Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Squadron To Challenge Connor

In yesterday's Daily News, State Senator Martin Connor bemoaned the fact that once again he's not going to be running unopposed for his seat in the 25th District. Connor, who overcame Ken Diamondstone in the 2006 primary, thinks it a shame that he'll have to spend $300K-$400K defending his seat against a Democrat when he could be better allocating his war chest helping longtime incumbent Democrats like himself fend off Republican hopefuls.

Connor deserves commendation for his selfless party loyalty.

Though Diamondstone has not yet announced whether he will make another bid at defiling the democratic process by, well, participating in it, Connor already has a fresh upstart to contend with this time around. The obstinate candidate is Chuck Schumer protegee Daniel Squadron, a political neophyte whose claim to fame to date is co-authoring Senator Schumer's recent book Positively American: Winning Back the Middle Class Majority One Family at a Time.

Squadron's going to have to win over middle class families to his candidacy at a slightly faster pace than his book aims to do if he wants to make any significant showing in the race, but he has already demonstrated that he has a legitimate following - at least among donors. The Carroll Gardens resident has banked more than $200,000 since November without accepting contributions from PACs, corporations, or lobbyists.

According to the News, Connor was quick to write off Squadron, who is 28. "It's nice that he wants to get involved. But he's a kid," said Connor, 62, author of no books.

The 29-year-old Brooklyn Optimist wonders if Squadron ends up with $400K instead of $200K in his ample coffers whether Connor will start him as an "infant".

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