Posted on 08/02/2004 7:17:11 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
New York State Assemblyman Howard Mills said he will be using U.S. Senator Charles Schumer’s strengths against him during his run for the U.S. Senate.
Mills, a conservative Republican, discussed his campaign strategy with local media during a stop at Jeff Richard’s farm in the Town of Granby. The deputy minority leader of the New York State Assembly concedes that he has an "uphill battle" to defeat Sen. Schumer, a liberal Democrat.
"I’m leaving a safe seat in the legislature to make this run because I felt it was very important to have a very strong opponent to Sen. Schumer," said Mills. "I believe I can win if I get my message out. Generally speaking, I’m a small-government, less-taxes, more-personal-responsibility type of individual. I think my opponent has a different thinking of government."
Sen. Schumer’s strengths, Mills said, are his popularity and his war chest. "My strategy is to take what people perceive are his two greatest strengths—the fact that you see him all the time and his money—and point out the truth," he said. "You’ve seen him here in Oswego County but the real question is what has he done."
After deciding to run for the U.S. Senate, Mills said he held a news conference in Manhattan with 26 pine trees, which represent the number trees it required to produce the paper for all the news releases issued by Sen. Schumer in 2003
"In one year lone, Chuck Schumer sent out 796 press releases," he noted. "There are only 365 days in a year and he sent out 796 press releases. So we did a little math. Each press release went out to over 1,800 media outlets. Each press release was about a page and a half long. Do the math… and it comes to over two million sheets of paper. One tree will produce 80,500 sheets of paper and that equals 26 trees."
Some of those press releases, Mills said, were insignificant or non-newsworthy, such as his annual tax-tips release.
Another issue in the campaign is the size of Sen. Schumer’s war chest, which is reported to be around $25 million, the most money raised by a U.S. senator in the nation’s history, Mills said.
"We can talk about numbers and his $25 million but then would we have to talk about 156 and 11," he said.
According to Mills, Sen. Schumer has introduced 156 bills since he was elected to the Senate but only 11 were passed for a success rate of 7 percent. Seven of the 11 bills that were passed authorized name changes for post offices while two bills changed the name of a courthouse and a cemetery, he said. The remaining bills authorized a study for a park in Niagara County and a heritage trail, Mills added.
"That’s it," Mills noted. "That is all that our senior senator has done. That’s a fact. It is in the Senate’s records. That is all he has done but he has raised $25 million because he wants to run for governor. He’s not effective. He’s tireless worker but he works to promote his own agenda and we need a worker to promote New York."
Unlike his opponent, the assemblyman noted that he is a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights, including the right to bear arms.
"I have a A-plus NRA rating while voting in the state legislature," he noted. "That’s a very clear contrast with my opponent, Sen. Schumer, who is pretty much the number-one opponent to Second Amendment rights in the whole country."
Another of Mills’ strategies is to target upstate New York as a priority and secure enough votes in the heavily Democratic area of New York City.
"I have a campaign down there (New York City) and I’m campaigning all over the state," he noted. "In New York City, I have to get enough votes and I have to have a very strong turnout in upstate. For my campaign, I really need to do well upstate."
Mills said his campaign is the first statewide campaign not to be based in New York City. He decided to have his headquarters in Albany because it gives him "a good point to move around upstate."
Does this candidate have any chance of defeating Schumer? Would it be worthwhile to send a contribution to his campaign?
Huge longshot. ......your call.
It would probably be better to contribute to Thune's campaign to unseat Daschle.
"Does this candidate have any chance of defeating Schumer?"
Amen. And the states where it is expected to be close, and where the Rep. is a LOT better than the Dem. would probably include: SD, NC, OK, FL, CO.
Spend your money wisely!
Guitarist.
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