NY-13: Staten Island Republicans Nominate Vito Fossella to Challenge McMahon

What on earth is going on here?

I just confirmed with a source who was at tonight’s executive committee meeting of the Staten Island GOP that both Michael Allegretti and Michael Grimm were turned down for the nomination for ex-Rep. Vito Fossella’s old seat (now held by Democratic Rep. Michael McMahon) in favor of… Vito Fossella.

The ex-rep was not present at the meeting, but his name was put up by Chairman John Friscia, the source told me. …

Both Allegretti and Grimm went through the interview process before Fossella was nominated in absentia, the source said: “There was no explanation. Everybody walked out with their mouths, like, hung open. [Fossella] didn’t ask for our endorsement or our support. John Friscia did.”

Fossella has, in the past, said that he has no plans to run again this cycle, but at the same time, we haven’t heard anything definitive out of him… and we have heard persistent whispers that he’s trying to find some way to plan a comeback. If there was any doubt, it now looks like Fossella is trying to muscle Allegretti and Grimm out of the field. I don’t know what’s more surprising: the fact that Fossella is apparently pulling the trigger on a comeback so soon, or the fact that the Staten Island GOP is so eager to lend him an assist.

For his part, ex-Rep. and ex-Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari is fuming mad:

“I’m deeply troubled. I think the status of the Republican Party on Staten Island has reached a new low tonight. Fossella has been playing his usual game at the expense of two other candidates, Michael Grimm and Michael Allegretti,” Molinari said.

“I have a difficult time that Fossella would put his own personal ambitions above his family. His family has been through enough and I couldn’t believe that he would be willing to put them through all of that once again. If Fossella were to win, the investigation that was dropped when he (chose not to run for reelection) would be reopened. I am told that there are other matters that would be brought to the surface if he were to win again.”

Asked if he believed Fossella had any knowledge of the Executive Committee’s plans, Molinari said bluntly: “There’s no way this would have been done tonight without his knowing it.”

Added Molinari: We have a fine candidate in Michael Grimm. I welcome a primary with Fossella…It’s going to be ugly, it’s going to be nasty, but he has to know that would come out in the course of a campaign…Everything he has done will be brought to light by me in this campaign.”

Wow. Let the games begin.

(Hat-tip: GOPVoter)

25 thoughts on “NY-13: Staten Island Republicans Nominate Vito Fossella to Challenge McMahon”

  1. I knew that Staten Islanders defied logic. But hey, Alcee Hastings recovered from impeachment to get elected to Congress. Why not Vito?

  2. My home state GOP is just hilarious from Panic! At Tedisco to Doug Hoffman, the hits keep on coming. An expensive primary in an extremely (obviously) expensive market.

    Does this mean Souder presses his luck next year in Indiana? I just loveeee GOP sex scandals.

  3. John Edwards should run for his old Senate seat. Elaine Marshall and Cal Cunningham need to step aside.

  4. I’d think about moving… Will any of these people be able to show their faces even at NY state GOP meetings?

  5. The bad news is Fosella is still tremendously popular in Staten Island.  I have no idea why but people love him.  All things equal he stands the best chance of beating McMahon.

    The good news is this is going to break the Republican Party to pieces all over again.  The Grimm candidacy is part of Molinari’s effort to retake the party from Friscia.  Which is partly why Friscia has absolutely no problem sticking it to Molinari’s toy Grimm.

    Since Molinari’s middle name is “petty” and Fosella probably beats both Grimm and Aligretti what I’d be most curious about is whether the Conservative Party continues to back Grimm.  Especially since I can’t see the teabagging contingent rallying to Vito.

    The question in the end is whether McMahon will be hurt by having a much stronger candidate to run against or helped by a new outbreak of drama laden Republican disunity?  

    Given we were still in the driver’s seat before this I can’t say I’m liking this.

  6. It foments the same ridiculous GOP civil war that cost them the seat last cycle, AND Fossella is a credible enough opponent that the WFP will have to delay messing with McMahon until next cycle – if they don’t endorse formally, I could see them at least quietly pushing their support to him to avoid a re-run of a guy who had a 20% lifetime rating from the AFL-CIO when he was the incumbent.

    Besides, the other NY apostates on the HCR bill are pretty much gone anyway. Arcuri’s a major screwup who’ll lose his district easily, and pre-implosion Massa was the only Dem who could hold the 29th. Neither of those districts will probably be there in their current form in 2 years anyway, esp. if NY underperforms in the census and ends up losing a second seat because no one in Williamsburg sent their forms back. 😛

    Either way, the WFP should have a more manageable Dem herd to work with next cycle regardless of what happens to McMahon, but backing McMahon is definitely in their best interest now.  

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