If you haven't heard, Rick Lazio has officially dropped out of the Governor's race.

The Saratoga County League of Women Voters will hold two nights of debates for county and state candidates, including McDonald v. Yepsen and Jensen Bergan v. Rybak.

From the inbox:

Sen. Roy McDonald was added to the New York Farm Bureau's annual "Circle of Friends" list. This legislative award is granted based upon his record of legislative support for New York agriculture and Farm Bureau.

There has to be a joke in here somewher...E-I-E-I-O...

The gloves are off now that Lazio is out. The Paladino campaign sent this video along with a release this morning.



"Cuomo for sale! Getch'ya fresh hot Cuomo right'eer!"

Meanwhile, Cuomo's office sent a release detailing the felony indictment of the owner of a Buffalo based debt collection company that "targeted military personnel and harassed active members of the military and their families."

According to the release, company reps falsely claimed to be lawyers, investigators, detectives, and mediators, threatened consumers with arrest, jail, and lawsuits, threatened to seize the assets of consumers, and levied unauthorized charges on the credit card accounts of
consumers.

This comes after last week's arrest of 41 local gang members for their involvement in a statewide drug trafficking ring.

Spreadsheet wizard Bill Mahoney over at the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) sent a breakdown of what both candidates have given to other campaigns over the year.

2010 Gov Cand Donation History

In the NY-20 race: Chris Gibson will run five miles with fellow Army veteran Mike Ehredt as he treks across America for the troops. Ehredt began his 4,514 mile journey in Astoria, OR and will run until his journey ends in Rockland, Maine. The two will run past the intersection of Route 67 and Middleline Road in Ballston Spa.

“I have been personally touched by the loss of fellow soldiers, and Mike Ehredt’s efforts to make sure those soldiers are never forgotten deserve our attention and reflection,” Gibson said in a release.

No word yet, on if Scott Murphy will lace up his sneaks for a few miles for the troops. He did release a statement on President Obama's signing of new small business legislation that includes 100 percent exclusion of small business capital gains, increased Small Business Administration (SBA) loan limits, and the temporary suspension of loan fees for SBA loans.

"We must continue to make sure that small businesses have access to the capital they need to start, expand and hire during these tough economic times," he said in the statement.