Politics makes for a stunning, redheaded bedfellow — if you are New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
The state’s chief prosecutor has been dating gorgeous Michelle Manning Barish since June, and was able to sneak away with her earlier this year on a 10-day vacation to Hawaii.
“They’ve been hiding in plain sight,” a friend of the couple told me.
Buzz has been swirling that Schneiderman will run for governor. Norman Lear — the legendary sitcom producer (“All in the Family,” “Sanford and Son”) who is active in the Democratic Party — hosted a meet-and-greet for Schneiderman and potential supporters two weeks ago at his house in Los Angeles.
“Lear introduced Michelle as Eric’s bride-to-be before 150 people,” another source said.
Schneiderman has been divorced for years from Jennifer Cunningham, a top lobbyist at SKDKnickerbocker who has been called the “most powerful woman in Albany.” They have a 20-year-old daughter, Catherine.
Barish is divorced from Chris Barish, the hospitality developer of restaurants and nightclubs, with whom she has a 5-year-old daughter named Bee.
The couple met through mutual friends in progressive politics. Michelle, an antiwar activist, has been active in moveon.org.
“Things got very intense, very quickly,” said my source. “It got so big, so fast, it got scary, and they both freaked out.” Meaning: no engagement ring yet.
Barish is elusive, having been pursued by Salman Rushdie and Steve Tisch. She gave me a dignified “No comment.” Schneiderman’s office echoed the coy sentiment.