HILLARY Rodham Clinton “hit the ceiling” last week over fellow Sen. Chuck Schumer’s endorsement of Carl McCall for governor, key Democratic Party insiders say.
Sen. Clinton, in fact, “blew her top” over Schumer’s highly publicized action, seeing it as a “cynical effort” to curry favor with African-American voters at her expense, according to a senior New York Democrat who said he had firsthand knowledge of the situation.
“Hillary thought it was appropriate to remain neutral in this primary, and she’s made that very clear,” added a second prominent Democrat.
“She knows what Schumer is doing: trying to build himself up at her expense with the black political establishment, which has lined up behind McCall.”
Clinton also viewed Schumer’s endorsement of McCall last week as a betrayal of his private promise – to her and several other prominent Democrats – not to make a gubernatorial endorsement until just before the Sept. 10 primary, according to a third source.
And she was described as “doubly furious” that Schumer announced for McCall just hours before a Democratic “unity” dinner that was supposed to bring McCall and Democratic rival Andrew Cuomo – along with many of their supporters – together.
“Chuck ruined an event that [state Democratic Chairman] Denny Farrell and the state party had worked very hard on,” said a Democrat who worked on the event.
“This was a stick in the eye by Schumer to the entire state party.”
Farrell himself was described as “off the wall” over Schumer’s action.
McCall, the first African-American to hold statewide elected office, has repeatedly said he had expected Clinton to back his effort to defeat Cuomo in the Democratic primary because of the strong black vote she received in 2000.
Clinton has also come under tremendous pressure to endorse McCall from such leading black Democrats as U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, and Schumer’s action is expected to make the pressure greater.
Meanwhile, even some McCall Democrats were critical of Schumer for his praise of a recent major upstate economic-development announcement made by Gov. Pataki.
Pataki’s political operatives were so pleased with Schumer’s statement that they billed it as the “Quote of the Week” in their most recent campaign newsletter.
Expect to see Schumer’s statement in Pataki’s TV campaign ads as well.
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Cuomo’s campaign aides are privately accusing McCall of using two hardball “opposition research” firms to dig for dirt in their candidate’s background.
They say the two firms recently called several longtime Cuomo associates in Washington, seeking “background” information.
They also contend McCall may be doing the research illegally by using resources from the campaign of his mega-millionaire political ally Dennis Mehiel to fund the research.
Mehiel, who’ll face Cuomo ally Charlie King in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, filed a report with the state Board of Elections on July 15 showing he paid $70,000 to Varoga Rice & Shalett and The Research Agency, firms well known in Democratic circles for negative research.
“They’re researching Andrew,” insisted a senior Cuomo aide.
But McCall spokesman Steve Greenberg contended Mehiel’s spending “absolutely has nothing to do with the governor’s race.”