A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

With New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani out of the New York Senate race, the state's crucial third party endorsements have fallen into place. Rep. Rick Lazio (R-N.Y.), the last-minute replacement for Giuliani, on Monday received the enthusiastic endorsement of the state's Conservative Party. The group's support could yield Lazio an additional 300,000 votes in his campaign against first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, who won the backing of the state Liberal Party on the same day.

With Giuliani in the race, the endorsements had been up in the air. Conservative chairman Michael Long opposed the mayor because of his stance on late-term abortion, while Liberal chairman Ray Harding was torn between Clinton and Giuliani, whom Harding had supported in the past.

"Arizona may be the only state in America where mothers don't tell their children someday they may grow up to become president of the United States." Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), on the state's propensity to produce dynamic, yet unsuccessful, presidential candidates. (New Haven Register, May 23)

• Conservative Party Chief Backs Lazio
(Albany Times Union, May 23)
• Rudy Who? GOP Takes to Lazio Quickly
(The New York Times, May 23; registration required)
• Small Parties Offer Big Endorsements
(The Washington Post, May 23)

Though Lazio's poll numbers are not yet as high as Giuliani's were, the upstart candidate is already enjoying broader, more unified support among state GOP leaders, including the influential Gov. George Pataki, whose cool attitude to Giuliani was widely known.
• GOP Barnstormer Poses With Pataki Upstate
(New York Daily News, May 23)
• Candidate to Drop Out and Back Lazio
(The New York Times, May 22)
• Truce on Tap for Conservatives, GOP
(New York Daily News, May 20)

Giuliani's exit also created political repercussions closer to home. A Senate victory by the mayor would have automatically elevated Mark Green, the city's public advocate, to the mayor's office – giving Green an incumbent's edge in the 2001 mayoral election. However, with Giuliani staying put, that edge will not materialize in a race that is sure to be hard-fought and will likely produce the city's next leader.
• Green's Mayoral Hopes Dealt Blow
(New York Newsday, May 20)
• Four Mayoral Hopefuls Now on an Even Footing
(The New York Times, May 20)
• Green's Dreams Get Snagged on Rudy's Decision
(New York Post, May 20)

Kennedy Challenger Gets Signatures, but No Assurances
Massachusetts Republican Jack E. Robinson III appeared Monday to have the 10,000 signatures necessary to put him on the state ballot as a candidate against incumbent Sen. Edward Kennedy (D), though it's highly possible some of the signatures may be disqualified, according to the secretary of state.
• Robinson's Signatures Could Face Challenge
(Worcester Telegram & Gazette, May 23)

Meantime, Kennedy has mounted an aggressive fundraising drive for his personal political action committee that is paying off handsomely for the veteran senator.
• Kennedy Rakes in $300G for Personal PAC Fund
(Boston Herald, May 23)

McCain, Bush Supporters Play Nice in Connecticut GOP
Avoiding the nasty dispute over national convention delegates that has strained the Michigan GOP, Connecticut Republicans are promising harmony over the allocation of delegates between supporters of the nominee-in-waiting, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, and the winner of the state's primary, Arizona Sen. John McCain.
• No Tug-of-War in State GOP Over Convention Delegates
(New Haven Register, May 23)