Benjamin spoiling for a chance to challenge Schumer

In New York Republican circles, Michael Benjamin has become a bit like the kid on the basketball court begging the other players to pass him the ball.

Even as the party has all but given up any hope of finding a candidate who can beat New York's well-funded senior senator, Charles E. Schumer, next year, Mr. Benjamin has been trying to convince the party's leaders that he is the man for the job.

Mr. Benjamin, 33, has put more than 40,000 miles on his Ford Explorer in the last nine months, visiting every one of the state's 62 counties in an effort to round up support from local party leaders and rank-and-file Republicans.

He has also managed to arrange meetings with some leading Republicans in the state, including Joseph L. Bruno, the Senate majority leader, and Alexander F. Treadwell, the state party chairman.

He even cornered Gov. George E. Pataki at a recent fund-raiser in Westchester County to press his case, though the governor's response was something on the order of "Don't call us, we'll call you," according to people familiar with the encounter. (An aide to the governor said that Mr. Pataki told Mr. Benjamin at the time that he might contact him later on.)

All this might have discouraged other candidates, but not Mr. Benjamin, a fast-talking former Wall Street trader whose fund-raising for Republicans has no doubt helped him get a foot in the door with party chieftains, none of whom chose to be quoted on the subject of Mr. Benjamin.

"I'm not discouraged in the least," Mr. Benjamin said the other day in an interview. "I haven't gotten a green light from the powers that be, but I haven't gotten a red light, either."

Mr. Benjamin is facing something that Republican leaders in New York would really rather not discuss, at least publicly: the huge lead, financially and politically, that Mr. Schumer holds as he heads into a re-election year.

That has led Republican leaders in New York to avoid the extremely difficult issue of whom they should put up for a probable losing cause. Any Republican is very likely to be trounced by Mr. Schumer, a first-term senator who has considerable support even among Republicans in public polls.

New York Republicans have concluded that they are better off devoting money and other campaign resources to another political objective: helping President Bush mount a competitive 2004 re-election campaign in New York, a state that the Democratic presidential candidate usually wins with ease.

In fact, several top New York Republicans, including Mr. Pataki, are said to be worried that attempting a serious challenge to Mr. Schumer could stir up Democrats and hurt any chance that Mr. Bush might have in the state. The last Republican presidential candidate to win the state was Ronald Reagan.

Referring to Mr. Benjamin's campaign to oust Mr. Schumer, a senior adviser to one New York Republican leader said recently, "Nobody has the heart to tell him that it's a hopeless cause."

"But who knows?" the adviser continued. "Maybe we'll end up giving him the nomination since nobody else wants it. He could be another Bob McMillan." Robert R. McMillan was the Nassau County lawyer who emerged from political obscurity in 1988 to challenge New York's previous senior senator, Daniel P. Moynihan. At the time, even Republicans conceded that Mr. McMillan was little more than a sacrificial lamb.

Fifteen years later, Mr. Benjamin acts genuinely thrilled by any suggestion that his candidacy is being taken seriously by people outside of his relatively small circle of supporters. He has, for example, filled his campaign Web site with newspaper articles chronicling the reaction he has received as he travels around the state to places like Norwich, where one reporter described him as the only "top politician" to attend the 28th annual Chenango County Lobsterfest.

Mr. Benjamin gets very upset when articles about next year's United States Senate race fail to mention him. "What do I have to do to get you to cover my campaign?" he once asked a reporter with more than a hint of frustration.

How the GOP doesn't have a candidate yet completely bewilders me. Wake up guys and gals.....the convention is in New York City. Get behind Michael Benjamin, heck get behind Benjamin Franklin just get behjind someone and stop giving Scummer a free pass. My goodness, is it only obvious to me? Because the NYGOP certainly can't see it. If they don't have a candidate by Thanksgiving then Treadwell should be fired and the Gov. publically rebuked.

"Any Republican is very likely to be trounced by Mr. Schumer, a first-term senator who has considerable support even among Republicans in public polls. "

I just DON'T understand this. Little chuckie schumer (I just have to use all lower case when referring to this little monster) is aruably the most antifreedom RAT in DC and that's a heckuva indictment in that town. My buddy puts it best....he sighs and whispers "They are what they are...." That's how liberals act from any party....'Pubbie, RAT or whatever. And New York will forever be a liberal state. They are what they are.....

I am shocked as well that no candidate wants to challenge this mean spirited punk Schumer. Chuckie Schumer is widely hated in upstate and western New York for how he treated judicial nominees like Estarada. How he grilled John Ashcroft alone makes me want to punch Schumer in the face straight on. He is arrogant and really is, with Hillary, letting upstate go wayside as usual because there is not enough votes here. A GOP candidate could annihilate Schumer if he/she will hammer him on his behavior as a member of the Judiciary Committee. For that alone he should lose by landslide.

I'm a Long Island resident, and let me tell you something: Long Island is conservative, and only becoming more so. Long Island also represents a huge amount of voters. The Republican Party needs to use this to its advantage. Sure, Benjamin will probably lose, but so what? Be aggresive! If we keep chipping away at people like Schumer, eventually they gotta crack. His chances of beating Schumer are no lower than Bush's chances of winning the state, so...

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