In the primary race to take on pro-war, Social Security flip-flopping Bush Republican Vito Fossella (NY-13), Daily Gotham is backing Steve Harrison over Dominc Recchia, though with the understanding that BOTH Democrats are a welcome change over Fossella's enabling of Bush's failed agenda.

Already, fellow Daily Gotham writer Daniel Millstone uncovered a major difference in where Steve Harrison and Dominc Recchia stand on Iraq: Steve Harrison supports withdrawal, largely taking a similar stand to John Edwards and Bill Richardson, while Dominc Recchia expresses openness to the idea of permanent US bases in Iraq and borrows Bush talking point (perhaps with more honesty) that we should keep our troops in Iraq until the Iraqi army can take care of itself. Richardson, Edwards and, it seems, Harrison all support a regional military force taking over from the US as soon as possible rather than waiting for an indefinite period with permanent bases.

A look at the fundraising for the 4th quarter of 2007 reveals two other differences, neither surprising, but still revealing.

Dominic Recchia is supported by the Vito Lopez machine and so can pull in loads of developer money, while Steve Harrison is the grassroots candidate, so it came as no surprise (and was predicted by us at Daily Gotham) that Recchia would raise more than Harrison. And that did happen. So Recchia's ties to the Lopez machine paid off as expected.

But under these numbers is another trend: Steve Harrison is supported mostly by local residents of the NY-13 district while Dominic Recchia gets the overwhelming bulk of his contributions from outside sources. Steve Harrison is the Bay Ridge/Staten Island candidate while Dominic Recchia is the oursider, corporate candidate. Again, to those who are in the know, this is no surprise since Recchia does not even live in the district proper while Harrison lives in Bay Ridge and has family in both parts of the district. But it also emphasizes that money isn't all that is important. Being known in the district and being considered PART of the district is important as well, though is harded to quantify.

Here are the numbers:

Individual contributors to Steve Harrison:

29% in Brooklyn part of NY-13 (129 individuals)
31% in Staten Island part of NY-13 (138 individuals)
40% from outside district

Dolalr amount to Steve Harrison:

36% from Brooklyn part of NY-13
24% from Staten Island part of NY-13
40% from outside district

So 60% of Harrison's contributors and 60% of his money comes from within the NY-13 district.

Individual contributors to Dominc Recchia:

19% in Brooklyn part of NY-13 (77 individuals)
13% in Staten Island part of NY-13 (53 individuals)
68% from outside district

Dollar amount to Dominc Recchia:

9% from Brooklyn part of NY-13
5% from Staten Island part of NY-13
86% from outside district

This reflects what I have been saying all along. Recchia has the fundraising power of a machine dominated by developer money, so he can make a good showing in the filings. But he is not known in the district. Not only is he personally an outsider, but he doesn't have much support within the district. We need money behind someone who is INSIDE the district and whose supporters are INSIDE the district. Money behind Harrison is far more effective that money behind someone who will never be seen as part of the district. And you can do just that, put your money behind Steve Harrison, through the official Steve Harrison">Daily Gotham Act Blue Site. I believe it is the only way we can possibly win this district.

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