Steve Harrison

Democratic City Councilman Domenic Recchia of Brooklyn just announced he is dropping out of the race for Vito Fossella's congressional seat.

Staten Island Democrats recently endorsed another candidate, City Councilman Mike McMahon. Although the district lies partly in Brooklyn, Staten Island residents are a majority.

In the release, Recchia says he thinks Democrats should be "united as a party" to win the seat, currently held by a Republican.  read more »

City Councilman Mike McMahon, who is running for the congressional seat Vito Fossella is vacating, was endorsed last night by the Staten Island Democratic Party.  read more »

At first glance, the potential (likely?) demise of Vito Fossella's political career makes for a timely boost for Democrats, who are now in prime position to claim the 13th District congressional seat he has held since 1997.

But it may be more trouble than it's worth.

The district certainly is winnable for Democrats, especially if Fossella opts to seek re-election despite the scandals exploding around him. But even if he doesn't – and there is word this afternoon that his resignation is now imminent – either of the Democrats now running, Steve Harrison and Domenic Recchia, would probably have a better-than-even chance against the Republican-to-be-named-later in the fall.

The 13th District is easily the most conservative in New York City and traditionally sends a Republican to Congress, but Democrats actually enjoy a slight partisan advantage. Largely because of 9/11, George W. Bush carried it by 10 points in 2004, but a more accurate expression of the district's leanings can be found in the 2000 election, when Al Gore won it by eight points over Bush. Moreover, the political climate strongly favors Democrats in 2008 (just look at the party's string of special election wins in GOP bastions this year), which figures to boost the Democratic nominee in the 13th by a few potentially pivotal points.  read more »

Councilman Domenic Recchia has kept a low profile since the congressman he is trying to unseat, Vito Fossella, got arrested for driving drunk.

But when political consultant Jefrey Pollock prefaced remarks about Fossella on NY1 last night by saying he’s working for Recchia’s campaign, that was news.  read more »

In his first appearance since being arrested in Virginia for drunk driving, Republican Congressman Vito Fossella said he’s not resigning and he hopes the residents of his Staten Island-Brooklyn district forgive him for what he said was a one-time mistake.

“It was a big mistake and I made it and I’m here to apologize to the people I represent,” he said, speaking at the Hilton hotel on Staten Island. “I was brought up man enough to know it’s time to admit mistakes and apologize.”

Fossella spoke for about six minutes, and walked away when I tried asking if he would enter rehab. An aide said later there was no need for it.  read more »

 

Here's Steve Harrison, the less-funded of the two Democrats looking to unseat Representative Vito Fossella, speaking to a bunch of Democratic clubs last night at a bar in Manhattan.  read more »

A number of local Democratic clubs, including the Howard Dean-spawned DFNYC, are meeting tonight to decide which Democrat they will support in the race to unseat the only Republican Congressman in the city, Vito Fossella.

They are choosing between term-limited City Councilman Domenic Recchia and Steve Harrison, who lost to Fossella in 2006.

Fossella, a 10-year incumbent who represents Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, is a frequent target of left-of-center groups in the city--his opponent's supporters have called him the "last conservative in the city." (The effort to unseat him has even given rise to a dedicated blog.)

In a similar vein, an email reminder for tonight's event says, “Fossella has been a rubber-stamp for the Bush-Cheney White House.”

Both Democratic contenders have been fund-raising this year, although Fossella has made a point of making it known that he has plenty of money to get reelected.

Hosting the event tonight are the Stonewall Democratic Club, Three Parks Independent Democratic Club, Village Reform Democratic Club and an organization called Truth 13.

Here's the email:  read more »

Here's a shot from a congestion pricing forum in Brooklyn last night, where Anthony Weiner made an unannounced appearance, alongside likely mayoral rival, and fellow critic, Tony Avella (far right). In the middle, that's Steve Harrison, another critic of the plan and current candidate for congress.  read more »

Facing attacks from a group of local veterans over his campaign's ties to Gloria Steinem, Democratic congressional candidate Steve Harrison is choosing to stand by the famed women's rights activist.

Steinem has endorsed and actively supported Harrison in his campaign to win a congressional seat representing parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island.

She was widely criticized last week for implying that John McCain’s experience as a prisoner of war is overrated. Steinem made the comments as she campaigned for Hillary Clinton, who she is also actively supporting. The Clinton campaign denounced her remarks.

In a letter dated March 5, a group of local veterans demand that Harrison not only denounce Steinem, but return the money he took in at a fund-raiser where she was on the host committee.

In response, Harrison released a public statement last night that that reads in part:

“I do not read her comments as disparaging Senator McCain or his military service. She only states that his service alone is not enough for him to lead the nation.

[skip]

I will not cast Ms. Steinem aside for exercising that right concerning Senator McCain's candidacy. After all, had Ms. Steinem not wielded free speech so deftly on behalf of women during the past four decades, it is likely that American woman would still be cast in the role of second class citizens. None of us should want that."

The veteran's letter and Harrison's full response after the jump.  read more »

The day after Rudy Giuliani dropped out the presidential campaign, the city’s only Republican Congressman says he has plenty of money on hand for his own re-election campaign this November.  read more »

Supporters of congressional candidate Steve Harrison are having a fund-raiser this Thursday, and are banking on the anti-conservative message to bring in the checks.

From the email, being circulated by supporters Hilda B. Classon and Betsy Malcolm:

It's true, within all five boroughs, Vito Fossella is the last conservative Republican in our city. Mr. Fossella enjoys an 81% positive rating from the Christian Coalition and 78% from The American Conservative Union. A man whose votes in the House say, “Whatever George Wants, Bush gets from Vito.”

For Harrison, it may be a good fund-raising message, but it ignores the fact that another Democratic candidate, Domenic Recchia, is raising money and vowing to get into the race.

Full text of the email after the jump.  read more »

A reader (thank you!) passed on this invitation to City Councilman Domenic Recchia’s first major congressional fund-raiser, taking place on October 24 at Gargiulo’s Restaurant in Brooklyn.

The invite also includes quotes from newspaper paper stories from the New York Post, Crain’s and elsewhere. They’re a little fuzzy, but I’m sure it’s positive stuff.  read more »

I just asked Democratic City Councilman Domenic Recchia about the story that he leaked information about a Democrat challenging Republican congressman Vito Fossella.

The first reaction of Recchia, who is now is the planning stages of his own run against Fossella, was a long, hearty laugh.

“I was not involved with the Barbaro campaign,” he said, referring to Frank Barbaro, the Democrat who narrowly lost to Fossella in 2004. “I had no idea what was going on in the Barbaro campaign. I was not involved whatsoever. I had no information.”

Recchia says the story was put out there in order to undermine him, because “the Republicans and Vito Fossella are afraid of Domenic Recchia because the internal research is showing Domenic Recchia is going to win. And this is their way to send a message to me not to run.”

About his possible Democratic opponent Steve Harrison, who ran against Fossella last year and is raising money to run again next year,

Recchia said, “Steve is a nice guy. He ran a good campaign on the surroundings he had. He should have been out there last year raising money.”

What about facing Harrison in a primary?

"Whatever happens, happens.”

There may be something of a fight to see which Democrat takes on Representative Vito Fossella, the city’s only Republican congressman, in next year’s elections.

Steve Harrison, a local lawyer who got no support from the Democratic establishment during his unsuccessful bid against Fossella in 2006, just announced that he raised $45,000 in two weeks.

More after the jump.  read more »

Here's a rather reserved 30-second robo-call Hillary Clinton recorded for Steve Harrison, the Democrat running against Rep. Vito Fossella in New York's 13th congressional district in Brooklyn and Staten Island.

"I'm proud to be supporting Steve Harrison, a long-time community activist and leader. New York needs congressmen like Steve to take on the challenges we face in health care and education and to ensure that New York gets its fair share from Washington."

She's doing her part for Harrison, certainly, although she doesn't sound particularly anxious to attack a Republican incumbent she obviously gets along with .

-- Azi Paybarah

Here's Vito Fossella's latest television ad, making neat use of split-screen technology. In portion, there's an African-American man wearing an easy-to-read NYPD hat, looking straight into the camera. In another, there's a shot of Fossella walking with Mike Bloomberg.

On Saturday, remember, Congressional Quarterly had mixed news for Fossella.

"Conservative-leaning Staten Island and the lack of financial resources for Democratic lawyer Steve Harrison makes Fossella a solid favorite for a fifth term. But Fossella's own strategy, including a heavily negative campaign, suggests that New York City's only House Republican doesn't feel totally safe."

In contrast with the happy split-screen, this ad may or may not be part of that "heavily negative campaign," but my guess is that anybody who speaks Russian will think so.

-- Azi Paybarah

Here is an unusual piece of literature from Rep. Vito Fossella's campaign, which features the image of Osama Bin Laden.

Next to the phrase "Steve Harrison opposes key tools in the war on terrorism" is a headshot of Bin Laden, somebody the Republican Party hasn't been very keen on mentioning lately.

The strategy for most Republicans this year has been to focus on local issues - like Tom Reynolds and the snow storm in Buffalo. Fossella, then, is that rarest of Republicans who appears to be trying to nationalize his race in what is expected to be a pretty dismal year for the GOP.  read more »

(Note the kicker: "Steve Harrison: Wacky Ideas...Wrong for Staten Island.")

Note: This piece of literature also got some attention here. -- Azi Paybarah

Rep. Vito Fossella and Steve Harrison had not one, but two debates yesterday, and the State Island Advance has a story on it over here. And while your eyes glazed over the who-said-what portion of the story, I noticed this well-placed ad for one of the candidates.

Who has to worry about a story's angle when you can advertise inside the story.

I'm not computer literate enough to get a screen capture of it, but I'm sure it'll be preserved by Harrison supporters as proof of the steep road some Democrats had to face in this mostly-favorable election cycle.

-- Azi Paybarah

Tonight, Chuck Schumer and Rep. Anthony Weiner hold a fundraiser for Stephen Harrison, the Democrat challenging the city's only Republican congressman, Vito Fossella of the 13th congressional district.

But despite the visit from his better-known colleagues -- and despite the prospect of big Democratic victories elsewhere in New York this year -- Harrison's challenge to Fossella hasn't commanded much attention.

The only time the race has made much of a stir, at least outside of Staten Island, has been when Fossella was fined $59,000 last week for misusing Elmo pictures that originally appeared in congressional mail, or when he used campaign money for a family ski trip.

So what about Harrison?

He told me in a recent interview that he's optimistic that the seat "can be won by Democrats strictly on a 'get out the vote' situation," pointing out that the Republicans are actually at a considerable registration disadvantage in the district.

But, he said, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is "certainly not helping," between their "cookie-cutter formulas" for winning races and their unsuccessful attempt to lure Bill de Blasio into making the contest.

For anyone interested in knowing more about Harrison, a fuller transcript of the Q&A is after the jump.  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah