The Times' Washington correspondent Marc Heller filed this report.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who once cast herself as a conservative in Congress, is now among the most liberal.

That is the latest from National Journal, which found Mrs. Gillibrand tied with Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., for the most liberal voting record in the Senate in 2011.

Mrs. Gillibrand climbed the ratings from 10th most liberal a year ago, the magazine will report in its Friday issue.

The liberal rating further cements the senator's transformation from her days as a House member from the Hudson Valley from 2007 to 2009. Then, she joined the conservative House Blue Dog Coalition and took stances in favor of gun rights and against illegal immigration, among other issues. Her ideology shifted sharply after former Gov. David Paterson picked her to succeed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who had been nominated as secretary of state.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., did not make the top-ten list. The most conservative senator was Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., National Journal reported.

Chuck Ruggiero and his wife, Lisa, were selected as delegates for Newt Gingrich at the GOP's national convention in Tampa this summer.

Mr. Ruggiero, a Republican, unsuccessfully ran for Jefferson County sheriff in 2010, losing to Democrat John Burns. Shortly thereafter, he helped form the Jefferson Tea Party.

The organization does not endorse candidates.

Mr. and Mrs. Ruggiero are both officers in the Jefferson Tea Party, and are residents of Watertown.

UNYTEA is making plenty of noise about just that: uniting the right in the effort to take on Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh.

The Upstate New York Tea Party took a swipe at Kellie Greene, a candidate for Congress and challenger to the more established Matt Doheny, because, an official there said, she hasn't contacted them and won't attend a mixer at 6 p.m. Friday at the Westside Ballroom in Plattsburgh.

“The chairman is rather disappointed about it,” Oliver Barie told the Times in an email message. He was referencing his father, Mark Barie, the UNYTEA chairman. “He feels we are a significant organization (1,000-plus group) that deserves the courtesy of at least a check-in when claiming to be a ‘principled tea party conservative' candidate in NY-23.”

The elder Mr. Barie said in a Feb. 15 blog post that Mr. Doheny is “likely” to be the GOP nominee in the congressional district. UNYTEA hasn't endorsed anyone, though its Twitter feed has had some positive things to say about Mr. Doheny and some negative things to say about splitting the right. (Some of the tweets were later deleted.) The endorsement is based heavily on a poll of the group's membership and its steering committee. Its foot soldiers helped collect signatures on petitions on behalf of Douglas L. Hoffman, whom it originally endorsed in 2010.

Ms. Greene's campaign declined to make her available for an interview, but a staffer said in an email message she wouldn't attend the UNYTEA event because of a scheduling conflict.

She is holding a meet-and-greet from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Denny's restaurant on Arsenal Street in Watertown. On Thursday, according to her campaign Web page and Facebook page, she will host a town hall event from 6 to 8 p.m. at Plattsburgh City Hall. At noon Friday, according to her Facebook page, she'll be a guest speaker at SUNY Plattsburgh.

A deputy campaign manager did not respond to a followup request by press time for comment about whether she has contacted UNYTEA. She has been in contact with several grassroots groups in the north country, including the Jefferson Tea Party, NNY912 and the Old North Church Patriots.

Timothy Stampfler, a Plattsburgh man who has signaled interest in running for Congress, is expected to attend the UNYTEA event, according to Mr. Barie.

Mr. Doheny will be at the event, too.

"It shows us Matt is a serious candidate and realizes the importance of the tea party, not just in NY-23, but throughout the country as well," Mr. Barie said in the email.

I asked whether Mr. Owens would attend (he's declined in the past).

Mr. Owens is always welcome to our events, they are open to anyone," Mr. Barie said. "Although the Chairman has a sneaking suspicion he would rather be with the big unions than the Upstate New York Tea (UNYTEA) Party on a Friday evening."

UPDATE: Chris Nichols, a deputy campaign manager for Ms. Greene, responds:

"To my knowledge, UNYTEA has not reached out to this campaign either. With the primary being advanced to June, we are currently focused on setting up events with groups that have expressed an interest or invited Miss Greene to meet with them. They are more than welcome to contact the campaign if they have an upcoming event that they would like her to speak at."

UPDATE:

This response displeased UNYTEA.

"Candidates are supposed to reach out to their constituents, not the other way around," the elder Mr. Barie said. "We have a long history of hosting candidates for governor, for the US Senate, and for the US Congress. Ms. Greene is acting like our incumbent Congressman. Aloof."

As first noted by Capital Tonight, Doug Hoffman has been selected as a delegate for Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania.

Mr. Hoffman, a Republican, was the Conservative Party candidate for Congress in the 23rd Congressional District in 2009 and 2010. He lost the 2009 general election line to now-Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh. In 2010, Mr. Hoffman secured the Conservative Party line again, but lost the Republican nomination by 651 votes to Matt Doheny.

Mr. Doheny narrowly lost to Mr. Owens, with Mr. Hoffman's defunct candidacy attracting more votes (around 10,000) than Mr. Doheny lost by (around 2,000).

The big question that remains for north country political watchers is whether Mr. Hoffman will jump into the race again. He's been giving flirtatious answers for months now, but without an active campaign, he'd have a tough time running in an abbreviated campaign season. He says he has the name recognition and impassioned followers to pull it off.

But what we do know is that he's supporting Mr. Santorum.

Not terribly surprising, considering that Mr. Santorum endorsed Mr. Hoffman in his 2009 bid, even when Republican Dede Scozzafava was still actively campaigning.

The GOP convention — which is looking every day like it could be a drawn out delegate battle that stretches past the April 24 New York presidential primary — will take place in late August in Florida.

In the 23rd Congressional District, Jan Plumadore, a former state Supreme Court judge, and Derinda M. Sherman are delegates for Mr. Santorum. (Mr. Hoffman lives outside the district.) Alternatives are John C. Dewitt and Mark F. Wells.

State Sen. Joe Griffo, a Republican who represents Lewis County and part of St. Lawrence County, has been tapped as a delegate for Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, in CD-24.

Local governments in New York would be able to save money by “piggybacking” off federal purchasing contracts if a bill being debated in the Assembly is passed.

The concept is simple, and familiar to wholesale shoppers everywhere: Buying in bulk is cheaper. But the state’s local governments are cut off from the bulk purchases of other states and the federal government because New York is the only state that doesn’t allow the frugal practice.

“Instead of just using New York’s purchasing power, now, you have the entire purchasing power of the nation,” said Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, the bill’s prime sponsor in the lower chamber. “Just by passing this law, we could see pretty immediate savings.”

The bill was sent from a committee last week and is headed toward the Ways and Means Committee. If the measure makes it through that committee, it would then go to the Assembly floor for a vote.

Mrs. Russell said she’s optimistic about its passage.

“I would think that once we get through the committee process, it has a reasonable chance of passing,” she said, noting its “bipartisan support” — it passed the state Senate unanimously last year and this year.

It stalled in the Assembly in 2011, though, because it was introduced too late in the session, Mrs. Russell said.

Right now, if a local government needs to purchase anything from pencils to shovels to snow plows, it can piggyback off contracts within the state.

But it can’t look to other states to do so, even though municipalities in the 49 other states can.

Mrs. Russell estimates that, depending on what’s being purchased, local governments would save 5 to 25 percent if they’re allowed to piggyback on national contracts.

The bill would still require that the national contracts be subject to New York’s competitive bidding requirements and does not absolve responsibilities to meet minority- and women-owned business quotas.

The St. Lawrence County Conservative Party committee has endorsed Matt Doheny for Congress.

Mr. Doheny's chances of beating Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh, in the November election rely heavily on his ability to do what he wasn't able to do in 2010: secure the Conservative Party line.

Mike Long, the state party chairman, says that a Doheny endorsement is "not impossible," and that he'll listen to his county party chairmen.

So while the St. Lawrence County committee's endorsement won't be the deciding factor, it's an important development, though it's not unexpected.

“I am truly thankful for this endorsement," Mr. Doheny said in a news release. "The committee rightfully recognizes that I am the only candidate who can unite the Conservative, Republican and Independence parties and win this fall."

Here's the interesting thing about the county party chairmen: The district lines aren't even set yet, so we're not sure which county will be in and which county will be out. But it's a safe bet that Jefferson County, where Mr. Doheny resides, will be in the same district as St. Lawrence County.

Kellie Greene, Mr. Doheny's possible Republican primary opponent, has also said she's seeking the Conservative nod.

President Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney are the only candidates in New York's April 24 presidential primary to have available for public consumption a slate of delegates for the respective conventions of their parties.

Mr. Obama is not facing a primary challenge on the Democratic side. The early September convention in Charlotte, N.C. will be more of a coronation.

Mr. Romney, though, is in the middle of a delegate war in his effort to claim the GOP nomination, which will take place in Florida in late August. (Here is a nifty graphic that will show you how many delegates the GOP candidates have amassed.)

On the Republican side, New York's new proportional method of doling out delegates, and the neck-and-neck battle, could mean that candidates will campaign in New York. We'll see if they make it north of the Thruway. I'll bet you $10,000 that they won't.

Here is the list of delegates from the 23rd Congressional District:

Obama delegates:

Mark Bellardini, the St. Lawrence County Democratic chairman.

Judy Prosser.

Edmund Jasewicz, an Amsterdam resident who has served as a Dem delegate a few times.

Jacquelyn A. Schell, a Chaumont resident whose husband, Mike Schell, is an avowed political tourist and former Eliot Spitzer/David Paterson staffer. (Mrs. Schell, of course, is well known in her own right, having served on the Watertown City School District Board of Education.)

Michael Zagrobelny, a Potsdam town councilman (the Board of Elections listing appears to have spelled his name wrong, unless there's a Michael Zagrokelny AND a Michael Zagrobelny, which I'm also willing to put $10,000 against.)

Colleen Wheaton, South Colton, who has done some Dem delegate work and is a CSEA official.

Michael Cashman.

Romney delegates

Assemblyman Will Barclay, R-Pulaski.

Mary C. Hollinshead

Alternative delegates are Don Coon, Jefferson County GOP chairman, and Don Lee, Clinton County GOP chairman.

North country political watchers had a hint of nostalgia as they read City and State's report on the changes in how the Independence Party picks its candidates.

Essentially, Frank MacKay, the party's state chairman, now has "nearly complete control" over the party's ballot line.

Those fights over ballot control played out in the north country.

The Jefferson County Independence Party's endorsements were ignored twice in state Senate races, when they picked Democrat Darrel Aubertine only to have the line go to a Republican both times.

Indy leaders in Jefferson County, including Mayor Jeff Graham, grew “disgruntled or disillusioned” with the state leadership, so the county party was disbanded.

The Jefferson County Indys could come back this year, but there appears to be little interest.

Another subtle storyline to watch in north country politics is the Independence Party's congressional line for the upcoming November election. Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh, and Matt Doheny, a Republican rival, are in the hunt. Mr. Doheny received the line in 2010.

Savor this moment while you can: Rep. Bill Owens, Matt Doheny and Kellie Greene agree.

The three north country residents — Democratic, Republican and Republican, in order — told the Times yesterday that while they would have preferred offsets to federal spending that would have covered the cost of extending a payroll tax, they would vote (or would have voted) for the bill anyway.

It's not the first time and won't be the last time that all sides are in agreement on an issue, but I suspect it won't come up all that much as the north country's congressional race heats up.

Mr. Doheny and Ms. Greene are vying for the Republican and Conservative nods (Mr. Doheny includes the Independence nod, too) to take on Mr. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, in the November election. A primary between Mr. Doheny and Ms. Greene would take place on June 26, barring an agreement in Albany to change it.

Here is the full story on their positions, which includes contributions from Marc Heller in Washington and the Associated Press.

If Assemblywoman Janet Duprey prevails over Karen Bisso in a Republican primary, November is almost certain to bring a rematch, with Mrs. Bisso on the Conservative Party line.

It's because Ms. Duprey, a Peru Republican, voted to approve gay marriage. The Conservative Party won't give its line to anybody who voted in favor of it, as Ms. Duprey did in 2011 when it became law.

Mrs. Bisso "is the first candidate that contacted me about running against someone who voted for the bill," said Mike Long, the Conservative Party chairman who can give his party's lines to candidates in districts, like this one, that stretch over more than one county. "I'm sure there will be other races."

A former Doug Hoffman volunteer, Mrs. Bisso got interested in politics through the tea party. She's a special education teacher and resident in the city of Plattsburgh. Mr. Long said he hasn't made up his mind yet on the race, but there appear to be few hurdles for a Bisso candidacy.

It's all just a little bit of history repeating in the eastern north country Assembly district. Ms. Duprey voted to approve gay marriage in 2009, when the effort failed. She was denied the Conservative line there, too, and in the general election, "trounced" her Democratic and Conservative opponents.

Here is an op-ed from Ms. Duprey on why she voted in favor of legalizing gay marriage in the state. Ms. Duprey says that "I did not lose my election because of my stand. Neither has any of the 72 Republican legislators who have voted for the freedom to marry. That is because no election is decided on a single issue. I ran on my entire record, including my vote for marriage for everyone. The vast majority of my North Country constituents respected my decision, whether they agreed with me or not."

Ms. Duprey told me yesterday that she is going to run again.

The Assembly district is currently in Clinton, Franklin and Essex counties. A proposed change would also bring the district into four St. Lawrence County townships.

It's difficult to resist talk to Mr. Long and not ask about the north country congressional district, and I, of course, gave into temptation. Mr. Long gave his standard answer: Waiting for the lines to come out, going to talk to county party leaders.

Two north country men helped organize a public service announcement starring Reba McEntire that will run statewide.

Ms. McEntire, a Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, recorded the PSA two weeks ago. The PSA encourages New Yorkers with disabilities and their families to contact the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities.

It came out of a conversation between Joe Rich, a Disabled Persons Action Organization board member and volunteer, and Travis Proulx, the spokesman for the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. Mr. Proulx is a Croghan native and, incidentally, a big Reba fan.

Ms. McEntire was in Watertown over the summer for a DPAO concert.

"Joe Rich has done so much for the developmental disabilities field, and over the years has come to know Reba and her management team through her concerts benefiting the DPAO," Mr. Proulx said in an email explaining how this PSA came about. "One day, Joe and I we were discussing other ideas and initiatives, and I mentioned how great it would be to have someone like Reba helping us get the message out, statewide, about the services and supports that are available in New York. Joe offered to make the call and Reba agreed immediately, which was wonderful news."

Here's the script and the video:

“Hey, I'm Reba, and my niece Haley has a developmental disability. And I have seen firsthand the difference that caring professionals can make in the life of a loved one, as well as the many positive changes in how we as a society support individuals with developmental disabilities.

“For example, there was a time when we thought institutions were the best way to provide care, but now we are focused on community living, meaningful work, and many other opportunities.

“Today, a cause very near and dear to my heart is making sure that people with developmental disabilities and their loved ones know how to get the services and supports they need to live and enjoy their lives to the fullest.

“Please contact the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities at 1-866-946-9733. Or visit them online at www.opwdd.ny.gov to learn more. Thanks so much for your time, and let's help each other out.”

It might not be a first, but it's the most public display of political affection we've ever seen between the two: Assemblywoman Addie Russell, D-Theresa, and state Sen. Patty Ritchie, R-Heuvelton, are working together.

Sure, it's just a grip-and-grin photo, but hey, maybe the delegation is headed toward more bipartisan cooperation.

Their geography may overlap, but their marquee efforts in state government rarely do. They've worked together on local bills, like an exemption to residency requirements for stenographers, for example.

In the more than 13 months since Mrs. Ritchie and Mrs. Russell were in office together, their names have not appeared together on a joint news release (some Ritchie releases mention that Mrs. Russell is a co-sponsor of Assembly bills, and one specifically thanks her; Mrs. Russell is an infrequent news releaser), or a working committee, and the two have not jointly attended a news conference or a public event.

And both legislators were working on separate bills that would change the state's school aid formula, using many of the same legal tactics, but they apparently didn't think to work together on that one. Identical bills need to pass both houses of the Legislature, and to do that, they need a majority member to push for it.

The north country has the best of both worlds in this case, but it's all for naught if they're not willing to work together.

When asked why they aren't working together on certain initiatives, the private answer is sometimes, "I thought of it first," or "We disagree on the issues."

The rivalry between the Russell and Ritchie camps serves as one of the more interesting and unstated undercurrents of north country politics. Of course, it has something to do with party affiliation — though both offices say they work fine with the other side of the aisle. Another part of it surely has to do with the fact that Mrs. Russell was presumed to be a likely candidate for Mrs. Ritchie's Senate seat, but that's not going to happen.

Whatever the reason, perhaps it's a sign of things to come, and we'll be seeing more of what we saw today: A news release from Mrs. Ritchie's office saying that "The legislators work together on a variety of issues affecting the region, including Fort Drum, economic development initiatives and housing."

That's probably less of a description and more of a prescription, but it's good news for north country residents who'd be better served by teamwork from the delegation.

Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush, R-Black River, is also in the photo. He works well with his Jefferson counterparts on both sides of the aisle.

Here are some charts and graphs, courtesy of Keith Zimmerman, that back up his point that St. Lawrence County isn't better off with more representation.

The gist is that when you split up St. Lawrence County into small pieces, legislators won't have to focus as much on its needs. If you're an elected member of the Senate, how much do you care about the 19 percent of your district that lives in St. Lawrence County? Not as much as you would care if your district were 90 percent St. Lawrence County.

Some other facts and figures are there for your perusal.

The first graph shows Senate districts, and the second shows Assembly districts. The blue portion of the bar shows what percentage of each district is made up of St. Lawrence County residents.

The last chart shows the raw figures. Also note that other counties in the north country were not split up as severely.

Enjoy.

Senate Graph

Assembly Graph

Full Chart

Three quarters of Americans think the War of 1812 significantly affected America's national identity, according to a survey by the Historica Dominica Institute, but still, history buffs in New York can't get no state funds to help celebrate it.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Gov. David Paterson before him, have vetoed War of 1812 commissions that would help organize events surrounding the bicentennial, even though the proponents say it won't cost anything to the state (the budget office disagrees, saying it'll cost hundreds of thousands).

The war between the young United States and Britain led to the burning of the White House and the creation of the Star Spangled Banner. And much of the activity took place up here in the north country.

The skirmish over whether New York is doing enough to commemorate 1812 nearly turned into a full blown conflagration when a mural in the state capitol building left the contributions of Sackets Harbor and Lake Ontario off a historical timeline. The governor's press office insisted that it was a first draft; it's more likely that it became a first draft after they saw they had messed it up. (Whether this was a swatch to test the colors or a geographical head-slapper isn't exactly relevant anymore. The problem was very quickly remedied and now, Sackets has its very own slide on the timeline.)

Even the New York Times has taken note of the disappointment of some in Sackets, one of the major HQs of American forces.

Here are some other findings of note from Historica Dominica, a Canadian NGO, including Canadians' feelings on Jersey Shore (Newfoundland Shore, anyone?).

Americans (84%) are more likely than Canadians (78%) to agree it's important who won the War.

Had American conquest been successful, Canadians most feared the possible outcomes of sharing US politics and government (60%) gun laws (18%) and citizenship with the cast of Jersey Shore (6%).

Nearly four in ten (36%) of Americans believe there were no significant outcomes of the War of 1812, or none they can name, compared with 23% Canadians.

12% of Americans believe the most significant outcome of the War of 1812 was the burning of the White House and 11% erroneously believe it was the creation of an independent Aboriginal nation, and10% believe it was the election of President Andrew Jackson.

Eight in ten Americans (84%) and Canadians (83%) agree that the War of 1812 was a significant movement in their history.

51% of Americans believe the War of Independence was the most important in the formation of US identity, 25% believe it was the Civil War and 21% believe it was the Second World War.

Darrel Aubertine's job as the head honcho at the Department of Agriculture and Markets doesn't afford him much time to know who Russell Simmons is, or what he says about milk.

But it does give him a unique perspective on the state's official beverage: He's a proponent of it, and he'll say it 'til the cows come home, no matter what Mr. Simmons, a rap media mogul, has to say.

Mr. Simmons, a vegan, said that New York should no longer count milk as its official state beverage (there's much ado in this state about sustenance, as evidenced by last year's simmering debate over the official state vegetable).

"I clearly disagree with him," Mr. Aubertine said at an editorial board meeting today. "I would ask, What do you think the official beverage should be?"

Your move, Mr. Simmons.

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