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A Plea From a Democrat in NY-13 Congressional District
This comes from a diary on Daily Kos from Rosalie907 (a resident in NY-13):
Only 2 days left to the end of the quarter
Steve Harrison is running here in New York's 13th Congressional District to defeat Vito Fossella the ONLY Republican member of Congress in New York City.
Vito Fossella has been my Congressman for 10 years and has been a yes man for the Bush Administration and the Republican Party all that time.
In 2006, with a late start and only a drop of support at the very end from the DCCC and very little money Steve Harrison got 43% of the vote (he actually only lost by about 13,000 votes). This time having already declared we ask that you donate to him either through his Web Site at www.steveharrisonforcongress.com or through his Act Blue page.
A Progressive Democratic like Steve will be an asset for all of us in Congress but the only way that we can get him there is if the money to fight Fossella is there. Fossella has continued to vote with the Bush Administration and continues to support Bush on the War In Iraq. We need Steve Harrison in Congress so please make a donation to his campaign. Thank you.
If I can add my two cents (once again), I met Steve Harrison back in 2006 and found him an excellent candidate. Very smart, very good at talking to people, from progressives to moderates, and very genuine.
You can donate to Steve (and to other NY State Democrats) through the official Daily Gotham Act Blue site. I just donated yesterday.
Read about the NY Time's endorsement of Steve Harrison in 2006.
Steve Harrison on National Security.
My original impression of Steve from 2006 after first meeting him.
Regarding Steve's opponent:
NY Times slams Vito Fossella
DCCC coverage of Vito Fossella
Oh please. Steve Harrison,
Oh please. Steve Harrison, again? He's an awful candidate. In a Democratic-tsunami year, in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans, Harrison was only able to muster 43%. He even lost his own, more liberal Brooklyn part of the district that just two years before Fossella lost. And he isn't all that progressive either. He donated to Fossella just a couple years before he ran! Fossella is very popular. He'll be very hard to beat. Harrison is the wrong candidate at the wrong time.
Oh Come ON!
Most objective observers think that being outspent more than 10:1 by Fossella and getting no support from DCCC means 43% was VERY respectable. That made the DCCC take notice a little after the fact, eying 2008.
And the NY Times sure thought Steve Harrison an excellent candidate and Vito Fossella pretty damned crappy. And since when do we consider a Bush Lap Dog like Fossella hard to beat when Bush's popularity is below 30%? Fossella has been a lousy advocate for NYC, preferring to kiss Karl Rove's ass while refusing to support security for NYC's ports, a plan Harrison has always supported.
Vito Fossella is part of the Bush/Cheney/Rove corrupt Republican faction that is collapsing like the levees Republicans neglected in New Orleans or the bridges Republicans neglected in Minnisota. Fossella is running scared and you know it. Harrison, if the DCCC gets its act together, can kick Lap Dog Fossella's ass right out of Congress.
And let's not forget...corrupt Republicans (like Vito Fossella) are increasingly unpopular among voters...including Republican voters. And believe me, I know many Republicans who LIKE Harrison and have grown to despise the sleazy little Fossella.
Iggy Blume
You say that Steve Harrison is an awful candidate but I guess you didn't see him cream Fossella in 5 debates. Harrison is Fossella's worst nightmare. True, there are many more Dems in the district than Republicans but did you see Vito's hate literature comparing Steve to Osama Bin Laden? Additionally, there are many DINO's in the district who have now gotten so disgusted with Fossella/Bush/Cheney/Rove, the war, economy, environment, eduction, healthcare, the mortgage crisis, Republican corruption, etc that they'll come back and vote for Steve.
Outspent 10-1 with no money for ads on TV and Radio and even mailings, but with a grass root volunteer base, Steve made everyone sit up and take notice. Remember he only had 9 months from when he declared to election day and Fossella had 2 years.
The 2006 Harrison Campaign seemed problematic
from a distance. I understand the devotion of many people to that campaign. For some of us, then, deciding where to put our energy, the 13th didn't feel right. For me personally and for a number I know, John Hall's campaign felt more promising.
Will 2008 be different for Steve Harrison? I don't know. Leftist people I know on the Island have not yet felt swept up in the campaign energy, they tell me. I'd much prefer it if I understood that the Harrison Campaign were mounting a serious challenge. It would be much easier to get to SI & Brooklyn for people all over NYC, than it would be to get to the other two possible districts nearby with GOP Congress Members -- Peter King (Nassau) Chris Shays (Fairfield).
Can those of you who are convinced of the viability of the Harrison effort explain better why this can work? I, and many others (I believe), are eager to be convinced. For example: where do things stand with endorsements?
Fundraising
I am hearing that he raised over $33,000 this quarter (really only 2/3 of the quarter). This without any institutional help. It is predicted that, including money from before and pledges and a fundraiser today, he will have $50,000. If that is accurate (and we will know when the official filing comes out) that is already half of what he had available for use in 2006 and he has that more than a year ahead. But we should wait for the filing to confirm that before we know where he is sitting.
Of course Fossella will have more. The question is, given that Harrison got 43% of the vote with only $100,000 to spend, outspent more than 10:1, little DCCC support and a late start, how will he do if he raises more money, already has a higher baseline name recognition and the DCCC is already eyeing the race? That last one alone should suggest to you a difference. The DCCC in essence admitted that they shouldn't have ignored NY-13 and stated that they wouldn't make the same mistake again. So what's different: earlier start, faster fundraising, and DCCC interest.
And as I pointed out before, dismissing a district with a weak Republican incumbent is never a good idea. Ask Congressman Loebsack, Congressman McNerney, Congressman Yarmouth... Picking your battles can be wise, and John Hall was clearly a good investment. But Fossella is not sitting well even with Republicans in the district.
Recchia Will Win
I'm surprised that this thread has not made one mention of City Council Member Dominic Recchia. He has shown interest in this race, and if he runs for the Democratic nomination, not only does he beat Harrison (big time), but he has a real shot to win against Fosella. Unlike Harrison, Recchia will get national money, and he'll run a real race with a real chance of winning.
Recchia...
Heard of him. Didn't he endorse Harrison in 2006? That really is about all I have heard about the guy. As far as I could tell, his endorsement didn't really help Harrison in the district. Why would he be able to get more votes when he has such a tenuous and apparently ineffective connection with the district?
Harrison has been making contacts all over: Union, progressive, blogger. Most haven't seen hide nor hair of Recchia. When is he going to bother to announce? When is he going to bother to actually do something about running?
I am a Harrison supporter because I grew to know him in 2006 and found him quite good. Felt it was a pity he got a late start. But believe me, whichever candidate makes it through the primary is likely to get my support in the general as long as they aren't too nasty in the process. I just wonder why Recchia thinks he can do better than Harrison when his name carried such little weight in 2006.
TRY THIS
Recchia DOESN'T live in the district and if you asked 20 people who he was at least 19 wouldn't know. Harrison is known in the district, liked and runs a REAL race. Recchia has NO SHOT at beating Fossella and I wouldn't even be able to beat him in one debate unlike Steve Harrison who beat Fossella in all 5 debates.
If you like your Democrats
out of the County Committee mold, by all means go for Recchia.
The reasons are obvious
I still believe that Recchia would be a much better candidate.
He is currently a City Council Member, which means that he has a positive legislative record. Outside of NYC it may be ordinary for a candidate to have no prior political experience as an elected official before running for the US House of Representatives, but here in NYC, Congress is not supposed to be the first stop for a politician. Simply put, Harrison doesn't have the necessary experience, both as a candidate, and as a legislator to win that seat.
As for where he lives, there is no requirement that a candidate live in the District before they get elected. From what I have read, Recchia has lived in the area for his entire life, and outside of blogs like this, technicalities regarding whether a person does or does not live in a district only matters if that person isn't familiar with the district. My understanding is that his current Council district overlaps the Congressional district, so he has worked in the Congressional district, has probably funded programs in that district, and probably has very strong relationships with people and community leaders in the Congressional district, regardless of where he hangs his hat at night.
Wouldn't Harrison make a better City Council member?
Recchia's Record
Leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, he's more of a Bush Democrat than anything else.
As for him "having experience" I wouldn't call that a plus and in a lot of cases it will and could be a minus. Steve may not have held any elective office but he's the best candidate to beat Fossella in a general election.
You're right it doesn't matter on election day if a candidate does or doesn't live in the district but Staten Island is not a place where an outsider (and believe me that's what Recchia would be considered) can run for office and expect to win. No politican on SI can help him with that either and, in fact, they may wind up hurting their own political future. If Recchia knows so much about that district he would know that and open his eyes to reality. Harrison has also and is working with community leaders not only in Gravesend (where the districts overlap) but on Staten Island,Bay Ridge,Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst/Bath Beach.
Now, why don't you go back a tell Recchia to either run for BP (maybe even Public Advocate or another city position) or work full time at his law practice where he's currently pulling in about $250,000 in addition to his parttime Council salary. Oh wait, maybe he can talk Nadler into retiring and run in CD-8, where he resides.