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Carl Heastie

Assemblyman Carl Heastie, D-Bronx, walks to a meeting, Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. He was elected to as the New York State Assembly speaker on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

ALBANY, N.Y. --Carl Heastie was elected speaker of the New York State Assembly on Tuesday, making him the first African-American to hold the powerful position.

Heastie is a Democrat from the Bronx. He succeeds Sheldon Silver, who resigned after being charged with taking nearly $4 million in payoffs and kickbacks.

"I am proud of the vigorous debate and discussion among all of my colleagues that brought us to today,"Heastiesaid in a statement released after he won unanimous support in the Democratic conference Monday evening.

The speaker is considered one of the most important positions in state government.Heastie will direct the flow of legislation, set committee assignments and direct budget negotiations with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Republican-controlled state Senate.

Four other lawmakers initially sought the speakership but quickly backed out asHeastie locked up support. One of them, Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle, saidHeastie "is one of the most honorable people I've met" in Albany.

The 47-year-oldHeastie was first elected in 2000 and has led the Assembly's Labor Committee for the past two years. He is a former budget analyst in the New York City Comptroller's Office. He also leads the Bronx Democratic County Committee, a post he has said he will leave now that he is speaker.

Silver led the Assembly for 21 years before his resignation. The Manhattan Democrat has said he expects to be exonerated and intends to keep his seat in the Assembly.

Ethics reforms will be a priority,Heastie said Monday. He called for a new Office of Ethics and Compliance led by a non-legislator, new limits on how much outside income lawmakers can earn, and greater reporting of outside income and legislative stipends. Outside pay is a central issue in the case against Silver.

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Democrat Carl Heastie elected speaker of New York State Assembly

Published: Tuesday, 2/3/2015 QUINNIPIAC POLL

BY TOM TROY BLADE POLITICS WRITER

In Ohio, Democrat Hillary Clinton statistically ties Gov. John Kasich as the preferred candidate for president, according to a poll released today by Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

But that is seen as an early home state advantage in a poll that has her easily trouncing the active Republican candidates.

Mrs. Clinton got 44 percent to Mr. Kasichs 43 percent of likely Ohio voters.

The former U.S. Secretary of State, former U.S. Senator, and former First Lady is in an identical statistical tie with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in Florida.

Mr. Kasich has not announced interest in running for president.

In Ohio, Ms. Clinton leads Mr. Bush, who has launched a campaign for the presidency, by 47 percent to 36 in the same poll.

Quinnipiac polled three notable swing states, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida, for trends in the 2016 presidential election.

Peter Brown, associate director of the Connecticut-based poll, noted that Ms. Clinton holds double-digit leads over all her potential GOP opponents in the three biggest swing states, except for Mr. Bush in Florida and Mr. Kasich in Ohio.

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Poll: Clinton, Kasich tied among Ohio voters

The only Republican in the East Bay's 7th State Senate District special election dropped out Monday and endorsed a Democrat, less than week after the candidates' list became official.

Michaela Hertle, a cloud-computing executive from Pleasanton who has never run for elected office before, issued a statement saying she's throwing her support to centrist Democrat Steve Glazer, who is Orinda's mayor and a former political advisor to Gov. Jerry Brown.

"It has become evident that I cannot establish the funding, name recognition and support required to win this election against this field of Democratic candidates within a six-week period," she said, adding Glazer "has proven that he can work with Republicans and Democrats alike to find common sense solutions to our state's needs."

File: Orinda City Council member and State Assembly candidate Steve Glazer in Walnut Creek, Calif., Monday, June 2, 2014. (SUSAN TRIPP POLLARD)

Republicans make up 29 percent of the district's voters, so if they take heed, Hertle's endorsement could help Glazer -- who has burned most bridges with his own party and the unions that back it -- vie with the two more prominent Democrats in this race, Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla and former Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan. Democrat Terry Kremin, a relative unknown who sought a Concord City Council seat in 2010, also is running.

The special primary will be held March 17, and the special general election on May 19.

Hertle praised Glazer's fiscal conservatism; his support of public pension reform and school reform; and his willingness to buck labor unions and other special interests. Republicans "have more commonalities with him than differences and he can win this race," she said.

Glazer on Monday called Hertle's endorsement "a big boost."

"I've promoted a bipartisan experience and track record and her endorsement is a great validation of that effort," he said. "It underscores what makes my candidacy unique."

Glazer incurred unions' wrath by working in 2012 as a strategist for the California Chamber of Commerce's JobsPAC, which backed moderate Democrats over more liberal, labor-friendly ones. And in 2013, he capitalized on public outrage over two BART strikes by calling for a ban on transit worker strikes an idea that's anathema to many Democrats.

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Lone Republican out of East Bay race

The only Republican in the East Bay's 7th State Senate District special election dropped out Monday and endorsed a Democrat, less than week after the candidates' list became official.

Michaela Hertle, a cloud-computing executive from Pleasanton who has never run for elected office before, issued a statement saying she's throwing her support to centrist Democrat Steve Glazer, who is Orinda's mayor and a former political advisor to Gov. Jerry Brown.

"It has become evident that I cannot establish the funding, name recognition and support required to win this election against this field of Democratic candidates within a six-week period," she said, adding Glazer "has proven that he can work with Republicans and Democrats alike to find common sense solutions to our state's needs."

File: Orinda City Council member and State Assembly candidate Steve Glazer in Walnut Creek, Calif., Monday, June 2, 2014. (SUSAN TRIPP POLLARD)

Republicans make up 29 percent of the district's voters, so if they take heed, Hertle's endorsement could help Glazer -- who has burned most bridges with his own party and the unions that back it -- vie with the two more prominent Democrats in this race, Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla and former Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan. Democrat Terry Kremin, a relative unknown who sought a Concord City Council seat in 2010, also is running.

The special primary will be held March 17, and the special general election on May 19.

Hertle praised Glazer's fiscal conservatism; his support of public pension reform and school reform; and his willingness to buck labor unions and other special interests. Republicans "have more commonalities with him than differences and he can win this race," she said.

Glazer on Monday called Hertle's endorsement "a big boost."

"I've promoted a bipartisan experience and track record and her endorsement is a great validation of that effort," he said. "It underscores what makes my candidacy unique."

Glazer incurred unions' wrath by working in 2012 as a strategist for the California Chamber of Commerce's JobsPAC, which backed moderate Democrats over more liberal, labor-friendly ones. And in 2013, he capitalized on public outrage over two BART strikes by calling for a ban on transit worker strikes an idea that's anathema to many Democrats.

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Lone Republican drops out of East Bay State Senate election

KRCG: McCaskill Named Top Democrat on Senate investigatory panel
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill has been named the top Democrat on a committee that investigates federal agencies. McCaskill said Thursday that she will be the ra...

By: SenatorMcCaskill

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KRCG: McCaskill Named Top Democrat on Senate investigatory panel - Video