Both Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and Councilman Charles Barron said they would like retiring Congressman Ed Towns’ backing for his own seat, but only one of them, Mr. Barron, received it. And, not long after Mr. Towns’ endorsement event earlier today, Mr. Jeffries’ spokeswoman Lupé Todd described Mr. Towns’ decision in rather skeptical terms.
“Charles Barron has emerged from the backroom to consummate a shotgun marriage with a sworn political enemy,” Ms. Todd said in a statement, referencing Mr. Barron’s multiple campaigns against the incumbent.
“Hakeem Jeffries spent today in Albany with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly advancing meaningful marijuana arrest reform legislation that will dramatically improve the lives of tens of thousands of New Yorkers each year,” she continued. “The contrast couldn’t be any clearer.”
Brooklyn politicos told us Mr. Towns’ decision is probably due to the strained relationship he’s had with Brooklyn’s Democratic leader, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who placed his full support into Mr. Jeffries’ efforts to unseat the incumbent when he was still running for reelection. However, at today’s event, Mr. Towns described his decision-making process in much different terms.
“I looked at both candidates and I wanted to make certain the district that I was leaving had the strongest and best representation. When I looked at that across the board then automatically I went to Councilman Barron,” he said. “That was it, simple as that.”
