State Sen. Malcolm Smith, facing federal corruption charges that could send him to prison for years, claimed in a televised debate Wednesday night that he has had “a stellar year” in Albany and deserves to be re-elected.
Smith’s Democratic primary rivals gave him a surprising pass on the corruption issue, leaving it to New York 1 moderator Errol Lewis to ask how Smith could serve his southeast Queens constituents while under indictment.
“I had a stellar year,” replied Smith. “The legal issues are something that are out there.”
He even boasted of being listed as among the “top 10” legislators in introducing and passing resolutions.
Leroy Comrie, a former councilman backed by most of the Democratic establishment, said he didn’t see the need to bring up the corruption matter because most voters in the district are well aware of it.
“I’m running a positive campaign,” said Comrie. “I am running on my record.”
Comrie is considered the favorite in the three-way race, which includes lawyer Munir Avery.
But insiders aren’t ruling out the possibility of a surprise victory by Smith, who is well known and enjoyed strong support from his constituents before his arrest last year.
DC 37, the city’s largest municipal union, endorsed Smith last week.
A federal judge in June declared a mistrial in Smith’s federal trial on charges he tried to bribe his way onto the Republican ballot line for the 2013 mayoral race.
He now faces a retrial in January.
Smith maintains his innocence.
Former GOP Councilman Dan Halloran, another defendant in the same corruption case, was found guilty in the failed $200,000 bribery scheme to get Smith, a Democrat, on the Republican line.
Smith raised eyebrows during a debate last week when he claimed his prosecution was part of a gentrification plot to force out black residents of his southeast Queens district.
“Be careful who you talk to, be careful what you say, because they’ve got their eye on southeast Queens. They’re trying to shift it. The same way Harlem is no longer Harlem and Brooklyn is no longer Brooklyn,” Smith said.
His rivals dismissed Smith’s conspiracy theory as nonsense.
Comrie has assembled a broad coalition of Democratic Party and union support in his quest.
He is backed by the Queens Democratic Party, the Working Families Party, Rep. Gregory Meeks, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and virtually all the major unions.
Avery has been active in Democratic Party politics and previously was a community liaison in the Queens DA’s Office.