Kirsten Gillibrand hasn't been out of her congressional seat for more than a few hours and already the jockeying to replace her has become intense. Mostly on the Republican side, with current Assembly Republican Leader Jim Tedisco and former Assembly Republican Leader John Faso throwing their hats in the ring.
Tedisco has already received the endorsement of the NY State Rifle and Pistol Association. According to NYSRPA President Tom King, "Jim Tedisco has been a true friend to hunters and gun owners, as he understands the crucial importance of safeguarding the right to bear arms. His voting record and vocal, public support for the Second Amendment have been clear, consistent and genuinely appreciated by gun owners and our association."
Faso has been reportedly burning up the phone lines contacting the county chairs in all 10 of the counties that cover the 20th CD. Tedisco is reported to already have the backing of the Saratoga GOP. Saratoga accounts for 34% of the weighted vote in the district.
Other possible contenders include Sandy Treadwell, who was soundly defeated by Gillibrand this past November, and state senators Betty Little and Roy McDonald.
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written by Behold a Pale Horse , January 23, 2009
I'd rather see Faso run against Schumer because of the "Faso curse." He lost to Hevesi in 2002 and then Spitzer in 2006. Both Democrats then self-destructed and resigned in disgrace.
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written by chancehaywood , January 23, 2009
The Faso Curse. Classic.
I'd rather see a win than wait for someone to self-destruct though.
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written by Ben Linus , January 23, 2009
Faso had his shot and failed -- twice. Now's not the time for him to roll the dice and run another losing campaign.
It appears that Tedisco's the one who is gathering momentum. He just picked up the endorsement of Saratoga County Clerk Kathy Marchione who is very popular and infulential in the 20th Congressional District.
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written by Jay Golub , January 23, 2009
Tedisco is supported well up there and, considering the position he's in with the Assembly, would seem hard to beat in a Special Election...
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written by crunchycon , January 25, 2009
Tedisco is great and will bring energy and spirit to beaten down conservatives. He will b our man in the ny20.
but, john faso is a great man that loves the republican party and has given it intellectual punch. He deserves to be treated with respect.
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written by Jay Golub , January 25, 2009
The one thing we should be able to say for sure is that Treadwell needs to move on with his life. He's screwed up the State GOP and blew the last election, which he spent so much money on that it should be very apparent that he CAN'T WIN.
Sandy's the ultimate re-tread (pardon the pun) and along with the Ghost of Bruno, they both need to find a hobby like fishing or ripping off seniors or something.
Politics has had enough of the two of them...
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written by chancehaywood , January 25, 2009
How about we dig a little deeper and find someone who isn't on a losing streak?
Got the endorsement of Saratoga County Clerk Kathy Marchione? So what. Can the man present a platform that is going to win us a seat?
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written by Daniel Peterson , January 26, 2009
Since learning that both Assemblyman James Tedisco and former Assemblyman John Faso both live in the 20th Congressional district, I think both individuals would make very good representatives for New York. They should both sit down and chat and decide who should be the Party candidate.
Personally, I think a good move would be, run Mr. Tedisco for the Congressional seat while Mr. Faso helps him in his campaign. With a Tedisco win, hopefully we will have a strong replacement for the Assembly seat who will win as well.
Then, since Faso was helping with these elections, Tedisco can turn around and help out with a statewide race for Mr. Faso. I'm not sure if he should try for Governor again, but if Cuomo challenges Paterson for the big seat, then Faso should run for Attorney General. Or try for Comptroller again and Tedisco should help with the upstate vote.
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written by adamkramer , January 26, 2009
Tedisco lives in Schenectady county(21st CD) outside of the district. He does own a second home in Saratoga Springs.
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written by chancehaywood , January 26, 2009
I don't really like you line of thinking Daniel. People in general are not fond of backroom deals being made for offices. What makes Tedisco a better candidate for this office of Faso?
And are these really the only two people "qaulified" to hold this office?
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written by LoyalGOPer , January 26, 2009
I'm sure there are many people "qualified" to hold the office. That is not the question. The question is, who can win the office?
Tedisco is in a unique position to win this seat. He is very popular in the region, and with repubs across the state. He's done a very good job as assemb leader and has kept that group the lone group of repubs in NY standing on principle.
And let's face it, Faso is a been there done that candidate. He's a 2-time statewide loser. He was ineffective in the assembly. And he's not very good on the campaign trail.
Elite Manhattan repubs may like him because of his wonkiness, but Tedisco will play 100 times better with ma and pa kettle.
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written by chancehaywood , January 26, 2009
My post wasn't about supporting Faso over Tedisco. I have no loyalty to either. I'm just wondering why there isn't any effort being made to find some new to feild for this position. We can't grow the base by always putting up the same candidates over and over. Tedisco might very well be the best candidate but can't we wait more than two or three days before we rally around him? How about we allow time for a few unknowns to maybe emerge so as to not discourage them from stepping forward.
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written by LoyalGOPer , January 26, 2009
I'm not sure I understand what you mean by new? Isn't tedisco new, considering he has never run for anything higher than assembly?
What do you think you can just pull someone out of left field (figuratively speaking, not ideologically) and have them be a strong candidate for congress?
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written by Jay Golub , January 26, 2009
"Tedisco is in a unique position to win this seat. He is very popular in the region, and with repubs across the state. He's done a very good job as assemb leader and has kept that group the lone group of repubs in NY standing on principle."
I agree that Tedisco is one of the few and proud Republicans left in this state. He's from the area and would be a formidable candidate.
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written by chancehaywood , January 26, 2009
LoyalGOPer
I'm sorry maybe I'm missing something. How exactly is someone who has been an Assemblyman for 26 years new at this point? To me once you've held a state office you are really no longer new. Frankly I'd prefer someone headed to congress who isn't a career politician.
I have issue with his campaigning for the seat. I'd be supportive of him if he were the nominee even. I'm just wondering why we, as a party, are in such a rush to jump on the band wagon of career politician when this seat is winnable for a republican with out a career in office. In other words why aren't we taking the opportunity to bring up some one from the farm team.
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written by LoyalGOPer , January 26, 2009
Don't you understand the concept of a farm team? I guess not. The Yankees don't walk out onto the street to find their next slugger. They bring up people from the minors, and the minors recruit from the lesser leagues.
The Assembly IS the farm team for higher office. Or City Council, or State Senate, or County Legislature. Time served doesn't matter in this case. You bring people up, no matter how long it takes.
You can't yank some Joe Smith off the street to run for Congress. Maybe in Podunk that works, but not in NY. We need someone who knows how to get elected, who has a record of accomplishment with the people, and can raise money.
Tedisco fits the bill perfectly.
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written by chancehaywood , January 26, 2009
In most instance I might agree with your position. However Tedisco is part of the NY GOP leadership. That sort of means he isn't really a minor league player anymore.
Wasn't Kirsten Gillibrand someone who had never held office before running for Congress in this very seat? Same for John E. Sweeney no? So obviously the people of NY have no issue with electing someone with no experiences as an elected official. You are now dismissed from this discussion because you obviously do not know what the hell you are talking about.
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written by Jay Golub , January 26, 2009
Chance, you realize that this seat was effectively held by a Republican for a long time. It would be an unnecessary exercise is idealism to run a "new" person when we have an effective legislator who can raise resources and try to take back a seat that was ours previously.
I sense that you think the only way to re-build the party is to throw everyone in the GOP out, regardless of whether or not they have been part of the problem or just, like Tedisco, a great player who happens to have been a member of the losing team.
Getting rid of the Bruno's of the world is much different than passing over someone like Tedisco for this seat. Although they are few and far between, there are Republicans in this state who deserve our support.
Also, Chance, it is my understanding that there will be a special election to replace Gillibrand, which will happen well before the scheduled election in 2010. Because of that, running a neophyte would make little electoral sense...
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written by chancehaywood , January 26, 2009
I'm not sure where you got the impression I think the only way to rebuild the GOP is to turn out the "old" for the new. That isn't my thinking at all. I do think some need to be kicked to the curb but I'm not against keeping some people.
However in this instance the advantage is ours. We don't need a "name" to win this seat. Tedisco would be a fine candidate but why don't we make an effort to see who else is out there before we line up behind another career politician. I've read plenty of people on here complain that we lack depth for statewide offices. Here is a perfect opportunity to dig us up a candidate who could one day run for governor. This district obviously has no issue with electing people who been on a ballot before so why not use that to our advantage?
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written by Jay Golub , January 26, 2009
"Tedisco would be a fine candidate but why don't we make an effort to see who else is out there before we line up behind another career politician."
I would say that because there is such a short period of time involved here, with the special election on the way, the GOP needs to move quickly.
But, you may be right in that we shouldn't exclude others who may want to get in. As far as i know, others have expressed interest and i'm sure they will get their just consideration.
Yet, from watching NY politics for a long time now, Tedisco is NOT just your average "career" pol. He's been a stalwart on our side and has stuck to his philosophical guns. If he were to win, we'd have a real advocate for small government in D.C. - one who will not just use that seat for his own personal advancement. In short, I think that with his leadership position, he'd be able to help advance and improve the state of the NY GOP...
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written by Yoda , January 26, 2009
Chance, I don't understand your desire to have someone new merely for the sake of newness. This makes little sense in a race like this. There is nothing wrong with having someone experienced and dedicated to the GOP like Tedisco.
It's not like he's some party hack just out for himself. He is a respectable candidate for this office and probably our best chance of recapturing the seat.
Why shouldn't we put our best foot forward?
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written by chancehaywood , January 26, 2009
How do you know this is the best foot we can put forward if we don't even look in the closet for a different pair of shoes?
This is my point entirely. Far too many people are just assuming the best we can do is some politician who has been in office for 26 years. Congressional seats in this district can obviously be won by candidates who been in officer for years. Are we so unwilling to look beyond the typical candidate pool that we might be killing an opportunity to groom a future senator or governor? Are you guys telling me there is no one else in the 20th CD worthy of being give a once over? No DA or Mayor tucked away for such an opportunity?
And I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of grief for this comment I'm about to put forward but here it goes anyhow. He is closing in on being 59. Age unfortunately needs to be a factor in this equation. He is getting to that point where retirement is much closer than further away. Are we really willing to put this seat in the hands of someone who might be ready to call it quits in four years? We need to consider our long term agenda also when it comes to opportunities like this. This seat is an opportunity for us to groom a future statewide candidate.
With an 80,000 voter advantage in this district it just seems like it shouldn't be wasted on someone with such a limited future.
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written by Jay Golub , January 26, 2009
http://tediscostake.blogspot.c...d-fee.html
I don't know if "there is anyone else," Chance. Maybe there is. But read the link above and see what they would be voting for.
Again, I'm in full agreement about not re-running our re-"treads" - pardon the pun Sandy. But Assemblyman Tedisco is NOT any of the above.
Either way, do your research, Chance. I'd certainly like to know if I'm in error on this one...
"He is closing in on being 59. Age unfortunately needs to be a factor in this equation."
Make sure you remember to AVOID the senior centers on your quest to be Bronx GOP Chairman. They tend to find comments like that offensive.
I think that people of all ages can be leaders, can be innovators and don't, by definition, have "limited futures."...
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written by LoyalGOPer , January 26, 2009
Chance your bellyaching is truly pathetic here. Get over yourself and your dreams of some mythical candidate for the future.
Nobody seems to be aware of the candidate you are dreaming of, yet you whine that nobody is looking for what is not there. If you are so unhappy with the current choices, why don't YOU go out and find someone acceptable? Lead the way, don't just be a naysayer.
Maybe this will help. Let me introduce you to the real world. Real world, meet Chance.
In the real world, this is a special election and the candidate will be picked very quickly by the Party organization. The window for this campaign will also be very short, and the candidate will be under intense pressure. This is not the time to pick a novice with no political experience, no fundraising experience, no experience under the glare of public scrutiny.
We get one chance at this, and need a strong seasoned candidate looking to win THIS race, not some other race sometime in the future.
Here's a suggestion. If you find that dream candidate you want to run for Gov someday, have him run for Tedisco's assembly seat. That will be the best way to groom him for the future.
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written by chancehaywood , January 26, 2009
That was rather funny and angry reply. Did you get a job offer from him or something? Are you worried my post my some how sabotage his being anointed the candidate the county chairs put up?
Since this topic is a bit about what strategy we should take I don't see why my position of questioning why no other name is seriously being put forward is such a crime. Considering the lack of potential candidates for state wide office headed into the pipeline for future elections I think this is a very legitimate concern if we are serious about rebuild the brand.
The reality is the GOP has an advantage of 75-80 thousand voters in a district that has yet to cast 300,000 votes in an election. This election should be a shoe in for anyone with an R next to their name. Unless their last name is Treadwell that is.
In anycase I'm done concerning with the 20th CD. I'm in the Bronx and my concern right now is putting together a YR club and becoming a DL. If the people in the 20th want to waste this opportunity on Tedisco that is their business but if I was the state party chairman I'd be beating the bushes for someone else for the day Paterson signs the writ to start the 40-day race. But hey that is just me...
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written by LoyalGOPer , January 26, 2009
Not angry, just annoyed. I have no vested personal interest in the race. But your whining just got be too much. You put it on everyone else to come up with the candidate you can approve of. Whether that candidate exists or not.
And you actually have the nerve to question how I know if this is the best candidate we can put forward. In the real world, the responsibility is on you to prove there is a better choice out there. Absent that, I can affirmatively say that yes this is our best candidate.
And how do I know that for sure? The proof is simple. Tedisco has put himself forward. The best candidate is usually the one who wants it most. Didn't we learn anything from the last presidential race?
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written by chancehaywood , January 26, 2009
Jay
I don't have any real objections to him. Has anyone read anything that leads you to believe I have issue with him as a candidate based on ideology?
My point in all of this is strategy. We need to look beyond just the current election cycle. Or the next. In two years we have to put up 6 solid candidates. We struggle to put up five normally. If we don't start looking beyond the immediate needs we are going to be in serious trouble.
If only there was someone who visited this website who lived in the 20th CD maybe we could get another name or two to evaluate.
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written by Jay Golub , January 27, 2009
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/...-reaction/
From the Wall Street Journal...
"Also, the special election to fill Gillibrand’s House seat could cost the Democrats. Already, Sen. Elizabeth Little, a Republican from Queensbury, is being promoted by local Republican leaders, according to the Glens Falls newspaper. And then there’s Sandy Treadwell, the well-heeled General Electric heir who unsuccessfully challenged Gillibrand in November."
...one doesn't have to look to deeply to find "other" candidates, Chance. I think this is why Loyal is challenging you so directly. This is the first story that came up when I googled "Gillibrand special election."
If you want to argue things like this, please do a little more research - it makes for better discussions. Now if you want to see if these other two candidiates stack up to Tedisco, go ahead. But as you can see, there are "other" candidates, yet I don't know if they are the type you are thinking of.
So with three apparent candidates in the race already (all who have either considerable experience or a lack of "newness"), do you really think there's still room in a special election for a new candidate? Do you think the party should overlook two elected officials and a past GOP party leader, who happens to be a multi-millionaire? And even if they did, don't you think there would be enough chaos caused by that decision to potentially cost the GOP this winable seat?
I understand your point, Chance, but this is neither the time or the place for a party-building exercise and I think of all the candidates approaching the race, Tedisco, demonstrated by his leadership in the Assembly, would be a great representative for the people of this district and the State.
"In two years we have to put up 6 solid candidates. We struggle to put up five normally."
Why not 7? or 8? or more?
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written by Daniel Peterson , January 27, 2009
I wasn't suggesting any backroom deals. Being a NYer familiar with our disfunctional state, I can see why my comments could lead someone to think along those lines.
If both Tedisco and Faso want to run, fine. That will be their choice. But if there is only one D and two Rs running, we lose the seat.
I'm just saying, the two men should sit down over a beer, or coffee if that's the politically correct thing to do now, and discuss their ambitions.
I want these men to help the party and be open about it. I'm sure they already are, but this is an opportunity to gain exposure in showing the NY GOP, that two big names can work together in building the Party. And to do it out in the open.
I'm not suggesting any payola or special appointments. I suggest a "if you let me be the candidate for this race and help me publically, I'll be sure to help you publically when you run for your race."
That's all I was thinking.
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written by spunky , January 27, 2009
there is no "backroom" to make a backroom deal any longer. The NY State GOP barely has a front-room at this point. I read through Tedisco's blog linked above. He's got some pretty good stuff in there and think he'd make a pretty good Congressional candidate. Sadly, he's probably one the few good potential candidates that we have left.
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written by Paladin , January 27, 2009
There is no way to have 2 republicans running in this race Daniel. There is no primary and its not an open race like with city council. The Party picks the candidate and that's it. Who ever the Repubs pick will be supported by the Conservatives.
There is no chance both Tedisco and Faso will be on the ballot. There is no deal to be made, back room or otherwise. Each candidate will make his presentation and the committees will vote. The end.
Incidentally, the original post mentions 5 republican candidates in play for the nomination. So I don't understand what the complaint is by some here. The candidate will be decided within a few days at most and there is little time to campaign.
Someone with a strong name who is respected in the Party is needed. This is not the time to throw out a nobody, no matter how attractive they may be on paper or what their future potential.
Rookies make mistakes, and we don't want to watch this opportunity slide through our fingers because we couldn't get our guy out of the starting gate. How embarrassing would that be? How much of a blow to the republican psyche?
No, I agree Tedisco is our best candidate and worthy of being a Congressman. He's stood on principle and deserves to be rewarded for that.
And the assertion that Sweeney and Gillibrand were novices is not correct. Sweeney was a state official under Pataki and work for the NYGOP. He was known and active in politics. Gillibrand came from a powerful political family and was also experienced politically herself.
She also would not have beaten Sweeney had be not self-destructed. He had more scandals than Charlie Rangel. There was a drunk driving conviction. Drinking with minors in a frat house. Jack Abramoff connections. The 911 call from his wife for spousal abuse. And those are just the good ones. Sweeney beat himself.
Let's not beat ourselves this time by not putting up our strongest candidate possible for right now. That is Tedisco.
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written by chancehaywood , January 27, 2009
I guess I just overlooked that link. I don't really often click WSJ or NYT when they pop-up. Good catch.
I'm not suggesting he shouldn't ultimately be the candidate. My point is we have a few days before the writ is put forth and the fourty days start. My guess we are going to get a few extra days out of this because the Democrats are going to scramble to find the best person to hold this seat. If Tedisco is the best person to put forth then I'll send a check to help out the campaign. I want us to have as many republicans as possible in our delegation.
I just wanted to see some other people get evaluated before we "settled" on one. Not that any of us on this website have any say in this. Just figured it was a good opportunity for us to get to know a few lesser known up and comers.
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written by Paladin , January 27, 2009
Fair enough chance, but think about it this way. Suppose you were a 30 year old town clerk looking for a career in politics. If you were in this mix, with people like this being discussed, would you stand up and ask to be considered?
That would take a serious set of balls for someone so young and politically inexperienced. And it would probably hurt you in the long run with local leaders who want you to pay your dues for a while before acting so brash.
Don't worry, our cream will rise once we eliminate the spoiled egotists from the party like Bruno and Pataki.
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written by Jay Golub , January 27, 2009
No problem, Chance. Honestly, there are few who are as suspect of "top down" decisions when it comes to things like this than me.
But in this situation, I'm confident that most will be quite comfortable with the Minority Leader...
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