Dem sources: Party is in discussions with potential primary candidates to challenge Carlucci

Sources within the Rockland County Democratic Committee have told the Rockland County Times that the party is seeking a primary candidate to challenge incumbent Democrat State Senator David Carlucci.

A source said that Democrats are in a serious conversation with a “heavy hitter” with “substantial credentials,” as well as one other possible choice. No decisions have been made as yet. The deadline for petitions to qualify for the primary ballot is July 10, so the party has time to work with at this point.

The party has been unhappy with Carlucci since he first took office in 2011, because he joined a small clique of Democratic senators that aligned themselves in a power-sharing agreement with state Senate Republicans. The Democratic Party holds a majority of seats in the New York Senate but does not control the electoral body due to the alliance between the GOP and the five-member breakaway group called the Independent Democratic Conference.