One of the few competitive primaries in Manhattan was shaken up yesterday when the Times endorsed Assembly candidate Brian Kavanagh over incumbent Sylvia Friedman, who won the seat in a special election earlier this year. In that short time, in the eyes of the Times, Friedman lost her credentials as a reformer and began “sliding too easily under the party leaders’ sway.”

After last week’s candidate forum, I asked Kavanagh how he would differ from one of those party leaders, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. His answer came down to one word: Reform. (Here’s an audio clip of his response.)

Also worth noting: Most of the elected officials in the area have already endorsed Friedman. I wonder whose endorsements count for more?

– Azi Paybarah