshire.

“He wants to make a good showing and he will stay in the running through Florida,” said King. “Then it is his turf after that.”

As Azi reported yesterday, Mike Bloomberg doesn’t seem to be a fan of the sweeping Energy Bill that President Bush signed yesterday – in particular, its mandate for an massive increase in ethanol production.

Bloomberg called the ethanol provision “an outrage” and said it would drive up food costs and “have worldwide implications on the food supply.” Ethanol, of course, is a sacred product in Iowa, the key caucus that the presidential candidates dare not offend.

So did New York’s Congressional delegation agree with the mayor? Apparently not: 28 of 29 New Yorkers in the House voted for the bill when it came up for its final vote last week (it cleared the chamber on a 314-100 vote). The lone exception was Staten Island’s Vito Fossella, who didn’t show up to vote. The bill cleared the Senate on an 86-8 vote, with Chuck Schumer voting yes and Hillary Clinton, perhaps too busy campaigning in Iowa, not voting.

In fairness, earlier versions of the bill produced slightly less unanimity. The initial version passed by the House (on a 264-143 vote) was supported by all of New York’s Democrats but only three Republicans: Randy Kuhl, John McHugh and Jim Walsh. Tom Reynolds, Peter King, and Fossella votes against it.

It's worth noting that Hillary Clinton isn’t the only one trying to get squared away with Eliot Spitzer’s new license policy.

The governor’s (original) plan would have allowed illegal immigrants to obtain a driver's license, but now it's being linked to federal guidelines that will be outlined in the Real ID Act. Although Spitzer backed Real ID this week, a number of Democratic congress members from New York opposed it during a 2005 vote (which may explain why it hasn't been easy getting most of them to say anything about Spitzer's new plan).

One congressional aide was kind enough to refer me to the results of the 2005 vote on the Real ID Act.

Democrats Gary Ackerman (Queens/Nassau), Tim Bishop (Suffolk), Joe Crowley (Queens/Bronx), Eliot Engel (Bronx/Westchester), Carolyn Maloney (Manhattan/Queens), Greg Meeks (Queens), Jerry Nadler (Manhattan/Brooklyn), Charlie Rangel (Manhattan), Jose Serrano (Bronx), Ed Towns (Brooklyn), Nydia Velazquez (Manhattan/Brooklyn/Queens) and Anthony Weiner (Queens/Brooklyn) all voted against it.

UPDATE: Another congressional staffer, putting this story in context, noted that every Democratic congress member in the state voted against Real ID, except for Mike McNulty, who voted for it, and Maurice Hinchey who was absent.

Peter King thinks the religious right wing might end up guaranteeing a Hillary Clinton presidency.

"It would do more harm to the religious wing of the party," said King, a Giuliani supporter and Republican congressman from New York. "If they are successful it would mean they would be responsible for Hillary Clinton being president."

Ultimately, he doesn't think it's going to happen.

"They're not going to be successful," he said of Giuliani critics like James Dobson. "I think they are going to do very poorly."

But King also said he thought the prospect of President Hillary would be the very thing that would rally disparate parts of G.O.P. behind Giuliani.

More after the jump.  read more »

Mitt Romney's spokesman, Kevin Madden, is hitting Rudy Giuliani over the former mayor's claim, highlighted in a new South Carolina radio ad, that he tried to get the INS to help him fight illegal immigration.

"There is a very substantive and relevant contrast between Governor Romney and Mayor Giuliani on this,' said Madden. "It goes to the heart of the question on this which is when you talk to voters who really care about immigration, the number one priority is enforcement. They want to know that you are going to enforce existing laws."

Madden then made the case that Giuliani, whose record as a law-and-order mayor has been invaluable to him in appealing to conservative voters, failed to enforce the law of the land.

 read more »

Here's a partial transcript of Republican congressman Peter King's television interview yesterday with WNBC-TV's Jay DeDapper, in which King had some pretty nice things to say about a New Yorker running for President not named Rudy Giuliani.

I am not one of these Republicans who hates Hillary Clinton. I disagree with her, but I think she would be an effective president. But I do think that Giuliani can beat her. Maybe not--New York will be tough. But New Jersey, for instance. I think he has a very good chance. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida. That's where the key race is going to be. It'll be an excellent race.  read more »

Independent congressional candidate Bill Corrigan of Long Island wants to boost his name recognition in his bid against Republican Rep. Peter King.

Which will be kind of hard, since, according to Corrigan's blog, "We are not taking donations - as removing influence is of paramount importance to the voting system model."

So, without money, how do you run a campaign? Corrigan has the answer. Here are some pointers he posted today for people helping him out:

Remember the following:

1. Be polite, be courteous. Dress in the neat but casual "Captain Bill Flyer" style. Wear your button on your left side so when you shake hands people will see it.

2. If you're at a railroad or bus station remember that people are on their way somewhere important so don't get in their way. If they are standing and waiting then it's okay to approach them.

3. Remember the 'rule of threes' over the next few days. Do NOT tell the same person the same information more than three times over the next week.

4. Remember that each flyer has it's own unique identifying code and that you are connected to those codes. The campaigner who has the most people log into the voting system using their codes wins "the big shark".

5. The locations you are to be present at have been selected based on your specific demographic strengths. Your individual cultural backgrounds are of paramount importance when speaking with the constituency. Be proud and represent!

6. DO NOT speak of any other potential candidates or the incumbent in an ill manner. You may compare our system versus the framework of the one that a party member has to (remember the WHIP speech). But do not say ANYTHING about any other potential candidate even if you are baited to. Just say you wish not to comment.

-- Azi Paybarah

Hillary Clinton spent heavily on her shoo-in campaign and now has about as much money left in the bank as candidates like John Kerry and Evan Bayh.

Clinton gave $1,000 to help Long Island Republican Peter King's challenger. The more conservatives get to know Rudy Giuliani's record, the more they'll like him, says John Podhoretz.

The Times wonders if the Democrats can ever win the south.

With a new Democratic majority taking over congress in January, some industries have to find new friends on Capitol Hill.

Eliot Spitzer and his aides won't say how much money the governor-elect will steer to city schools in light of yesterday's court decision lowering state mandated aid to city schools.

Fred Dicker reports that Governor Pataki rejected a plan to raise pay for state lawmakers in exchange for raising the cap on charter schools.

The Sun is less pessimistic about the deal's chances.

Andrew Cuomo's transition team comes together.

Mayor Bloomberg unveiled a $30 million plan to renovate parts of the South Bronx.

Errol Louis debunks some eminent domain figures.

Easing residency requirements on some municipal jobs raises concerns with a few city lawmakers and labor leaders.

And pollingreport.com has a list of every poll result they gathered for the midterm election.

--Azi Paybarah

Peter King is worried that his fellow Republicans are turning into wimps.  read more »

Homeland security apparently runs in Congressman Peter King's family.

King's son, Sean, started working at former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato's Park Strategies lobbying firm in February. The firm represents several clients with multi-billion dollar Homeland Security contracts, such as General Atomics and Lockheed Martin. They have also made campaign contributions to Congressman King.

When asked about his son's activities, Peter King responded with this statement, via his spokesman. "Sean is involved in private oversees development. He has lived in Taiwan, Singapore and Japan - he is not a lobbyist, does no lobbying, and has no dealings with my office whatsoever."

Still, small world.

-- Jason Horowitz

Here is a snapshot of how much money the some congressional candidates in New York have on hand, as of 9/30/2006, according to this site. The next filing date for congressional candidates is Oct. 26.

District 3 Peter King: $1,596,545 Dave Mejias: $136,360

District 13 Vito Fossella: $440,283 Stephen Harrison: $10,648

District 19 Sue Kelly: $1,195,153 John Hall: $245,445

District 20 John Sweeney: $640,882 Kirsten Gillibrand: $497,797

District 24 Michael Arcuri: $462,105 Raymond Meier: $379,407

District 26 Tom Reynolds: $1,906,368 Jack Davis: $67,020

District 29 Randy Kuhl: $551,628 Eric Massa: $333,994

-- Azi Paybarah

Hillary Clinton has a way with donors. She just reported raising $3,844,930 in the third quarter.

Rudy's may have a Kerik problem.

And yet... This AOL poll of 2008 Republican nominees shows Rudy beating McCain.

Alan Hevesi lectures to students at Cornell about corruption and scandal, while Urban Elephants opens the Hevesi Halloween Shop.

Peter King touts a new port security major as a "tremendous accomplishment for homeland security."

Getting released later today is a poll showing Democrats gaining ground in several house seats.

Maurice Gumbs says good-bye to blogging about Brooklyn politics.  read more »

And pictured above is lawyer Lynne Stewart, who got sentenced to 28 months in jail today.

-- Azi Paybarah

Tom Kean, the 9/11 commission member who said he didn't ask Rudy Giuliani tough enough questions, will be on The Daily Show tonight.

Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, L.I. Republican Peter King, has some kind words for Hillary Clinton.

Mayor Bloomberg and Christine Quinn wine and dine the DNC in hopes of landing another national convention for the Big Apple.

Staten Island Democratic Leader, John Lavelle, is supporting Ned Lamont over Joe Lieberman.

One person who didn't vote for Lamont was his own daughter.

And Karol Sheinin of Alarming News gets dissed by Andrew Sullivan, and likes it.

-- Azi Paybarah

Peter King and Hillary Clinton kick off a campaign to promote voluntary service on September 11th at the Scholastic Offices in Soho.

Nick Spano and Assemblyman Adam Bradley hold a press conference in Rye Brook on health care reform legislation currently before George Pataki.

Rudy Giuliani attends a GOP fundraiser in South Carolina.

—Nicole Brydson

The Times reports that George Pataki is offering last minute compromises to avoid a budget fight.

The Sun writes about the Spitzer-Silver relationship.

The Post reports that Sheldon Silver opposes granting candidates automatic ballot spots in the September primary if they are unable to garner 25% of support at the Democratic convention.

And Newsday reports on Peter King facing a challenge.

—Nicole Brydson

Tomorrow morning Mark Green speaks at a Fortune Society event; and the Met Council on Housing holds a forum on home rule for New York City's rent and eviction guidelines.

In the afternoon, Michael Chertoff and Peter King address lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and what local governments can do to plan for future disasters at Hofstra University's Center for Suburban Studies.

Then, Charles Schumer honors Billy Joel with a Senate proclamation noting his contributions to New York at Madison Square Garden.

In the evening, Ed Cox speaks to the Metropolitan Republican Club; and Nicholas Kristof participates in a panel discussion on "The Best Hope for Peace in Darfur."

—Nicole Brydson

Apparently, Mike isn't the only one who gets a little bi-partisan.

At the Queens Republican County annual dinner, Serph Maltese gave a friendly shout out to "the most conservative Democrat in the City Council," Democrat Peter Vallone, Jr.

A Vallone source said he dropped in on the party at Roma View Caters in Howard Beach to show support for Long Island Congressman Peter King (he's Republican too) for his work on security issues.

Another eyebrow-raising moment came when Randy Daniels tried showing that his gubernatorial race wasn't over. For inspiration, he referred to an autistic basketball player in Syracuse who scored six 3-pointers. According to a source there, the story was more inspiring than the actual campaign.

Dept. of Clarification: Vallone's office IM's the following statement: "I think its important to realize that there is no solely Democratic or solely Republican way to keep the city safe. They have always supported our efforts to keep the city safe from terrorism, hire more police officers, and go after even minor crimes like graffiti and I look forward to working with them on these important issues in the future." --Azi Paybarah

In what even John Podhoretz thought was an act of arrogant overreach, the House Republicans voted Wednesday to repeal the rule that kept members under indictment -- as Tom DeLay may soon be -- out of leadership. It was a voice vote, but Josh Marshall has been trying valiantly to get these guys on the record.

There are only a few GOP members we care about down here in the city: Peter King on Long Island, John Sweeney upstate, and, of course, our own Vito Fossella.

King told me he voted Yes on the DeLay rule, and pointed out he'd opposed it when the Republicans first introduced it to demonstrate their purity 12 years ago. "It's a consitutional issue - the presumption of innocence," he said.

Sweeney voted Yes on the DeLay rule, his spokesman Demetrios Karoutsos emails, in part to protect "the integrity of government from partisan attacks of a political nature." Tom DeLay must surely appreciate that effort.  read more »

Silence, so far, from the Fossella camp.