Ray Harding's important role in NY politics
An undated photo of Raymond B. Harding, a one time New York Liberal Party's leader. Credit: The New York Times
By heading the state Liberal Party for a quarter-century, Ray Harding, who died last week at 77, played an only-in-New York political role that went unexplained in most obituaries.
This state's rare practice of having candidates draw votes from multiple party lines makes major players of minor party leaders, who stand to gain influence and patronage by delivering extra votes. Current leaders include: Michael Long of the Conservative Party, Frank MacKay of the Independence Party and Dan Cantor of the Working Families Party.
By most accounts, the Liberals were initially organized in the 1940s to bolster President Franklin D. Roosevelt with an additional New York ballot line.
The party -- which in 1993 was key to making Republican Rudy Giuliani mayor of largely Democratic New York City -- remained more or less viable until 2002, when it fell short of the 50,000 gubernatorial votes needed to keep its automatic ballot status.
The Liberal nominee that year was Andrew M. Cuomo, who by Election Day had withdrawn from a Democratic primary against then-Comptroller H. Carl McCall and thus stopped campaigning.
Later as attorney general, Cuomo prosecuted Harding in the pay-to-play pension scandal. The governor in a radio interview last week said of Harding's death: "Forget the politics, forget the other stuff -- it's a personal tragedy."
GROUND RULES:Next year, state lawmakers get to shape key rules in the New York City mayoral race. For one, they must set a primary date. A June primary, as some propose, may coincide with budget talks, in which one candidate, Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan), is a key participant. Putting the primary in August, which GOP senators suggested for this year's federal contests, could suppress turnout.
Then there's the requirement of a runoff between the top two finishers if no candidate in a multi-way primary wins 40 percent of the vote. Doing away with the runoff, as some propose, might require approval from the U.S. Justice Department due to federal voting-rights law.
CONVENTIONAL PLAN: Elected officials on the delegate list for the GOP National Convention in Tampa, Fla., this month include: Assemb. Phil Boyle (R-Bay Shore), Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport), Nassau Executive Edward Mangano, Assemb. Edward Ra (R-Franklin Square), and Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray.
