Posted on 12/22/2005 10:02:26 AM PST by Behind Liberal Lines
The crop of possible Democratic candidates mulling a run at Rep. Sherwood Boehlert's seat in the 24th Congressional District keeps growing.
Three high-profile Democrats from Oneida County confirmed this week that they're pondering the possibility of campaigning against Boehlert, R-New Hartford, next year.
They are Oneida County District Attorney Michael Arcuri, Utica lawyer Leon Koziol and Jeff Miller, a Utica College teacher who lost to Boehlert in 2004.
Also, Les Roberts, a Democrat from Cincinnatus, Cortland County, has filed a candidate disclosure form with the Federal Election Commission, indicating his candidacy for the 24th District.
Roberts lectures part time at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., and has worked for the World Health Organization.
Boehlert, a 12-term incumbent and New York's senior Republican in Congress, has yet to declare his candidacy, but said, "I have every intention of running."
The vast district encompasses all or parts of 11 counties, including Cayuga, Cortland and Oneida counties. Any Democrat goes into the race as the underdog at least on paper since registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats by some 40,000 voters in the district.
Koziol and Miller each said they have committees looking into the viability of running against Boehlert. Both of them and Arcuri said they would decide whether to run or not in the next couple of months.
"I need to hear from the public if they want what I'm offering to them," said Koziol, a lawyer for 20 years who recently represented Upstate Citizens for Equality against the Oneida Indian Nation of New York.
He also served two terms as a Utica city councilor in the 1990s and was that city's corporation counsel in 1996-97.
Laurie Michelman, the Democratic Party chairwoman in Cayuga County, said she thinks the swelling interest in the race bodes well for her party and indicates Democrats' dissatisfaction with Boehlert's performance.
"I think it's a good thing because it brings a lot of interest to the race (and shows) that a lot of individuals disapprove of the performance of our current leadership, and particularly Boehlert," she said.
Boehlert said he holds Arcuri and Koziol in high regard, but is concentrating on his job rather than thinking about who will challenge him in 2006.
"We're engaged in a meaningful way . . . shaping public policy in a responsible way. . . . We're going to just keep that up," he said.
Boehlert already faces a challenge within his party from former Seneca Falls Mayor Brad Jones, who is campaigning as a conservative alternative to Boehlert's moderate Republicanism.
Last month, Arcuri won another four-year term as district attorney. He said he holds "utmost respect" for Boehlert but said he believes the district needs a new representative in Congress.
"It's time for new ideas, it's time for a change," he said.
Proving, one more time, that alienating the GOP base by being a "moderate" Republican will not immunize you from the Democrats.
Unfortunately this disgrace of a republican is my congressman. I'm going to be working for and contributing to, anyone that will run against this oily puke in the primaries.
At least we don't have to deal with Amo Houghton any longer.
Boehlert's an egotistical scumbag, on a personal level. I know stuff about him that folks here would not like very much. The GOP does not need jerks like him.
Lincol Davis (D, TN) has a better conservative rating than your RINO.
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