City & State: Winners & Losers, Feb. 24

It was a political holiday this week, but for some reason there were still plenty of winners and losers to consider. Redistricting seemed to be nearing some sort of end game, while Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg raised the stakes on pension reform. Albany and Washington were on vacation, as were public school teachers, who stared down a P.R. nightmare. Here's how the rest of the week shook out for New York politics:

Karim Camara? The chairman of the Legislature's Black, Latino, Hispanic and Asian Caucus is swiftly emerging as a powerful figure who seems to command the respect of both his colleagues and the governor's office. As Cuomo seeks to bolster his standing among minorities throughout the state, Camara's good graces will become an increasingly valuable piece of real estate for the governor. As long as the assemblyman doesn't end up getting played by the governor, he's riding high in Albany politics.

Timothy Dolan? Dolan's official promotion to cardinal this week ? and the platform that will come with it ? raises hope in the Catholic world that his more personable styles will be able to restore the Catholic voice in America. And it's even raised the specter that he could be the first American Pope. But he will likely have to be more vocal on hot-button issues ? something Dolan was largely unwilling to do doing the gay marriage debate in New York.

Kirsten Gillibrand? She's one of the country's most liberal senators, yet she rakes in cash from Wall Street. She's a well-financed incumbent who Republicans are struggling to challenge, but her poll numbers keep slipping below that crucial 50 percent mark. And she has a new Republican challenger to run against every week! Conservative attorney Wendy Long is the latest to announce her intentions ? which probably won't bother the cash-insulated Gillibrand too much. But more challengers may follow. And that means less hanging out with Little Steven and Anna Wintour and more actual campaigning.

Garry McCarthy? New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is outraged. So is Newark Mayor Cory Booker. But McCarthy? the former high-ranking NYPD official who ran the Newark Police Department when his old New York buddies spied on Muslims there? hasn't explained, or complained about, how it happened. Now running the troubled Chicago Police Department, McCarthy still has Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's support? but this won't help his dream of one day coming back to run the NYPD.