Democrats in the state Senate, looking to seize enough seats from Republicans to capture a majority, have been eyeing police-union head Patrick Lynch as a potential candidate, sources told The Post.
Several sources close to Senate Democrats said the idea would be for Lynch, the president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, to run against Queens Republican Sen. Frank Padavan.
The 11th District Senate district includes Bayside - where Lynch was raised - and is home to some of the city's most conservative-tilting voters.
"I know he's been approached, and so far there hasn't been a 'no,' " said one source familiar with the conversations.
Another source with direct knowledge of the issue said some Senate Democrats recently made the pitch to Lynch to gauge his interest in running next year.
And a third source close to Queens Sen. Malcolm Smith, the Democratic minority leader, said, "We're interested in him, of course."
Asked about the possibility of a Lynch candidacy, PBA spokesman Al O'Leary insisted his boss laughed at the question. "It's not true. He hasn't had conversations about running," O'Leary said.
Interesting...
