The Asian bettors who frequented the Chinatown branch of Nassau otb who know bet at the Franklin square branch of Nassau otb and prepare nuclear retaliation against Asians and Caucasians alike who violate their rights secured by my constitution art 1 sec 3. Nassau otb cannot close based on the religious preference of either Sheldon silver or dean Skelos or any wannabe Asian who wants silver's seat. Asians bet horses on Roman Catholic Easter Sunday and Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday even when nyt otb is dead and restaurant workers and more impecunious types have moved uptown to Spanish Harlem.

Race for Sheldon Silver’s Seat Tests Clout of His Allies

Harry S. Truman Democratic Club already fought to defeat candidate critical of Sheldon Silver

MIKE VILENSKY

April 12, 2016 8:17 p.m. ET

4 COMMENTS

A few months after Sheldon Silver was convicted on corruption charges and expelled from New York’s state Assembly, one of his local critics, Paul Newell,was gaining momentum to succeed him in his lower Manhattan district.

To fend Mr. Newell off, members of the Harry S. Truman Democratic Club, a longtime base of support for Mr. Silver, mobilized to back the candidate with the best chance of defeating him.

The plan appeared to pay off: In February, Mr. Newell lost a committee vote for the Democratic ballot line to Alice Cancel, a Lower East Side political organizer who praised Mr. Silver’s tenure.

Karen Blatt, a club leader, said its support for Ms. Cancel didn’t stem from Mr. Newell’s criticism of Mr. Silver. Other club members said Mr. Newell’s criticism was a factor in their decision.

At the meeting where Ms. Cancel won the vote, Judy Rapfogel, Mr. Silver’s former chief of staff, said the Truman club remained strong “and will continue to have victories in the community.”

ENLARGE

Alice Cancel is running on the Democratic ballot line for the New York state Assembly seat once held by Sheldon Silver. PHOTO: PETER J. SMITH FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

The club’s influence will be put to the test next week, when voters decide who will succeed Mr. Silver in Albany. For decades, whoever claimed the Democratic Party line was a shoo-in for the job in this lower Manhattan district, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 50,000 to 7,500.

This year, however, a liberal challenger, Yuh-Line Niou, is making the election competitive by framing it as a referendum on Mr. Silver and the party machinery that kept him in power for more than 30 years.

Ms. Niou is running on the Working Families Party line, she said, “because elections are about the voters, not clubs.”

Of Mr. Silver, who was convicted in November, she said: “He betrayed our community.”

Republicans are hoping their candidate, Lester Chang, a businessman and naval reservist from Chinatown, will benefit from a fractured Democratic vote. Though he faces an uphill climb, he has scored endorsements such as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s.

ENLARGE

Yuh-Line Niou is running for state Assembly on the Working Families Party ballot line. PHOTO: PETER J. SMITH FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

“Three candidates, one more liberal than the other, will be splitting the base Democratic vote,” said Manhattan GOP chairwoman Adele Malpass, referring to Ms. Cancel, Ms. Niou and the Green Party candidateDennis Levy. “That opens up a path to victory.”

Whoever wins will face a regularly scheduled primary in September and a general election in November in order to keep the seat.

State legislative races in New York City’s overwhelmingly Democratic districts tend to be sleepy affairs, and the outcome of the one next week won’t have much effect on the makeup of the Assembly, where Democrats hold a vast majority.

But the race has turned heated, focusing attention on the Truman club that has remained mostly behind the scenes since its founding in the mid-1900s. Club leaders declined to say how many members it now has, but a person involved in its activities said there are about 20 active members.

Like dozens of other local political clubs, members influence who gets on a ballot line, obtain signatures needed to qualify, broker deals with community groups and help get out the vote.

ENLARGE

Lester Chang is the Republican nominee in the race for Sheldon Silver’s old Assembly seat.PHOTO: LESTER CHANG CAMPAIGN

If the Democratic establishment in the area loses the seat it would be a “catastrophic” blow to Mr. Silver’s legacy and allies, said Doug Muzzio, a political scientist at the City University of New York. “It would be a stunning, stunning loss.”

Ms. Niou, who works for Assemblyman Ron Kim, a Queens Democrat, has criticized Ms. Cancel for missing community meetings and being too closely tied to Mr. Silver.

“We deserve someone who will listen and make change,” Ms. Niou said. “Voters here are tired of business as usual in Albany.”

Ms. Cancel isn’t a Truman club member but belongs to a similar organization, the Lower East Side Democratic Club. She worked with Mr. Silver over the years but wasn’t close to him, she said, adding that Ms. Niou hasn’t lived in the area long enough to be familiar with its issues.

“I don’t even know why she’s running,” Ms. Cancel said.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Have something to say about an article in Greater New York? Email us, along with your contact information, at gnyltrs@wsj.com. Letters will be edited for brevity and clarity. Please include your city and state.

“Yuh-Line won’t be beholden to anyone,” said Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat. Queens Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, a Democrat, called her “a fabulous young woman” who will fit in with the Assembly’s increasingly fresh-faced crowd of Democrats.

Ms. Niou’s campaign has touted these endorsements and has hired Red Horse Strategies, a political consulting firm that worked on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s re-election campaign.

Ms. Cancel, who has the endorsements of New York City Council members, has relied largely on door-knocking. Her husband doubles as her unofficial campaign manager, and backers say she will be carried by locals who know her and her history of activism in the area.

The Assembly election will be held on April 19, the same day as the U.S. presidential primary. Ms. Cancel said she is voting for Hillary Clinton. Ms. Niou is undecided.

ENLARGE

Sheldon Silver in November. PHOTO: SETH WENIG/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mr. Muzzio said his money is on Ms. Cancel. “Anything can happen,” he said, “but probably not anything, because the Democrats have a stranglehold on the district.”

Write to Mike Vilensky at mike.vilensky@dowjones.com

There are 4 comments.

By posting a comment you are accepting our commenting rules and terms of use, and you agree to the public display of your profile, including your real name, and your commenting history.

Newest Oldest Reader Recommended

Alan kelman10 hours ago

The Truman Democratic Club.

Fabulous.

One of the most honest and trustworthy Democrats of old has these bas..tards using his name.

charles adler11 hours ago

Hopefully "Shomer Shabos" Silver spends years in jail getting Kosher meals. He will probably have as much influence in jail as when he was an Assemblyman. What a COUNTRY!