With Fossella out, Already Sparse City GOP Bench Grows Emptier
Disgraced congressman's downfall accentuates Republicans' prospect problem
July 14th, 2008
Guy Molinari has taken to using grim language about the local party he helped build.
"The Republican Party is bleeding these days. The blood is flowing at all three levels of government," said Molinari, the former Staten Island congressman and borough president and top city GOP power broker.
In his borough, a traditional Republican stronghold, the GOP struggled to recruit a congressional candidate to replace retiring and scandal-ridden Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn), Molinari's successor and protégé. The Democrats have thrown the party's support to Council Member Michael McMahon (D-Staten Island).
Molinari has often floated the idea of Fossella running for mayor, even as a potential 2005 primary challenger to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The only Republican in the city's House delegation and a former Council member who had cruised through each of his elections, Fossella was seen by many as the party's logical next standard bearer for Gracie Mansion. That he is young and good-looking with, what seemed like, a solid family helped, too.
"There was a good marketing appeal there," Molinari said.
Though Fossella had long denied he was interested in the job, many Republicans had held out hope he would eventually change his mind. Now they see the sudden dissolution of his political future as highlighting the problems they are having finding a strong candidate for next year's mayoral race.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has denied his own interest in running for mayor, and his registration as an independent anyway leaves open the question of whether he would even seek the Republican nomination if he were to run. Bruce Blakeman has floated his name. But the only person that showed interest in running for mayor is grocery store magnate John Catsimatidis. While his deep pockets and willingness to fashion himself as a Republican are attractive qualities to the GOP, his history as a long-time Democratic donor who recently switched parties is off-putting to some major Republican players, including Molinari.
Though neither of the last two Republican mayors had previously held office, Republicans are always eager to field candidates with proven electability and a base of constituents. But there are not many other options-the number of elected Republicans in the city can by now be counted on two hands: four state senators, three Council members, one Assembly member and one district attorney.
So with Fossella out, even more people are talking about State Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn) jumping into the race.
Golden, who called himself the "go-to guy" for the city in his majority conference, has been slowly building a profile outside of his Bay Ridge district, often being the Republican mouthpiece on television for controversial topics like former-Gov. Eliot Spitzer's (D) plan to give drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants.
Golden has been fundraising frequently and amassed a $608,532 war chest for an uncontested re-election, though not all of that money would be available for a city race.
Golden, who might be in the minority come November, said he is entertaining the possibility of a mayoral bid and would have the support from Molinari, whom he consults frequently.
"We speak all the time. But we haven't moved forward on that particular issue," Golden said.
If he jumped into the race, Golden would follow in the tradition of mayoral hopefuls from the State Senate like Roy Goodman (R-Manhattan) in 1977 and John Marchi (R-Staten Island) in 1969 and 1973.
A candidate like Fossella or the politically simpatico Golden could draw strength from standing up for the city when dealing with the different levels of government, the way Republican politicians aim to do in a Democratic city, argued Republican strategist Kellyanne Conway.
"Your position on abortion or gay marriage is not part of the job description for the mayor of New York," Conway said. "Having someone who can deal with Albany is."
That was a quality Molinari saw in Fossella and believes the next Republican mayoral candidate will have to prove to the public to win. Since that candidate will not be Fossella, however, Molinari said the task ahead for a Republican candidate in this heavily Democratic city will be even more difficult.
"We've pulled a rabbit out of the hat a couple of times. No reason to say it can't happen again," Molinari said. "But the rabbit is getting tired."
"The Republican Party is bleeding these days. The blood is flowing at all three levels of government," said Molinari, the former Staten Island congressman and borough president and top city GOP power broker.
In his borough, a traditional Republican stronghold, the GOP struggled to recruit a congressional candidate to replace retiring and scandal-ridden Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn), Molinari's successor and protégé. The Democrats have thrown the party's support to Council Member Michael McMahon (D-Staten Island).
Molinari has often floated the idea of Fossella running for mayor, even as a potential 2005 primary challenger to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The only Republican in the city's House delegation and a former Council member who had cruised through each of his elections, Fossella was seen by many as the party's logical next standard bearer for Gracie Mansion. That he is young and good-looking with, what seemed like, a solid family helped, too.
"There was a good marketing appeal there," Molinari said.
Though Fossella had long denied he was interested in the job, many Republicans had held out hope he would eventually change his mind. Now they see the sudden dissolution of his political future as highlighting the problems they are having finding a strong candidate for next year's mayoral race.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has denied his own interest in running for mayor, and his registration as an independent anyway leaves open the question of whether he would even seek the Republican nomination if he were to run. Bruce Blakeman has floated his name. But the only person that showed interest in running for mayor is grocery store magnate John Catsimatidis. While his deep pockets and willingness to fashion himself as a Republican are attractive qualities to the GOP, his history as a long-time Democratic donor who recently switched parties is off-putting to some major Republican players, including Molinari.
Though neither of the last two Republican mayors had previously held office, Republicans are always eager to field candidates with proven electability and a base of constituents. But there are not many other options-the number of elected Republicans in the city can by now be counted on two hands: four state senators, three Council members, one Assembly member and one district attorney.
So with Fossella out, even more people are talking about State Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn) jumping into the race.
Golden, who called himself the "go-to guy" for the city in his majority conference, has been slowly building a profile outside of his Bay Ridge district, often being the Republican mouthpiece on television for controversial topics like former-Gov. Eliot Spitzer's (D) plan to give drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants.
Golden has been fundraising frequently and amassed a $608,532 war chest for an uncontested re-election, though not all of that money would be available for a city race.
Golden, who might be in the minority come November, said he is entertaining the possibility of a mayoral bid and would have the support from Molinari, whom he consults frequently.
"We speak all the time. But we haven't moved forward on that particular issue," Golden said.
If he jumped into the race, Golden would follow in the tradition of mayoral hopefuls from the State Senate like Roy Goodman (R-Manhattan) in 1977 and John Marchi (R-Staten Island) in 1969 and 1973.
A candidate like Fossella or the politically simpatico Golden could draw strength from standing up for the city when dealing with the different levels of government, the way Republican politicians aim to do in a Democratic city, argued Republican strategist Kellyanne Conway.
"Your position on abortion or gay marriage is not part of the job description for the mayor of New York," Conway said. "Having someone who can deal with Albany is."
That was a quality Molinari saw in Fossella and believes the next Republican mayoral candidate will have to prove to the public to win. Since that candidate will not be Fossella, however, Molinari said the task ahead for a Republican candidate in this heavily Democratic city will be even more difficult.
"We've pulled a rabbit out of the hat a couple of times. No reason to say it can't happen again," Molinari said. "But the rabbit is getting tired."
