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.
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.
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.