Remember, SSP will be live-blogging the MS-01 election results on Tuesday night. Polls close at 7pm 8pm Eastern time. If you haven’t yet signed up to do some virtual phonebanking, now is your chance!
Update (James): Russ Feingold’s PAC is itching to give away $5000 to one of 10 lucky House candidates. Feel free to cast your informed vote to determine who gets a piece of Feingold’s booty.
The NRCC posted a big list of expenditures in Mississippi today, just days before this hotly-contested special election comes to a close on Tuesday:
The DCCC:
Total spent:
NRCC: $1,273,145  |  DCCC: $1,742,121
Will you do your part to bring this race home on Tuesday? The DCCC has set up a virtual phonebanking center for Travis Childers. It’s fun and easy. Let’s do this thing, people.
In the wake of what appears to be a career-ending scandal for Staten Island GOP Rep. Vito Fossella, the Swing State Project is updating its NY-13 race rating from “Likely Republican” to “Tossup“.
If Fossella resigns (as is rumored), the special election is sure to be a top-tier affair in this D+1 district for both Republicans and Democrats. Arcane rules will allow party leaders to choose their most favored candidates — which would allow Democrats to make an upgrade from their current field (Brooklynites Stephen Harrison and Domenic Recchia). Should Fossella decide to serve the remainder of his term and then retire from the House, new candidates are sure to get in on both sides.
If Fossella does the unthinkable and continues his re-election campaign, he’ll stagger onward with deep if not mortal wounds. Again, we would expect new challengers to emerge, both Republican and Democrat.
Culturally more conservative than the rest of New York City, NY-13 still favored Al Gore in 2000 by eight points. The GOP has a deep bench on Staten Island, but if Democrats can recruit a Richmond resident for this race, the outcome will be anyone’s guess.
From WNBC New York:
Several top New York Republicans said that Congressman Vito Fossella’s resignation will come within the next 72 hours — if not late Friday then certainly by Monday.
There was political concern about how best to preserve the seat for the Republicans — questions about immediate resignation versus finishing out his term and retiring — but the calculation is there’s nothing to be gained from Fossella sticking around. While Staten Island Republicans believe Fossella could at least serve out his term (the rest of the year) national Republicans want him gone. Now.
[…] Smart strategists say watch for something later this afternoon (rule: dump bad news on Friday afternoons when news consumption is low and so it will end up in the lesser-read Saturday newspapers) but a New York Republican keeping a close eye on all this says Fossella’s decision may not come until Monday.
Stay tuned.
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.
This could allow Dems to upgrade their candidate from the current field (Brooklyn attorney Stephen Harrison and Coney Island city councilman Domenic Recchia, who has yet to officially launch his campaign). As the man says: Stay tuned.
(H/T: RandySF)
It’s over for Vito Fossella and the NY-13 is about to be open to a special election, according to WNBC.
Several top New York Republicans said that Congressman Vito Fossella’s resignation will come within the next 72 hours — if not late Friday then certainly by Monday.
There was political concern about how best to preserve the seat for the Republicans — questions about immediate resignation versus finishing out his term and retiring — but the calculation is there’s nothing to be gained from Fossella sticking around. While Staten Island Republicans believe Fossella could at least serve out his term (the rest of the year) national Republicans want him gone. Now.
The Democratic lead in the House has been growing since the dramatic 2006 election results and 2008 looks increasingly difficult for the GOP. Twenty -seven incumbent Republican House members are retiring this year including two in New York State and two in New Jersey. By historical standards that is a huge number and it’s significant because open seats are relatively rare and present the best opportunity for either party to flip seats. Republican seats in the Northeast are at the most risk since the region has turned pretty reliably Democratic in this decade.
Battlestations, everyone. We better recruit and get in gear to make make New york City 100% blue.
[UPDATE]
This may be an indicator
Embattled Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) will not have to appear in an Alexandria, Va., court on Monday to answer charges stemming from his drunken driving arrest last week because his attorney has already waived his right for a preliminary hearing and scheduled a trial date, a court official said Friday.
Fossella’s trial has been set for June 26.
Events are moving swiftly but I’ll do my best to keep up.
Our friend Mitch writes in the comments:
As many of y’all know, one of the sticking points for the good folks of the 1st district is that Greg Davis, in addition to his other shortcomings, is basically the mayor of a Memphis suburb with much more connection to that city than to the rest of Northeast Mississippi.
And Mississippians want to be represented by a, you know, a Mississippian, not an all-but-Memphian.
That’s why Darth Cheney is getting ready to stump for “South Memphis” Mayor Greg Davis:
GALLOW: Monday you are going to be here — on Monday — in the state of Mississippi, and Greg Davis will be there, and you’ll be in Senatobia, Hernando, and that area?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes, I think we are going to be. I’m not sure exactly. It’s going to be someplace in the First District. I’m not sure exactly what part of it. South Memphis or —
GALLOW: Don’t worry about it.
We can see why Cheney would be confused. Southaven, just 14 miles away from downtown, sure looks like South Memphis to us. Maybe Greg Davis would be better off running for Congress in Tennessee.
On the web:
Virtual Phonebanking for Travis Childers
The Hill reports that Darth Cheney himself is about to land in Mississippi to scare some votes for slimeball GOP candidate Greg Davis:
Cheney appeared on “The Paul Gallow Show” to support Southaven Mayor Greg Davis (R).
Davis faces Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Travis Childers (D) on May 13 in a runoff election in the state’s 1st district, a seat formerly held by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).
“This seat is a very important one,” Cheney said. “It’s been in conservative hands for a long time, and we’d hate to see the liberals gain control.”
The vice president said holding the seat is crucial because it could tip the scales in close votes on Capitol Hill.
Cheney will be on the ground in Mississippi on Monday for a fundraiser and a GOTV rally with Davis.
It’s time to step up to the battle, folks. We can’t let the forces of darkness cling on to this one. To that end, the DCCC has set up a virtual phonebanking center for Travis Childers. Getting started is as easy as cherry pie. You’ve donated, you’ve followed the news, you’ve tracked the expenditures, and if your name is Trent Thompson, you’ve canvassed on the ground. Now’s your chance to help hustle out the vote for Travis Childers.
A win here would utterly crush the spirit of the House GOP caucus and signify and loud and clear appetite for change in Washington. Let’s do this thing!
Also, be sure to check back with SSP on election day on Tuesday. We’ll be posting updates and liveblogging the election that evening.
Special election: 5/13.
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)
Repubican House “leadership” have told Vito Fossella that he has until Monday to decide what he wants to do with his future, and according to the New York Daily News running for re-election is not among his options.
GOP leaders gave him until Monday to decide if he was going to step down immediately or retire at the end of his term. “Mr. Fossella is going to have some decisions to make over the weekend,” said House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio.
Republican leaders have “lost all faith” in him and are casting around for a successor for the seat the GOP has held for three decades. Leading candidates include state Sen. Andrew Lanza and Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan.
Political observers said his once-promising political career is over. “He’s politically dead. The only thing that hasn’t happened is the autopsy report hasn’t been written,” said political science Prof. Doug Muzzio of Baruch College.
I have said this before and I will say it again. His “second family” issues are not an issue for me. We all do things that complicate our lives. And to Fossella’s credit, it appears that he is making every effort to be in the child’s life. However, the drinking, driving AND abusive behavior to police is a different matter. Is it all bad enough to lose a careers over? I don’t know. He’s not the first member to drive while impaired. But Republicans, having suffered one scandal after another, decided they cannot afford to have him hang around. It’s over for Vito Fossella