Schneiderman gathers support of Democrats in tighter-than-expected race

October 20, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has been endorsed by a group of Brooklyn council members. As the campaign enters its final weeks, the race between the incumbent and his Republican opponent, John Cahill, is growing more heated.

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New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who is locked in a race that is turning out to be closer than expected, is busy gathering support from fellow Democrats as the campaign enters its final weeks.

On Friday, Schneiderman, a Democrat who is running for a second term in office, was endorsed by a group of City Council members from Brooklyn.

Councilmembers Robert Cornegy, Mathieu Eugene, Vincent Gentile, Brad Lander, Stephen Levin, Alan Maisel, Antonio Reynoso and Jumaane Williams all announced their support for Schneiderman, praising his efforts to get illegal guns off the streets and prosecute labor law violations, among other positions.

Northeast Public Radio reported that Republican John Cahill appears to be gaining ground on Schneiderman. A recent Siena College poll showed that while the attorney general still enjoys a 16-point lead over his Republican challenger, that lead has shrunk considerably from a poll taken earlier this year, when Schneiderman led Cahill, a former commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, by 27 points.

The Brooklyn council members pointed to a number of ways they believe Schneiderman has taken on tough fights on behalf of the Brooklyn’s residents. Schneiderman has recovered more than $18 million for more than 14,000 workers who were cheated out of wages by unscrupulous employers, shut down two of the nation’s largest immigration services providers after they defrauded immigrants with false promises of citizenship and residency and recovered more than $2 million to help victims, the lawmakers said. He has created innovative programs to keep guns off our streets and protect families from the spread of illegal drugs, according to the council members.

“Eric is steadfast in his belief that there should be one set of rules for everyone, no matter how powerful, and that is why I am supporting his re-election,” Councilmember Brad Lander (D-Park Slope-Windsor Terrace) said.

Councilmember Stephen Levin (D-North Brooklyn) said Schneiderman has “has gone after more than 50 corrupt officials and improved transparency in election laws to help clean up politics in New York State.”

Councilmember Jumaane Williams (D-Flatbush) said Schneiderman has worked hard to make the streets safe. He said, “As the co-chair of the council’s Task Force to Combat Gun Violence, I am happy to see the progress to combat this issue by Attorney General Schneiderman. His gun show procedures that ensure background checks are conducted for every gun sale in New York have become a national model,” he said.

“I am honored to have the support of council members who have worked tirelessly to improve the lives of their constituents,” Schneiderman said, when he accepted the endorsements. “I know that with their backing, we will continue the fight to ensure that all New Yorkers have equal protections under the law.”

During a campaign swing in Bay Ridge last month, Cahill told reporters that Schneiderman “has utterly failed to restore confidence in state government.”