New York Daily News

Mike bets $75G on 4 rebel pols

- BYKENNETH LOVETT klovett@nydailynew­s.com

ALBANY — Sensing a potential shift in the state Senate power structure, Mayor Bloomberg pumped $75,000 into a political action committee created by four dissident Democrats who formed their own independen­t caucus.

But Bloomberg hasn’t given up his longstandi­ng support of the Senate Republican­s. He donated a whopping $1 million to the Senate Republican Campaign Committee — the single largest contributi­on ever made to the Senate GOP. That brings Hizzoner’s total contributi­ons to the Senate Republican­s to $3.3 million since 2000.

Both donations are bad news for cash-strapped Senate Democrats as they try to reclaim the majority this fall.

While the hefty donation to the Senate GOP was surprising only in its size, the contributi­on to the four-member Independen­t Democratic Caucus is perhaps most telling, insiders say.

A Bloomberg source said the mayor decided to bankroll the renegade faction both because its members support legislatio­n important to the mayor and because he sees the foursome as rising political force in Albany.

The source said the mayor thinks the four — Sens. Jeff Klein (D-Bronx), Diane Savino (D-Staten Island), David Valesky (D-Syracuse) and David Carlucci (D-Rockland) — could act as kingmakers by swinging control of the Senate.

Republican­s, who have a 33-29 edge in the Senate, have worked closely with the four for the past two years. But if Democrats pick up the three votes they need to regain the majority, the four could swing the power back to the GOP if their needs aren’t met.

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