Archive for the ‘Republican Party’
Cavere drops out of 19th CD race • 05.20.10
Orange County Republican Kristia Cavere has dropped out of the race for the GOP nomination to face Democratic Rep. John Hall in November.
“I am withdrawing as a candidate in the 19th Congressional District for personal reasons and to focus on my family,” Cavere said in a one-sentence statement emailed by her campaign coordinator, Bob Fois.
Republican officials from Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland and Orange counties plan to meet next week to nominate a candidate.
Nan Hayworth, an ophthalmologist from the Mount Kisco area, and Neil DiCarlo, a Wall Street compliance officer from Brewster, are vowing to continue their campaigns for the GOP nomination even if they don’t receive the endorsement of party officials.
David McFadden, the former mayor of Tuxedo Park, has said he will drop out if he doesn’t get the GOP’s backing.
Cavere promoted her candidacy by telling Republican activists that her campaign had raised more than $400,000. But she never filed a campaign finance report with the Federal Election Commission to substatiate that claim.
Another special congressional election for NY • 03.05.10
Today’s announcement by freshman Rep. Eric Massa of Corning that he is resigning from office once again sets up a special congressional election in New York’s 29th Congressional District.
It’ll be the third in a year.
Democrats won the two special elections held last year, but that was before widespread voter unrest with Congress and disillusionment with the Obama administration.
It also comes on the heels of scandals involving three prominent New York lawmakers: Gov. David Paterson, Harlem Rep. Charlie Rangel and Massa.
The special election last spring to fill the 20th Congressional District seat vacated by Kirsten Gillibrand received widespread attention when another Democrat, Scott Murphy, won in the Republican-leaning Hudson Valley district.
But the attention given to that race paled in comparison to the national coverage given to the race in the 23rd Congressional District covering the state’s North Country last fall. That race, to fill the seat vacated by John McHugh upon his confirmation as Secretary of the Army, became a national referendum on the split in the Republican Party between moderates and tea party conservatives. The split left Democrat Bill Owens an unlikely winner.
Residents of Western New York should be forewarned that come April and May they will be under a national microscope.
Molinari considers Gillibrand challenge • 01.07.10
Susan Molinari, a Republican who represented Staten Island in Congress during the 1990s and currently lives in Virginia, is considering running against New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in November, according to the Staten Island Advance.
“This is very early in a conversation I’m having with myself,’’ Molinari told the Advance, indicating that she’s being urged to run by her dad, Guy Molinari, a former congressman and Staten Island borough president, as well as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Molinari is a partner at Giuliani’s law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani.
This has been a news-filled week regarding the campaign by Gillibrand, a former congresswoman from the Hudson Valley tapped last January to replace Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, to hold onto that seat in this year’s election.
Monday—Republican Rep. Peter King of Long Island tells Don Imus he’s reconsidering his decision to not run against Gillibrand.
Tuesday—Former New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson, who lost the mayoral race in November to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, announces he won’t challenge Gillibrand or State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli in a September Democratic primary. Instead, Thompson will run for mayor of the Big Apple again in 2013.
Wednesday—Former Tennessee Rep. Harold Ford Jr. gets a write up in the New York Times because his supporters say Ford is considering a primary challenge to Gillibrand. Ford’s positions on abortion, gun safety and gay marriage are to the right of Gillibrand, making him the first potential primary challenger who might paint her as too liberal.
Guy Molinari told the Advance he called his daughter because no “star candidates” were lining up to challenge Gillibrand.
“All of a sudden I think, the best candidate in the entire country is my daughter,” he told the newspaper.
Greg Ball boasts of fundraising victory but… • 07.16.09
State Assemblyman Greg Ball, R-Patterson, a challenger for the 19th District Congressional seat, has proclaimed that the $182,149 he raised between Feb. 1 and June 30 shows broad support.
But the figures vaunted by Ball don’t take into account the time it took him to raise the money compared with U.S. Rep. John Hall, D-Dover Plains, who raised $160,549 between April 1 and June 30, according to Federal Elections Commission finance reports.
With the election still more than 15 months away, Hall has $291,842 in cash on hand compared with Ball’s $100,402.
Neither candidate is doing all that well by national standards.
Nationwide, Democratic congressional candidates, have raised $93.8 million, or $382,750 on average, while Republicans have brought in $52 million, or $206,250 on average, according to the non-profit Center for Responsive Politics.
Ball hopes to narrow the gap with a “Rockin’ Rib Fest & Battle of the Bands” on July 25 at the 300-acre North Ridge Farm in Patterson. Entry is $10 a head or $75 for passes to the “VIP Congressional Tent.”
The event is sponsored by the National Rifle Association, according to Ball’s publicity. State Sen. Vincent Leibell, R-Patterson, Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith and Westchester County Legislator George Oros, R-Cortlandt, are listed as “event chairs and honorary BBQ judges.”
Carmel race loses one Republican • 06.24.09
Candidates for Carmel town supervisor have dropped from three to two.
William Maxwell, a retired police officer, announced by e-mail late Tuesday afternoon he was ending his campaign for Carmel Town Supervisor citing a medical condition related to treatment of a kidney stone condition.
A Republican, he did not receive the GOP committee’s endorsement. He said he would circulate petitions and seek a primary for the line against endorsed candidate Kenneth Schmitt, who is finishing his first term in office.
“It is with regret that I must announce the suspension of my campaign,” Maxwell wrote. “I would like to thank all of my supporters for the help and dedication received on my behalf. I would also like to thank the staff of the Camarda Care Center of Putnam Hospital for all there professionalism and care. I wish all the candidates for office in Putnam©ounty good luck.”
Schmitt faces opposition from Democrat David McKay Wilson.
Democrats hope for NY House pickup • 06.03.09
In a memo released several hours after President Barack Obama announced McHugh’s nomination, the National Republican Congressional Committee claimed the move was partly motivated by the desire to put McHugh’s House seat in Democratic hands.
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, a former chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, “was well aware of the political ramifications surrounding this selection when this plan was hatched,” the memo said. “The party boss in the West Wing saw a political opportunity and he seized on it.”
Democrats dominate the state’s congressional delegation, holding both Senate seats and 26 of 29 House seats after picking up three in last year’s election.
Republicans lost upstate districts to Democrats Eric Massa of Corning and Dan Maffei of DeWitt, as well as a New York City district covering Staten Island and part of Brooklyn, where Democrat Mike McMahon won an open seat.
If the Senate confirms McHugh, the only New York Republicans serving in Congress will be Rep. Peter King of Long Island and freshman Rep. Chris Lee from the Buffalo suburb of Clarence.
Early handicapping by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report is that the race for McHugh’s seat will be a tossup.
Although McHugh’s 23rd District has a long history of being represented by Republicans, Democrats see an opportunity. Obama picked up 52 percent of the vote in the district in last year’s presidential election.
That’s slightly better than he did in the 20th District, where Democrat Scott Murphy won a special election earlier this year. The win kept Kirsten Gillibrand’s former House seat in the Democratic column after Gillibrand was appointed to the Senate by Gov. David Paterson.
Murphy’s close victory over Republican state Assemblyman Jim Tedisco was not considered an upset because a Democrat had won the seat in 2006 and 2008.
That hasn’t been the case in the 23rd District, where McHugh, a former state senator, has represented the state’s North Country since 1992. The district covers all of or part of 11 counties, with about half of them bordering Vermont or the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
Registered Republicans in the district outnumber registered Democrats by more than 46,000 voters.
“Despite the edge Republicans have in voter registration, it’s at least an even contest,’’ said Ivan Kenneally, an assistant professor of American politics at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
He said the parts of the district along the Canadian and Vermont borders and on the edge of Syracuse have been trending Democratic.
David Wasserman of the Cook Political Report said the Republican-leaning voter registration numbers and Democratic-leaning presidential election results demonstrate the district is competitive.
“It’s unfair to say this district leans one way or another,’’ he said. “It’s really a middle-of-the-road district.’’
On the Democratic side, party leaders are unlikely to choose a state senator such as Darrel J. Aubertine of Cape Vincent or David Valesky of Oneida because it could result in a loss of a Democratic majority in that chamber, where Democrats hold a 32-30 edge.
“There is no leading Democrat,’’ said Rep. Steve Israel, national recruiting chairman for the DCCC. “This is very early in the process. John McHugh won’t be confirmed for four to six weeks.’’
Israel held a telephone conference call Tuesday afternoon with Democratic county leaders who will choose the candidate.
Several Republicans – state Sen. Joseph Griffo of Rome; state Assemblyman Will Barclay of Pulaski; state Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava of Gouverneur, and Franklin County District Attorney Derek Champagne – said Tuesday they were considering the race.
“It’s been an honor to serve a lot of that area and advocate for that area,” said Griffo.
Another possible candidate is Republican Robert Taub, McHugh’s chief of staff.
The governor won’t set the date for a special election until after the vacancy occurs.
Robocalls target Hall • 04.17.09
The National Republican Congressional Committee has launched a new offensive of robocalls targeting U.S. Rep. John Hall, D-Dover Plains.
The blitz, which began this week, charges Hall with “endorsing a reckless spending spree in Washington.”
Here’s part of the script urging calls to Hall’s office although Congress is on recess.
Hello I’m calling from the National Republican Congressional Committee with an urgent message. Congressman John Hall and Nancy Pelosi are working together to create a massive budget deficit that could raise taxes…Congressman John Hall let Nancy Pelosi get away with passing a budget with a trillion dollar deficit…it’s been called the most fiscally irresponsible budget in the history of the federal government…..and that is saying a lot..Call Congressman John Hall at 202-225-3121 and tell them to put the brakes on spending. Paid for by The National Republican Congressional Committee. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. W-W-W-dot-N-R-C-C-dot-O-R-G. 320 First Street, southeast Washington, DC 20003. 202-479-7000.
GOP: Let’s not forget about W • 01.20.09
Westchester Republican Party Chairman Doug Colety today extended his “best wishes and prayers” to the nation’s new President Barack Obama and thanked George Bush for his service to the nation. He said Bush faced some of the most challenging times and showed leadership. Colety said history will be the true judge of Bush’s legacy.
”President George W. Bush served our country with honor and integrity over the past eight years,” Colety said in a statement. ”History will show the wisdom of his decisions. … For his strong leadership during some of the most challenging times our nation has faced and unyielding commitment to the American ideals of freedom and democracy, we thank President George W. Bush and look forward to him continuing his service to the United States as a private citizen.”
Colety then outlined some of Bush’s accomplishements, which include:
• Rallying the country after Sept. 11, 2001.
• Appointing Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court
• Leading an unprecedented humanitarian aid effort to Africa that has saved countless lives and spreading freedom and democracy to tens of millions of people.
• Keeping the country safe from attack after 9/11.
State GOP studying comeback • 12.18.08
New York State Republicans are putting together a commission to put them back on the political map. Committee Chairman Joseph Mondello today announced the creation of a strategic planing commission to develop strategies “and develop a forward-looking blueprint” for the party. The commission will shape a path to make the GOP competitive in the state, according to an announcement.
Andrew Eristoff will serve as the commission’s chair.
“Today, our party’s ongoing rebuilding efforts will take a new and significant step forward toward a stronger, more vibrant future,” Mondello said in a statement. “I’ve asked this commission to do a thorough and independent assessment of the best strategies and techniques to provide a gameplan for moving our party forward. I am confident that this talented group of individuals will provide the quality research, analysis, and proposals we need to be successful.”
Much of this group will focus on communications and the “nuts-and-bolts of building a vital and competitive state party,” like fundraising, candidate recruitment, technology and support, Eristoff said.
Members of the commission include: (more…)
New York GOP maintains clout in Congress • 12.10.08
New York will be sending only three Republicans to Congress in January—including a freshman House member—but the GOP will continue to wield considerable clout.
House Republicans announced today they have elected Rep. John McHugh of Pierrepont Manor as the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.
McHugh, whose congressional district covers the northernmost part of the state, will replace Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter of California. Hunter, who did not seek re-election last month, endorsed McHugh for the leadership post.
Meanwhile, Rep. Peter King of Seaford, Long Island will serve another two-year term as ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee. King chaired the committee prior to the Democratic takeover of the House in 2007.
The third Republican in the delegation is Christopher Lee, who was elected to the 26th Congressional District seat in Western New York vacated by the retirement of Rep. Tom Reynolds.
Filling out the delegation will be 26 House Democrats, Sen. Chuck Schumer and a yet-to-be-named senator who will replace Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. That, of course, assumes the Senate will confirm Clinton as secretary of state.
