The endorsement should come not as too much of a surprise, since the NYLCV usually backs Democrats, but DiNapoli used the endorsement to tee off on Wilson.

"My opponent, Harry Wilson, doesn't have a record on conservation," DiNapoli said in a statement. "His endorsement by the Conservative Party of New York only signals that he would be more interested in protecting corporations than the environment.  New York has come too far from the bad old days of PCB dumping and the Love Canal to backtrack on the progress we've made.  Yet again, it is clear that Harry Wilson is out of step on the issues that matter to New Yorkers."

The backing of the NYLCV and other environmental groups has not traditionally meant much in the hurly-burly of New York politics which are often dominated by money and sophisticated get-out-the-vote operations. However, the NYLCV and others are trying to bulk up their political involvement. In the primaries, they targeted a longtime Democratic incumbent from Erie County, Bill Stachowski, who ultimately went down to defeat.

A Q Poll yesterday showed that DiNapoli had a 16 point edge over Wilson, though many voters had yet to make up their mind.