Joe Illuzzi claims that sources have informed him that Rep. Nydia Velazquez wis indeed the frontrunner to replace Hillary if she leaves the Senate to be secretary of state. Representative Nydia M. Velázquez, whose district spans parts of Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens; who is the first Puerto...

So says the New York Daily News: Rep. Nydia Velazquez is the front-runner – for now, at least – to replace Hillary Clinton if she becomes the next secretary of state, a source close to Gov. Paterson said yesterday. There are two other top contenders: Rep. Brian Higgins of Buffalo and Rep....