Pre-Primary Pandemoneum

Riverdale political blogger Rafael Martinez Alequin, a staffer for state Sen. Efrain Gonzalez Jr., claims he was assaulted by Pedro Espada Jr. and his entourage on Sunday.

Mr. Alequin posted video in this blog post in which Mr. Espada approaches to shake hands with someone next to Mr. Alequin, and the former publisher attempts to get his attention. Someone, apparently from Mr. Espada's staff, puts his hand over most of the camera lens, then Mr. Espada is shown pointing his finger at the lens, saying, "He's trying to teach you manners, papa."

Mr. Alequin repeatedly protests and eventually says, "I go, I go," withdrawing.
As the video continues, Mr. Alequin again tries to approach Mr. Espada, only this time -- over his protestations -- someone appears to grab the camera and push it down.

The Daily Politics, Liz Benjamin's Daily News blog, has details.

The Riverdale Press tossed aside the dirty laundry to bring you a 15-minute video of Mr. Espada and Mr. Gonzalez both stating their positions on -- gasp -- actual issues, like school overcrowding and the redevelopment of Kingsbridge Armory. If you're in the 33rd District -- and you can check on that here -- we think you might be interested. It's embedded below.



Of course, we didn't leave out discussion of the scandals surrounding Mr. Espada's campaign finances or Mr. Gonzalez's indictment. Mr. Espada can be seen answering questions about his finances in this clip, and Mr. Gonzalez discusses his indictment here.

The full interviews are accessible from The Riverdale Press's Web site. Look for "Candidate Interviews" towards the bottom of the page.

Registered Democrats in the 33rd State Senate District can vote in this race tomorrow.