Ron Kim, a former staffer for two governors of New York and candidate for the State Assembly in Queens, has just been endorsed by one of his former bosses: Governor David Paterson. The endorsement is somewhat unique as Mr. Paterson doesn’t normally give them out. Indeed, after a press conference in April, he told us that his current status as a radio show host precluded him from weighing in on political races like the one between Congressman Charlie Rangel and State Senator Adriano Espaillat.
“Ron Kim represents all that is possible in this great country,” Mr. Paterson said in a release this afternoon. “After excelling as a student here in New York City, Ron went on to work at the highest levels of New York City, and New York State government. Ron’s experience in New York government puts him in a strong position to best represent his district in the Assembly. I am endorsing him today because he understands what it will take to deliver jobs and opportunities for Queens.”
Mr. Kim, a Democrat, has two declared opponentd for the September 13th primary: comic book store owner John Scandalios, previously a candidate for the City Council, and newspaper publisher Myungsuk Lee. Possibly waiting in the wings is Isaac Sasson, who might be a particular threat as he’d have the ability to self-fund his campaign and performed well in a state senate campaign in the past.
Mr. Kim has been endorsed by the Queens County Democratic Party and is considered the frontrunner for the seat. However, the district’s current occupant, Assemblywoman Grace Meng, has not ruled out running for reelection if she loses her congressional bid in two weeks, an action made possible by a loophole in the election calendar this year.
A whole host of Republican candidates are in contention for the Democratic-leaning seat as well, including Sunny Hahn, Phil Gim and Hank Yeh.
Update: Jerry Skurnik writes in to note another race Mr. Paterson has weighed in on, and it’s a local one: Acting Supreme Court Justice Barbara Jaffe for her campaign for Manhattan Surrogate.
