Spin Cycle

Nassau Republicans will nominate the son of Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto to fill the vacant seat left by Legis. Peter Schmitt, who died last week from a heart attack, according to a well-placed county source.

Michael Venditto, 31, is expected to secure the nomination Thursday night at a meeting of the district’s executive leadership, the source said.

Venditto has been...

Has it really been four years since VP candidate Sarah Palin, at the outset of her debate with Sen. Joseph Biden, said "Hey can I call you Joe?" She later said she didn't know the mic was hot.

Anyway, the playing field differs this time. Rep. Paul Ryan — seasoned in House debates and hailed in many an echo chamber for his RNC performance — now steps in against Biden who plays the...

By and large, the two candidates for a newly created Assembly district in Nassau County found little to disagree on in a News 12 debate this week.

Republican candidate Sean Wright and Democrat Michaelle Solages both pledged to hold down taxes, try to further rollback the MTA payroll tax and support community-backed development at Belmont racetrack.

Wright said he could do more to work...

Frank Scaturro, the Conservative candidate in the 4th Congressional District, lambasted his opponents for failing to show up at a League of Women Voters-sponsored debate at Nassau Community College Tuesday night.   The absence of Democratic Rep. Carolyn McCarthy and Republican Legis. Francis Becker "shows disrespect for their hosts and the voters they expect to vote for them — including,...

A call for a boycott of Hempstead's annual Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month failed to keep people away from the event — in part because Supervisor Kate Murray had town workers help fill the room.

A group of Latino organizations called on residents to skip the event because of the town's treatment of Town Clerk Mark Bonilla, who faces harassment charges. Murray and the town board have...

Sen. Chuck Schumer said today he is all for tax reform, but only if it helps pay down the burgeoning federal deficit and protects the middle class from tax hikes.

That means, he said, the rich and the investor class can't get the tax breaks that Republicans are demanding.

“These promises of lower rates amount to little more than happy talk when the math behind them doesn’t add up. And...

Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) has her “No Bad Apples” campaign aiming to help those she calls strong progressive candidates around the state become future colleagues in Albany. Krueger’s latest endorsement is of Ryan Cronin, the Democrat opposing longtime incumbent Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City).

Beyond criticizing Hannon’s record as chairman of the Senate health committee, and positions...

Maybe she’ll have a suggestion for redeveloping the Coliseum next door.

First lady Michelle Obama is due at a fundraiser a week from Wednesday in Uniondale for the Obama Victory Fund. The lunchtime event is scheduled at the Long Island Marriott, with $250 for general admission, $1,000 for “premium seating” for one and $10,000 gets photos with the VIP....

A few news pieces on the races for the state Senate:

Kemp Hannon versus Ryan Cronin looks more competitive than several others, as Yancey Roy reports here.

The GOP sounds confident but is spending some money on LI, just in case.

As top-of-the-ticket candidades go, Mitt Romney doesn't look like another Carl Paladino, who was seen as the master of down-ballot disaster.

The...

The Court of Appeals, New York’s top court, is back in session this week, hearing a wide range of cases. Here are some of the highlights:

 -- In 2002, gang members crashed a 2002 Bronx christening party, shots were fired and a 10-year-old girl was killed. Edgar Morales was charged with several felonies as crimes of “terrorism,” under a then newly created state terrorism statute. He was...