There was a rousing campaign breakfast this morning for City Councilman Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., who is seeking the Democratic nomination to run for the State Senate in Queens against the Republican incumbent, Serphin R. Maltese.
But the breakfast was nowhere near the 15th State Senate District, which stretches from Ozone Park and Howard Beach to Glendale and Maspeth.
Instead, the breakfast was in Manhattan, at Campanile Restaurant on East 29th Street, and it was sponsored by the Manhattan borough president, Scott M. Stringer, and a number of labor unions. The gathering drew a large number of Democratic-elected officials from Manhattan: the City Council members Jessica Lappin, Gail A. Brewer and Robert Jackson; Assemblyman Brian P. Kavanagh; and State Senators Liz Krueger and Bill Perkins.
Why would Manhattan officials and labor leaders pack a restaurant nowhere near the district? Mr. Stringer explained it to the crowd, saying that defeating Mr. Maltese was an important step toward the Democrats’ aim of retaking the State Senate.
“The stakes have never been so high,” Mr. Stringer said. “That’s the reason for this Manhattan mobilization for Joe Addabbo. We have to create the accurate perception that this is a citywide race. What happens in this district will impact thousands if not millions of people in this state.”
Senator Krueger, too, discussed the importance of the race, from the perspective of a Manhattanite: “The Republicans have controlled the Senate since 1938, with the exception of a few months in the 1960s,” Ms. Krueger said. “This has been a long haul. We can and have to take the majority back.”
She explained that it was important for Manhattan Democratic leaders and party foot soldiers to work on behalf of Mr. Addabbo. “You don’t have to live in that district to do phone banking and to help in going door to door. We want to make sure that Joe can win in November against Serf Maltese.”
Of course, to do that, Mr. Addabbo must first win the Democratic primary in that Senate district. He faces Albert J. Baldeo, a lawyer in Queens. Despite being little-known in political circles, Mr. Baldeo came close to toppling Mr. Maltese two years ago.
He came within 900 votes — roughly 2 percentage points — of winning in that 2006 general election.
But this year, many Democratic officials have instead supported Mr. Addabbo, whose father represented southeastern Queens in Congress for a quarter century until his death in 1986.
In an interview after the breakfast, Mr. Addabbo said that he expected to be outspent by Mr. Maltese, a 20-year incumbent, particularly because the Republicans are increasingly “desperate to hold their majority.”
Mr. Addabbo said that Mr. Maltese has shown campaign ads on cable television stations criticizing Mr. Addabbo.
“But all the commercials in the world cannot compete with people power — our campaign is talking about people,” Mr. Addabbo said. “We’re going to beat the money difference with people power.”
Regarding his primary opponent, Mr. Addabbo said that he would rather not compare his views on issues with those of Mr. Baldeo. Despite the fact that he has been endorsed by Democratic leaders throughout the state, the councilman said of his challenger, “I do take him seriously.”
