Posted on 02/20/2004 12:10:11 PM PST by neverdem
State Republican leaders announced yesterday that they would back a little-known assemblyman, Howard Mills, with six years experience in the State Legislature, as their candidate to challenge Senator Charles E. Schumer in the fall.
For months Republicans had been sweating over whether they could come up with a credible candidate to face Mr. Schumer, a popular first-term senator with more than $20 million in his campaign war chest. Many higher profile Republicans had already opted out.
About a week ago, however, Mr. Mills, 39, said he decided that he wanted to run and party leaders jumped at his offer, according to party leaders and Republican strategists.
"I am running this campaign to win," said Mr. Mills, who will have to give up his seat representing parts of Orange and Rockland Counties to challenge Mr. Schumer. "I think this campaign can be won. There is no chance of victory unless you get on the field."
Mr. Mills is the deputy minority leader of the state Assembly and is the chairman of the Assembly Republican Campaign Committee. As a Republican in the Legislature, where Democrats control 102 seats to 47 for the Republicans, Mr. Mills is accustomed to working against overwhelming odds. Assembly Republicans have little power, holding fewer seats than any time since at least the mid-20th century.
The chairman of the state Republican Party, Alexander Treadwell, and other Republican leaders have already tried to frame the race as one about being able to deliver for New York, suggesting that, if elected, Mr. Mills would be able to get money and attention from Washington as a member of the Republican majority. Mr. Mills said that in five and half years in office, Mr. Schumer has not delivered for New York.
But even supporters of Mr. Mills acknowledge that it is a long shot race.
"I have the utmost respect for Howard as a legislator and as a tactical politician," said Representative Thomas M. Reynolds, the Republican congressman from upstate New York who once served as minority leader in Albany. "He comes into this race with his eyes wide open. If he wins, he enters the Senate. If he loses, he will know how to capitalize on what future opportunities may be there."
And he must go against Mr. Schumer, 53, who is known as a bare-knuckles campaigner. Mr. Schumer would not let Mr. Mills's opening remarks about delivering for New York go by unanswered.
"New Yorkers know that Senator Schumer got $4,000 in college tuition made tax deductible for middle-class families, helped bring $20 billion to New York in the wake of 9/11, passed a generic drug law to make prescription drugs cheaper, was instrumental in bringing billions of federal dollars into the state and localities, as well as countless other accomplishments," said Mr. Schumer's spokesman, Phil Singer.
Both Republican and Democratic political strategists said that the Republican leadership was eager to find a candidate, if for no other reason than to avoid giving Mr. Schumer a free ride. They want to force him to spend some of his campaign money and, if possible, chip away at his reputation, should he seek to run for governor in the future, which has been raised as a possibility, strategists said.
Mr. Mills, who is married, with one toddler son, would not formally become the Republican candidate until he was nominated at the party convention in May. At least one other person, Michael Benjamin, a former Wall Street trader, has tried to get party leaders to back his bid for the nomination and said yesterday that he plans to go to the convention, where he hopes he can get the delegates needed to get on the primary ballot.
"I sincerely hope that Mr. Mills will join with me in doing what's best for the people of New York by calling for an open nominating process where all G.O.P. candidates will receive a fair hearing at the convention or in a primary election," Mr. Benjamin said.
Mr. Treadwell said that Mr. Mills has the backing of Gov. George E. Pataki and that he will be the candidate to run against Mr. Schumer.
Mr. Mills, who was a councilman and town supervisor in Wallkill, studied political science at Marist College in Poughkeepsie and according to one of his professors, Lee Miringoff, was "energetic and focused." But Mr. Miringoff, who is the polling director for the Marist Institute, said that taking on Mr. Schumer would be a tall order for Mr. Mills.
Friends of Mr. Mills said yesterday that his ambition has always been to serve in Congress. He had worked as an aide to former Representative Benjamin Gilman. Several people said they expected that Mr. Mills was hoping to run a credible race, which would raise his profile and win the loyalty of party leaders who then would back him for another race.
Mr. Mills, however, said that he believes that as the chairman of the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee, he has demonstrated his ability to raise money, and that he plans to campaign vigorously around the state. And that he plans to win. "I see this as a step to the U.S. Senate," he said.
Anybody But Chuckie!
I don't think that's something we want to post here. It's OK to despise his politics and media whoring ways, but I don't think we need to post such things about the man.
His judicial obstructionism could be waved around the state from now until Election Day, but I don't think it would make any difference. The numbers are such that I think it would take a miracle for putzhead to lose.
Too many native New Yawkers have left permanently. The replacements seem to be almost all rats so that they enjoy a 5 to 3 advantage over the pubbies in registered voters. Both the witch and chucky defeated their opponents by at least 10%. My mother said she thought chucky is doing a good job. Say a prayer for a miracle. Help us Lord.
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