Potential Candidates for Michael Grimm’s House Seat Begin to Surface

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/31/nyregion/potential-candidates-for-michael-grimms-house-seat-begin-to-surface.html ^ | PATRICK McGEEHAN and JASON HOROWITZ

[ObamahatesPACoal]

Daniel M. Donovan Jr., the district attorney in the controversial police chokehold case on Staten Island, appears poised to run for the seat in Congress about to be vacated by Representative Michael G. Grimm, and may face several adversaries if he does.

Mr. Donovan, who impaneled the grand jury that cleared a police officer in the July death of Eric Garner, said in a statement on Tuesday that he was “very seriously considering the race.” But some other prominent Republicans and Democrats also expressed interest, either publicly or privately, in running for Mr. Grimm’s seat.

Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican assemblywoman who represents parts of Staten Island and Brooklyn, said that she was “seriously considering” seeking the seat. On the Democratic side, Mr. Grimm’s predecessor, Michael E. McMahon, said he was “definitely taking a look” at running.

Other potential candidates include Andrew Lanza, a Republican state senator, and Michael Cusick, a Democratic assemblyman, according to officials in both parties.

[Impy]

Looks like Staten Island DA Dan Donovan will be the GOP nominee, he just snagged the Staten Island party chairman’s endorsement, all the heavy hitters seem to be backing him.

A defeat for Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who wants the gig.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Doesn’t look like Donovan will have much of a problem easing into the seat. With S.I.’s epic repulsion at Kaiser Wilhelm, he’s badly hurting Dem chances here.

[campaignPete R-CT]

do I go and campaign for Donovan?

[Impy]

NY RINO Chris Gibson is the first 2016 House retirement, is thinking of running for Governor in 2018.

[campaignPete R-CT]

y is Gibson rino?

[Impy]

Cause he’s not that conservative? Am I wrong?

[fieldmarshaldj]

No need. This is one special election even the NY GOP can’t blow.

[fieldmarshaldj]

The NY Republican ratings (from the ACU) are awful. The 2014 ratings haven’t been released, yet, but the last ones from 2013 showed just mediocrity across the board.

Gibson and Peter King (Sinn Fein-L.I.) scored 36% Conservative. Richard Hanna scored a 48%, and he’s supposed to be worse than either. Tom Reed got a 52%, down from 80%. Chris Collins scored the highest at 64%, but that’s nowhere close to being Conservative. But who scored the worst ? None other than Grimm at 27%, who managed to be to the left of now-ex Dem Cong. Dan Maffei, who got a 28%. Even my bizarre Congressman Cooper here in TN got a 28%.

[Impy]

ACU ratings have been bizarre in recent years

I see a lot freepers touting the Heritage foundation scores,

http://www.heritageactionscorecard.com/members

In those, Gibson got a 26% the worst of a NY Republican, Grimm a 32%, King a 35%, Hanna (who yes I thought was the worst of the bunch) a 40%. Reed 41%, Collins 44%, defeated rat Maffei 14%.

National Journal had Gibson rated the most liberal House Republican, they had Jim Matheson (D) a space ahead of him and John Barrow (D) a space ahead of Grimm and Hanna (right above Barrow, RINO Walter Jones).

http://www.nationaljournal.com/free/document/download/5075-1

In any case there seems to be general agreement that Gibson is not very conservative. I hope the wealthy homosexual rat whom he crushed in November is not the next Congressman. This seat was 52%-46% Obama, should be close again in 2016.

[AuH2ORepublican]

My impression is that Gibson is pro-life and pro-military but otherwise moderate-to-liberal; Hanna is virulently pro-abortion, but less liberal than Gibson on other issues.

In the Staten Island/Brooklyn NY-11 special, I don’t think that the Democrats have a chance, even if they nominate an Italian from Staten Island (why the heck has neither party run one since Fossella stepped down?). Donovan would be fine, and likely will be more conservative than Grimm, but I would prefer for Nicole Malliotakis to get the nod (it might be too late, though, since the Staten Island Machine has spoken) given that State Senator Andrew Lanza does not appear to be interested. Malliotakis is a young, attractive woman that represents both Staten Island and Brooklyn in the State Assembly, and being half Greek and half Cuban will help us with outreach; plus, if she’s the nominee instead of Donovan, the airwaves won’t be saturated with ads depicting Democrats holding their necks and saying “I can’t breathe,” since, unlike Donovan, Malliotakis was not the prosecutor that failed to obtain an indictment against the cops in the Garner case.

[Impy]

I didn’t realize Gibson was pro-life, so he’s sorta a Mark Hatfield type (aside from being pro-military) and Hanna is a Bob Packwood type.

Re: Malliotakis, I agree, but whatareyougonnado, as we know, ain’t no primaries in NY House specials.

The lack of Italian candidates in recent elections is amusing.

[fieldmarshaldj]

If the Dems try that pro-Garner tack on S.I., it’s going to blow up in their faces. S.I. is the most pro-cop borough and I imagine that Kaiser Wilhelm is as popular as AIDS there.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Oh, I don’t think for a second that Donovan could lose the special. I’m just saying that Democrats will be more obnoxious than usual.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Hard to tell the difference these days.

[Clemenza]

If you live on Staten Island, and are not a cop or Fireman, then you are married to one.

[campaignPete R-CT]

Gibson says he is pro-choice and then he voted pro-life about 11 times out of 12.

Expect a primary now that the thing is open. primary in Sept 16

here is one guy. Also John Faso.
http://themillbrookindependent.com/news/richard-wager-candidate

[Impy]

Federal primary is in June 2016, remember NY has a separate state office primary (that’s the one in Sept.), a foolish waste of money.

“Gibson says he is pro-choice and then he voted pro-life about 11 times out of 12.”

Weird.

[AuH2ORepublican]

John Faso would be good. Politics1.com lists a bunch of potential candidates:

District 19:
[ Chris Gibson (R)* - Retiring in 2016. ]
Kathy Jimino (R) - Rensselaer County Executive & Ex-Rensselaer County Legislator
Pete Lopez (R) - State Assemblyman, Ex-Schoharie County Clerk & Ex-Schoharie Village Supervisor
Steve McLaughlin (R) - State Assemblyman, Mortgage Banker & Ex-Airline Pilot
Marc Molinaro (R) - Dutchess County Executive, Ex-State Assemblyman & Ex-Tivoli Village Mayor
Jim Seward (R) - State Sen., Ex-Milford Town Justice & Ex-Otsego County GOP Chair
Sean Eldridge (D) - Venture Capitalist & ‘14 Nominee
Pat Fahy (D) - State Assemblywoman, Ex-Albany School Board Member & Ex-Congressional Aide
Terry Gipson (D) - Ex-State Sen., Ex-Rhinebeck Village Trustee & Video/Event Production Designer
Mike Hein (D) - Ulster County Executive, Ex-Ulster County Administrator & Ex-Bank Manager
Julian Schreibman (D) - Ex-Ulster County Democratic Chair, Attorney & ‘12 Nominee
Joanne Yepsen (D) - Saratoga Springs Mayor, Ex-Saratoga County Supervisor & Non-Profit Group Consultant

I hope that Jim Seward doesn’t run, since he’d have to give up his competitive state senate seat to do so. If Faso doesn’t run, Pete Lopez sounds like the best choice (just about all of his state assembly district lies within the NY-18).

[AuH2ORepublican]

Well, sounds like Kane not only won’t be able to run against Toomey as she originally planned, but that she won’t even be able to run for reelection a AG:

http://mobile.philly.com/news/politics/?wss=/philly/news/politics&id=287955551&;