Tag: Vito Fossella

The news just broke here in New York City on Fox 5. Vito Fossella, the Republican from the 13th district of New York who was arrested for drunk driving two weeks ago and was discovered to have a love child with a mistress will NOT run for reelection in November, but he will serve out his term.  

That opens up another seat ripe for the taking. The district, based in Staten Island and includes parts of Southwestern Brooklyn, has a PVI of D+1. Gore won here in 2000, but Bush won in 2004. This is the third open Republican seat in New York State. Half of the state’s Republicans are retiring.

Possible Republican candidates may include State Senator Andrew Lanza, NYC Councilman James Oddo, Staten Island DA Dan Donovan.

Democratic candidates Steve Harrison and Dominic Recchia are in the race, but an open seat may entice a couple of strong Staten Island Democrats; State Senator Diane Savino, State Assemblyman Mike Cusick, NYC Councilman Michael McMahon.  

(Impressive work.  From the diaries with a few minor edits. – promoted by James L.)

By now you know Rep. Vito Fossella did some very bad things.  There are a lot of news articles and blog posts covering his immoral behavior.  I don’t need to get into that, instead I am here to provide a better understanding of just who these potential Democratic candidates are that are suddenly being talked about.  To start with, only one candidate has declared for this race, Steve Harrison.  Additionally, City Councilman Domenic Recchia is raising money for this race but has yet to declare his candidacy or put together a campaign staff of any kind for almost eight months.  The rest of this diary is going to focus on three Democratic office holders from Staten Island; State Senator Diane Savino, Assemblyman Mike Cusick and City Councilman Mike McMahon.  

Assembly Member Mike Cuisck

Mike Cusick is a State Assembly member representing the 63rd Assembly District covering mid island of Staten Island. His district is overlapped on the congressional district (green below);

From his Assembly bio;

Prior to his election, Cusick served as Director of Constituent Services for U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer.

snip

He was instrumental in researching and developing statewide legislation, including the law to close the Fresh Kills Landfill.

Assemblymember Cusick was first elected to the Assembly in 2002 and has won re-election in 2004 and 2006.  He is up for re-election this November.

2006

Cusick (D, I, C, WFP): 62% (13,086)

Grossman (R): 38% (5,775)

Congressional totals in the 63 AD

Harrison (D, WFP):  44% (8,547)

Vito (R, I, C):  56% (11,215)

Why he could be the nominee

Cusick represents the mid-island which separates the very Democratic North Shore from the very Republican South Shore.  He has a large amount of bi-partisan appeal, needed to hold this seat.  In 2006 he was endorsed by both the Independence and Conservative Parties who had endorsed Rep. Fossella in the congressional race.  While Rep. Fossella won this Assembly District in his 2006 Congressional run, Cusick managed to get even more voters than Fossella in his down ballot race.

Rep. Anthony Weiner has publicly stated his support for Cusick and his desire that he run for this seat.  While Weiner’s seat is in Queens and not in this district he is considered a top tier mayoral candidate which may give his ‘endorsement’ additional weight and resources.

His previous boss was Sen. Schumer.  Schumer could provide access to his donors, although he offered very little to Harrison after his endorsement in 2006.

The DCCC has been apparently dropping his name as someone of interest.  As far back as 2005 the DCCC had been trying to recruit him.

Why he might not be the nominee

Cusick has been on everyone’s short list for at least the 2006 and 2008 congressional race yet has passed on both opportunities.  He has what appears to be a seat in the Assembly for as long as he wants it and would have to give that up if he ran for Congress in a general election.  

If he gives up his Assembly seat it will not be as easy for Democrats to hold as Savino’s senate seat or McMahon’s city council seat.  That said the Democrats hold a 2:1 advantage in the Assembly so this would be a minor loss for the state party.

He would start a congressional campaign with no money.

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Sen. Diane Savino

Diane Savino is a State Senator representing the 23rd Sentate District covering the north shore of Staten Island as well as portions of Brooklyn including Borough Park, Coney Island, Bensonhurst, and Sunset Park. Her senate district is overlapped on the congressional district (green below);

From her State Senate bio;

An active member of her local labor union, the Social Service Employees Union, Local 371, DC 37 of AFSCME, she quickly rose through the ranks to become the Vice President for Political Action & Legislative Affairs, where she became one of the most respected labor leaders in New York State.

Sen. Savino was first elected to State Senate in 2004 and won re-election in 2006.  She is up for re-election this November.

2004

Diane Savino (D, WFP): 63%

Al Curtis (R, I, C): 37%

2006

Diane Savino (D, I, WFP): 99%

no opponent

Why she could be the nominee

As noted above she has great ties to the labor community.  In 2004 the Democratic nominee Frank Barbaro was able to raise $187,000 of his $425,000 from union contributions.  She should be able to easily match Barbaro’s financial success.

Savino was an Executive Board member for Working Families Party.  WFP has been instrumental in providing very strong ground operations in two high profile State Senate  races, Craig Johnson and Darrel Aubertine. I often noted before Fossella’s latest ethics problem that involvement by WFP would be critical in flipping this seat.  She has the strongest connection of any of the candidates to WFP.

The DCCC has been apparently dropping her name as someone of interest.  As far back as 2005 the DCCC had been trying to recruit her.

Why she might not be the nominee

A victory for Savino would put a state senate seat up for grabs in a year Democrats possibly are going to flip the Senate.  She also is co-chair of the New York State Democratic Senate Campaign Committee and in charge of recruitment.  Certainly the New York State Party would not be supportive of her giving up this seat and she would give up all of her work towards reclaiming a majority.  

Diane has up until this point publicly supported Domenic Recchia.  Recchia would need to most likely drop out before Savino would enter.

She would start a congressional campaign with no money.

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City Council Member Mike McMahon

Mike McMahon is a member of the New York City Council, representing the north shore of Staten Island including the neighborhoods of; Rosebank, Westerleigh, New Brighton, West Brighton, Mariners Harbor, Stapleton, St. George, Park Hill, Port Richmond, Clifton, Arlington, Grymes Hill and Dongan Hills.  His district is overlapped on the congressional district (green below);

McMahon was first elected in 2001, has won re-election in 2005 and will be term limited out of office in 2009.

2005

Mike McMahon (D, WFP, C): 70%

Jody Hall (R): 30%

Why he could be the nominee

McMahon chairs the Sanitation Committee which is extremely influential in Staten Island with its history as a waste transfer and landfill end point at Great Kills.  His leadership on the issue would be a strong campaigning point.

The DCCC has been apparently dropping his name as someone of interest.  As far back as 2005 the DCCC had been trying to recruit him.

The somewhat corresponding 60th Assembly District was carried by Harrison with 57% and Barbaro with 54%.  If McMahon could carry it with his 70% he could gain anywhere from 3,000-7,000 additional votes depending on turnout.  That could amount to a 2-3% increase based on 2006 results.  

Why he might not be the nominee

McMahon is a partner in the law firm of O’Leary, McMahon and Spero.  In his current role as a member of city council he is able to continue practicing law and earning income from his law firm.  He would have to give this up if he were elected to Congress.  The base city council salary is $112,000 whereas the base congressional salary is around $175,000.  This difference may be enough to allow him to give up the law firm and afford to raise a family in New York City.

His wife Judith Novellino McMahon is currently serving as a Civil Court judge and is running for the state Supreme Court in this fall.  Mike McMahon has indicated he intends to actively campaign for his wife which may be difficult if he is involved in a Congressional race.  The two also have two children.  The prospects of his wife obtaining a higher judicial role and him splitting time between DC and Staten Island may not be enticing for their family.

McMahon has often been mentioned as a likely candidate for the Staten Island Borough Presidency race in 2009.  This would allow him to stay home yet continue his political involvement in the district and is possibly more appealing than DC.

He would start a congressional campaign with no money.

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Should the Democratic side of this race go to a primary I do not foresee any reason why more than one of the above would jump, if any.  I have even outlined above why we may not see any of them enter the race at all.  All of them have previously passed on the opportunity for various reasons, so it would not be unrealistic to not see any of them get in this time.  If you want to place odds on them in terms of favorites, I believe they would come in the same order as in this post; Cusick, Savino then McMahon.  

I have covered Vito Fossella and the NY-13 Congressional race for three years at the NY13Blog.

The New York Post seems to think so:

Defying disgusted constituents and angry Republican leaders, disgraced Rep. Vito Fossella has told pals he plans to seek re-election.

And, shockingly, the Staten Island pol is feeling “pretty good,” he confided to friends.

“I got every indication that he plans to run again,” said Guy Molinari, Fossella’s political mentor, who’s been in close contact with the embattled 43-year-old politician.

Fossella is up for re-election in November.

“He’s not just inclined to run. He plans on running,” said Molinari, a former congressman and Staten Island borough president who was succeeded by Fossella as the de facto leader of the borough’s GOP.

This doesn’t jive with earlier reports saying that Fossella would resign by Monday.

The Staten Island Advance has its own take:

Fossella did not return a call for comment last night, and it’s very possible that the posturing could merely be a trial balloon to gauge whether Fossella could realistically continue in office.

A Fossella spokeswoman did issue the following statement on his behalf at 12:15 Sunday morning: “Congressman Fossella appreciates the support of so many people, including Guy Molinari, but he has not made any decision yet. And he continues to spend time with his family.”

The Advance also reports that state Sen. Diane Savino, Councilman Michael McMahon, and Assemblyman Michael Cusick are all actively considering the race on the Democratic side.

(H/T: NY13 Blog)

Well, it looks like Vito Fossella isn’t going to be receiving the David Vitter treatment anytime soon.

From the Staten Island Advance:

Vito Fossella’s well-deserved shame at being arrested for driving while intoxicated last week evolved rapidly in the interim into abject disgrace.

Because of that moral descent, and the distractions and ugly controversy all of it brings, he should resign from his seat in the House of Representatives.

And he should do so immediately.

Far too much damage has been done to his personal reputation and credibility at this point for him to recover and be an effective public servant.

And there is too much potential for pointless and endlessly embarrassing digressions into this scandal if he chooses to stay in public life.

The New York Post:

That Fossella betrayed his wife and family is between him and them. But his betrayal of his constituents was only marginally less egregious.

Vito Fossella needs to just go away.

Now.

The New York Daily News:

The facts are the facts. Fossella has admitted he was plastered. According to prosecutors, the law calls for a mandatory five days behind bars. It’s time for Fossella to be fully accountable.

Get thee to jail, congressman.

(Big hat-tip to Phillip)

From the NY Daily News Blog:

National Republican leaders have “lost all faith” in Rep. Vito Fossella and are poised to begin polling in the 13th CD on potential candidates to take his place on the ballot, despite the fact that he has yet to make a definitive statement about his future political plans.

The poll could start as early as today, according to a Washington GOP source, and will likely include at least two names: Sen. Andrew Lanza and Staten Island DA Dan Donovan.

Another national GOP source said Fossella’s fellow House minority members were “shocked” to learn of his “double life,” and his admission that he fathered a child out of wedlock with retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, Laura Fay.

While the Democratic field for this seat includes Brooklynites Stephen Harrison and Domenic Recchia, national Democrats may be looking for an upgrade:

Crain’s reported this morning that the DCCC has been calling Assemblyman Mike Cusick in hopes of coaxing him into the race. Certain Senate Democrats, meanwhile, are floating Sen. Diane Savino’s name.

Cusick hails from Staten, so he’s probably the best bet here.  Savino’s seat is too precious for Senate Democrats, who need two pick-ups this fall in order to take the majority.

Via the NYT, a statement from Vito Fossella:

I have had a relationship with Laura Fay, with whom I have a three-year-old daughter. My personal failings and imperfections have caused enormous pain to the people I love and I am truly sorry. While I understand that there will be many questions, including those about my political future, making any political decisions right now are furthest from my mind. Over the coming weeks and months, I will to continue to do my job and I will work hard to heal the deep wounds I have caused.

Still no official word yet on whether he will resign or retire, as is widely expected.

On the web: Vino Fossella

Update (James): John Boehner is asking Fossella to make a decision on his political future over the weekend.  Will Fossella bother to follow the hapless Boehner’s timetable?  Remember, Rick Renzi flipped the bird to Boehner when he asked the embattled Arizona incumbent to step down earlier this year.

Vito Fossella may have been able to survive his recent DWI arrest, but can he survive the upcoming sex scandal?

On the night of Fossella’s arrest, the congressman called on a “very good friend“, a former intelligence officer at the Pentagon, to pick him up from jail:

Fossella, according to a police report, said he was rushing to see his “sick daughter” and take her to the hospital. But, the Republican lawmaker, allegedly blew a 0.17 into the officer’s Breathalyzer – twice the legal limit – and was hauled off to jail.

A few hours later, Fossella called Fay to sign him out of jail.

When asked whether Fay’s 3-year-old was the same girl Fossella had to take to the hospital, his spokeswoman declined to comment.

“That is a demeaning and highly inappropriate question that does not deserve an answer,” said Susan Del Percio, a high-priced public-relations crisis consultant.

Roll Call has more:

But despite the display of normalcy in the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, rumors were swirling behind the scenes that the 43-year-old Congressman might not be able to survive the spate of embarrassing headlines that have blared from New York newspapers since his arrest. […]

Privately, however, political leaders and operatives on both sides of the aisle were beginning to express doubt that Fossella can serve out the remainder of his term – let alone remain politically viable in November.

“I think the realization is beginning to sink in that he can’t last,” said one Washington, D.C., Republican. […]

[A] New York-based GOP consultant who did not want to be named said some Republican insiders have been advised not to defend Fossella too aggressively, for fear that it could hurt the party’s efforts to hold his seat if he chooses to resign or retire.

Already names are floating of possible Republican contenders for Fossella’s seat, such as state Sen. Andrew Lanza and City Councilmen James Oddo and Vincent Ignizio. All are relatively young and quite popular.

Both parties are nervously considering the possibility that a quick Fossella resignation will force a special election to replace him.

If Fossella should resign before July 1st, Gov. Paterson has the option of calling a special election, or he could leave the seat vacant until the next Congress.  But if Fossella resigns, and if Paterson calls a special election here, there would be no primary.  In what would amount to one of the biggest backroom deals in recent political memory in NYC, party leaders would designate the nominees.  And that could spell trouble for current candidates Domenic Recchia and Stephen Harrison:

Although Recchia had more cash on hand than Fossella as of March 31 – $325,000 to $248,000 – his greatest handicap may be the fact he comes from Brooklyn, while most of the Congressional district’s voters are in Staten Island. If there is a special election, it is possible that party leaders from that borough may try to tap one of their own as the nominee – though the top three Democratic elected officials on Staten Island, state Sen. Diane Savino, state Assemblyman Michael Cusick and City Councilman Michael McMahon, have all declined to run against Fossella in the past.

A Fossella resignation would be a once in a lifetime opportunity in this D+0.8 seat.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the whispers continue to intensify over the weeks ahead.

Tom Wrobleski is reporting in the Staten Island Advance that despite Rep. Fossella having the strongest quarter he is now trailing Domenic Recchia in Cash on Hand. All the candidates had rather sad first quarter fund raising efforts.  Last quarter’s number in parenthesis;

Q1

Fossella (R): $148,641 ($304,453)

Harrison (D): $43,878 ($69,230)

Recchia (D): $129,690 ($220,770)

COH

Fossella: $248,496 ($250,501)

Harrison: $91,131 ($83,116)

Recchia: $325,175 ($206,451)

If this is true, FEC filings are not up yet, Fossella will have already blown all the money he raised this quarter and finish with less cash on hand than he had at the end of 2007, $250,501. While this is good news that Fossella is behind in cash, there is a late primary in September and Harrison is clearly the progressive favorite in this race having racked up the only endorsements thus far from various political clubs as well as PDA nationally.

Well, it looks like Boehner is starting to take matters into his own hands and rectify some of Tom Cole’s incompetence.

More after the fold…

Full article from cq politics:

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmsp…

It’s not uncommon for congressional leaders to steer fundraising assistance to party candidates who are in difficult races and in need of extra campaign cash. One such effort is the House Republicans’ “ROMP,” an acronym for Regain Our Majority Program, which has released its latest list of Republican candidates who will benefit from additional aid because they are politically vulnerable and/or have been targeted by the Democrats for defeat.

“ROMP 2008,” presently overseen by the political operation of House Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio, was recently established in papers filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). These records identify the 10 newest recipients of the program’s assistance.

These candidates make up the first batch of ROMP candidates named this year, and the third since the current election cycle began in the 2007-08 cycle. The new recipients’ election contests are outlined below.

7/10 of the candidates were incumbents we ousted in the last election cycle.

• Michele Bachmann , Minnesota’s 6th District (North and east Twin Cities suburbs; St. Cloud). Bachmann was first elected in 2006 to succeed Republican Mark Kennedy, who lost his campaign for the U.S. Senate to Democrat Amy Klobuchar . The Democratic nominee for November’s election will be either Bob Olson, a lawyer, or Elwyn Tinklenberg, a former state transportation commissioner. The latter candidate initially campaigned for the Democratic nomination in 2006 but later deferred to Patty Wetterling, a child safety advocate who lost to Bachmann after also losing as the Democratic nominee against Kennedy in 2004.

• Vito J. Fossella , New York’s 13th (Staten Island; part of southwest Brooklyn). Fossella is the only House Republican who represents part of New York City. He saw his re-election percentage drop from 70 percent in 2002 to 59 percent in 2004, and then again to 57 percent in 2006 even though Democratic challenger Steve Harrison didn’t raise much money. Harrison, a lawyer, is seeking a rematch, though he faces a well-funded primary opponent in New York City Councilman Domenic Recchia.

• Sam Graves , Missouri’s 6th (Northwest – St. Joseph, part of Kansas City). Graves’ campaign for a fifth term may well be the toughest of his career. His Democratic opponent, former Kansas City mayor Kay Barnes, is well-known and well-funded.

• Ric Keller , Florida’s 8th (Central – most of Orlando). Keller won a fourth term in 2006 by a 7 percentage-point margin over Democrat Charlie Stuart, a marketing executive who is one of several Democrats seeking the 2008 nomination.

• Anne M. Northup, Kentucky’s 3rd (Louisville Metro). Northup, who served in the House from 1997 through 2006, is challenging Democratic freshman Yarmuth, who unseated her by a margin of less than 3 percentage points. Northup hadn’t planned a bid to reclaim her seat this year, but she jumped in after the Republican she had been backing, lawyer Erwin Roberts, dropped out of the race to fulfill his military obligations. Northup sought a quick political comeback last year but lost a primary challenge to then-Gov. Ernie Fletcher, who subsequently lost the general election to Democrat Steve Beshear.

• Erik Paulsen, Minnesota’s 3rd (Hennepin County suburbs – Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Plymouth). Paulsen, a state representative, is the presumed Republican nominee in this suburban Minneapolis district, which retiring Republican Jim Ramstad is giving up after nine terms. The Democratic nominee will either be state Sen. Terri Bonoff or Ashwin Madia, a lawyer and Iraq War veteran.

• Bill Sali , Idaho’s 1st (West – Nampa, Panhandle, part of Boise). The strong Republican leanings of this district are indisputable, as President Bush took 68 percent of the vote there in his 2004 election. But Sali underperformed in his 2006 election for the then-open 1st District seat, in which he defeated Democrat Larry Grant by the underwhelming vote of 50 percent to 45 percent. Grant is seeking the 2008 Democratic nomination along with Walt Minnick, a businessman who lost as the party’s losing Senate nominee against Republican Larry E. Craig in 1996. Sali is opposed in the May 27 Republican primary election by Matt Salisbury, an Iraq War veteran.

• Jean Schmidt , Ohio’s 2nd (Eastern Cincinnati and suburbs; Portsmouth). Schmidt, who is seeking a second full term in a district that usually exhibits strong Republican leanings, faces a rematch of her exceptionally close 2006 race against Democratic physician Victoria Wulsin. Schmidt won that contest by a margin of about 1 percentage point. In the primary elections that took place March 4, Schmidt was renominated with 57 percent of the Republican vote and Wulsin won with 58 percent on the Democratic side.

• Tim Walberg , Michigan’s 7th (South central – Battle Creek, Jackson). Walberg, a freshman, was elected in 2006 over Democrat Sharon Renier, a little-known and underfunded Democrat who lost by just 4 percentage points. The unexpectedly close outcome was influenced by a bitter Republican primary fight in which the very conservative Walberg unseated one-term GOP moderate Joe Schwarz. Renier is running again this year, though Democratic officials are rallying behind state Sen. Mark Schauer, a better-known and better-funded candidate.

• Darren White, New Mexico’s 1st (Central – Albuquerque). White is the sheriff of Bernalillo County, which includes Albuquerque and which is the population base of a politically competitive district that Republican Heather A. Wilson left open to pursue a U.S. Senate bid. White is opposed in the June 3 primary by state Sen. Joseph Carraro. The four Democratic primary candidates are Michelle Grisham, a former state health secretary; Martin Heinrich, a former Albuquerque councilman; Robert L. Pidcock, a lawyer; and Rebecca Vigil-Giron, a former New Mexico Secretary of State.

The DCCC has recently released some notes indicating that they plan on targeting Rep. Vito Fossella (NY-13), my favorite candidate for retirement, rather hard in his quest for a seventh term in 2008.  This from their press release on Jan 12, 2006;

The 2006 cycle proved that ethics matters to average voters. While there were several Republicans defeated this past cycle as a direct result of their ethical lapses, a handful returned to Washington and should be considered among the most vulnerable.

We will aggressively work in districts targeting ethically challenged incumbents like Tim Murphy (PA-18), Gary Miller (CA-42), Rick Renzi (AZ-01), John Doolittle (CA-04), Jerry Lewis (CA-41) and Vito Fossella (NY-13).

First off, if this is an indication of how Rep. Chris Van Hollen will lead the DCCC efforts to pick up more seats in 2008, then by all means my enthusiasm is going to be hard to keep subdued.  However I, like many of us have been burnt by the DCCC in the past, so I am not jumping into this new relationship naively thinking things will be different this time.  In 2004 the DCCC or some individuals associated with the group lead our Democratic candidate Frank Barbaro to believe that they were ready to interject some money into the race.  That money was always just around the corner.  They just toyed with our emotions for a bit and eventually stood us up.  If that was heartbreaking then 2006 just incensed us and lead many to swear off dancing with the DCCC ever again.  After many of the local officials slowly backed out of the race, Stephen Harrison a local lawyer stepped up to take on Rep. Fossella and walked into the nomination due to his fighting spirit.  After being vetted by the local party and being given the nod we find out that the DCCC decided to involve itself, backing a city council member who lived outside the district, in March just eight months before the election. 

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which bankrolls House races, yesterday said it would embrace de Blasio’s candidacy. (Staten Island Advance)

De Blasio, whom was being backed by Rep. Rangel, eventually backed out after a month of indecision, leaving Harrison to focus on Rep. Fossella.  One of the bigger problems with this fiasco is that New York state has a late September primary.  This makes a divisive primary an ineffective spring board to then take on a Republican incumbent in under two months.

Curiously though it wasn’t until long after this past November that I came across this piece in the New York Sun from June 28, 2005;

New York Democrats are not alone in their efforts to win the Fossella seat. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has already started priming the 13th Congressional District for 2006.

SNIP

Over Memorial Day weekend, it paid for radio advertisements attacking Mr. Fossella’s vote against a measure that would have expanded Tricare, the military health-insurance program.

SNIP

The organization also commissioned a poll that matched Mr. Fossella with three potential Democratic challengers: City Council Member Michael McMahon, Assemblyman Michael Cusick, and state Senator Diane Savino.

SNIP

In addition to the Congressional Campaign Committee’s efforts, the Seattle-based Democratic Advancement Political Action Committee, a group created in 2002 to raise money for Democratic candidates nationwide, plans to organize grassroots field operations once a Democratic candidate is chosen.

I am bewildered as to where all of this is coming from.  DCCC funded polling?  DCCC funded radio advertising?  Organizing grassroots field operations?  Not surprisingly after the DCCC slumped away from the district eleven months later, no polling was done by the DCCC even though indications were that Fossella had internal polling showing him in trouble.  No radio ads were purchased by the DCCC.  No grassroots field operations were established.  Harrison went on to give Fossella the most competitive race yet, holding him to 57-43 (59-41 in 2004), being outspent by a margin of 13:1. 

And to make this flirtation worse, it was just back in June 2006, after the DCCC backed out of the race, that they put out a press release attacking three Republicans for their unethical lavish travels; Rep. Pombo (since defeated), Rep. Sweeney (since defeated) and Rep. Fossella.  We have heard the story before.

So it is not without some trepidation that I re-read that DCCC statement that they will be going after Fossella in 2008.  But not all developments are worrisome.  On December 18, 2006 I suggested that Rep. Fossella should be moved to new committees, instead of continually rewarding him with seats on both the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Financial Services.  The reasoning is obvious;

The side benefit, and reason for suggesting these moves is that Rep. Fossella receives large amounts of financial support from the industries that benefit from limited oversight by these two committees; financial institutions and real estate/housing. Fossella’s largest sector donations come from the Finance, Insurance and Real Estate sector, a total of nearly $1.5 million in donations and influence, $358,790 of that just in the last election cycle.

2004-06 Donors (via Opensecrets.org)
1. Securities & Investment: $109,500
3. Real Estate: $86,050
4. Insurance: $60,250
5. Health Professionals: $52,700
7. Accountants: $37,400
9. Commercial Banks: $33,790

So it was with renewed excitement, and new found ability to control the minds of our new Democratic majority leaders, that news broke that Fossella was forced to give up one of his committee assignments.  In the end he choose to leave the House Committee on Financial Services, the largest sector donor to his campaigns.  It also made me appear to know what I was talking about back in December;

Should Fossella get moved from one of his committees he served on last term (04-06) consider that a good sign that this seat is on the DCCC’s list in 08 and that they are going to start the race early.

The actual implications of both of these developments will be more apparent next year, however right now we can see that Fossella’s fund raising abilities should be drastically impacted.  Without some unforeseen major fund raising prowess, Fossella could have trouble cracking $1 million.  To make matters worse for him, he ended his 2006 campaign over $200,000 in debt.  From what I have seen this campaign debt is a first for Fossella, who tends to carry over a nice chunk of cash meaning Democrats typically start out well behind.

So is this seat really in play or are we just setting ourselves up to be stood up and heart broken by the DCCC once again?  That answer will no doubt have a lot to do with who jumps into this race and how effective they are at early fund raising and early volunteer support.  You can follow speculation at 2008 Race Tracker.  However, if Fossella is one of the most ethically challenged (=corrupt) Republicans, can the DCCC really walk away from this district again? 

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