Jimmy Vielkind is reporting on the Times-Union Capitol Confidential blog that U.S. District Court Judge Gary L. Sharpe has now set the state's political calendar for Congressional races. In a decision and order dated Thurs., Feb. 9, Sharpe picked the dates submitted by State Board of Elections Democrats and chided "state officials for their persistent bickering." Sharpe pointed out that SBOE Republicans submitted a partial calendar and applied current electoral deadlines to the new primary date. The complete calendar submitted by the Democrats specified a petition period from March 20 to April 16, 10 days shorter than previous years. The submission also reduced the number of signatures required to secure a spot on the ballot by 25 percent. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential.