What's this new super PAC in the race for NYC mayor?

And two new bills have been introduced after a violent July 4 in Albany.

Good afternoon — it’s Wednesday and Sugar Cookie Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• A new super PAC with a familiar name has been registered in the race for New York City mayor. Who’s it supporting?

• After a violent July 4 in the city of Albany, state lawmakers have introduced two new bills aimed at regulating flare guns.

• The packaging extended producer responsibility bill didn’t pass this year but another focused on e-bike and scooter batteries awaits Hochul’s consideration.

Names in today’s CapCon: Jim Walden, Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa, Bill Ackman, Jeff Leb, Pat Fahy, John McDonald, Gabriella Romero, Maritza Davila, Roxanne Persaud, Brian Kavanagh, Deborah Glick, Jeremy Cooney, Donna Lupardo

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There’s a lot to watch in politics. This section gives you a quick look at news on elections that might interest you.

(Richard Drew/Associated Press)

💵 A new super PAC has been registered in the race for NYC mayor

I know I’ve been writing a lot about the race for New York City mayor. But Gov. Kathy Hochul hasn’t held a public event since July 1, which has given me some extra time.

I received an email Tuesday evening from a reader who was frustrated that I hadn’t written more about Jim Walden, an independent candidate for mayor who’s, admittedly, been overshadowed by the rest of the field.

I know Jim Walden. I profiled his efforts five years ago at what he calls “good government litigation” when I was a court reporter at a different news outlet.

Walden is not an unknown name. He led a lawsuit against New York City and the state at one point on behalf of a class of 11,000 residents whose public benefits had allegedly been wrongly terminated. He settled that case.

He also sued the New York City Housing Authority on behalf of a group of public housing residents who had alleged that the city failed to maintain humane conditions for people who lived at those properties.

That lawsuit was so widely recognized that even former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, now a maybe-opponent in the race for mayor, praised Walden’s efforts.

But I met Walden again last summer, when he signed on to represent Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in a court case over New York’s decision to take Kennedy’s name off the 2024 ballot. Walden was his attorney at the appellate level.

He ended up losing that case, which was not taken up by the Court of Appeals. In the end, Kennedy endorsed President Donald J. Trump.

I bring up Walden because he’s now one of the undetermined number of names that will appear on the ballot in November in the race for New York City mayor.

He’ll also compete against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, incumbent and independent Mayor Eric Adams and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

We may be adding Cuomo to that list if he decides to remain in the race as an independent candidate.

That brings us to the new independent expenditure committee I spotted Wednesday.