Driving along Staten Island's  waterfront-hugging road Richmond Terrace, Council Member Michael McMahon (D-Staten Island) and his campaign aide Carmen Cognetta were on their way to a picnic.

Along the way, McMahon spotted his friend, Borough President James Molinaro (C-Staten Island), parked on the sidewalk outside of a construction site.

Cognetta, the driver for the day, pulled his sky blue Toyota Prius over for an impromptu pit stop.

"Need extra muscle?" McMahon yelled to Molinaro, getting out of the car.

But Molinaro's engine was fine-the borough president was on the side of the road inspecting a friend's property, helping his friend with a permit problem relating to sidewalk repair.

They headed back to their cars, both off to the New York Container Terminal's annual Fourth of July picnic.
"Don't eat all the hot dogs before I get there," Molinaro called out as McMahon got back into the Prius.
Tom Petty's "American Girl" was blasting over the loudspeakers by the time McMahon and Cognetta arrived to the picnic, set up on an empty port overlooking the narrow water separating Staten Island and New Jersey. Taking off his sport coat, McMahon waded into the sea of neon yellow-vested union men, slapping backs, giving high fives and shaking meaty hands along the way.

McMahon has been to the picnic before. But this year is different. This year, he is running for Congress. And this year, he is endorsed by New York Container Terminal President James Devine. The terminal employees are all members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA)-just one more acronym McMahon can add to his alphabet soup of union support.

Union support is a key component to McMahon's campaign to succeed Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn), who announced his retirement after a DWI arrest led to revelations of his long-term affair and love child with a Virginia woman.

There have not been many campaign events like this since he jumped into the race May 29, with most of his time instead spent at fundraisers in New York, Albany and Washington. He estimates that he has pulled in at least half a million dollars in just those first few weeks, helping convince the national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to include his race in its special "Red-to-Blue" program.

Though he still faces a primary challenge from 2006 nominee Steve Harrison, McMahon seems to already be looking past that battle, focusing his talk on reaching for voters outside of his party, ethnicity and ideology.

"The goal is to win the election in November," McMahon said. "I have to reach out to independents and conservatives in the mid-island and South Shore."

To do so, he is touting his Council record and relationship with community associations to win votes in the general election and the primary.

"Across this island, I worked closely with civic groups," McMahon said. "I'll continue to do that on Staten Island and expand that into Brooklyn, the new frontier."

He has been touting his record on this, too, and at the Container Terminal picnic was praised by Devine for working with Molinaro to revive the dock. That earned them their invitations.

McMahon, Molinaro and Devine took the stage, with the Goethals Bridge as a backdrop.

After the Pledge of Allegience, Devine gave glowing praise to Molinaro and McMahon, "the guy we, the New York Container Terminal, desperately want to send to Washington," Devine said.

Devine pressed his employees to vote for the person who has their fiscal interest in mind.

"When you get your paycheck on Thursday, remember Mike McMahon," Devine said.

Molinaro, who pushed the Staten Island Conservative Party to endorse McMahon but could not sway the Brooklyn or state party, threw his support to McMahon when Republicans could not field any prominent elected officials. McMahon ran on the Conservative Party ticket in his 2005 reelection to the Council, a safe Democratic seat.

"That man happens to be a Democrat. I'm a Conservative," Molinaro told the crowd of several hundred employees. "But you vote for your best interest. Mike McMahon is in your best interest."