Kirsten Gillibrand hadn’t even accepted Gov. David Paterson’s Senate appointment on Friday, Jan. 23, before her would-be successors started lining up to take a major party line in a yet-to-be scheduled, as of press time, special election.
On Tuesday, Jan. 27, mere hours after Gillibrand was sworn in, Republican leaders in the 20th Congressional District announced that James Tedisco will be the GOP’s pick, wrapping up several days of wild rumors and frenetically circulated press releases as some of the shortest-lived campaigns in the history of New York politics came to a close.
Tedisco beat out a number of Republican hopefuls. Most notably Sandy Treadwell, who lost to Gillibrand in the November election; John Faso, former assemblyman and gubernatorial candidate; and state Sen. Betty Little.
The Assembly Minority Leader snagged the Saratoga County Republican Committee endorsement early on, a vital victory since each county’s weight in choosing a candidate is based on how many Republican votes were cast in the previous election. Saratoga leads the pack with 33 percent of the district’s vote.
With the endorsement scramble over, GOP leaders say that it’s now time to rally behind their chosen candidate.
We’ve had a great amount of exposure in this region with many of the issues he’s brought forward, said Saratoga County Republican Committee Chairman John `Jasper` Nolan, of Tedisco. `He has a web of support.`
Nolan dismissed objections that Tedisco is not heavily vested in the 20th. Although he may be best known for his representation of the Schenectady area, his 110th Assembly District is half Saratoga County.
`He certainly knows the district, even if he hasn’t represented all of it, he is certainly aware of it through his contacts with other members of the Assembly,` said Nolan, who added that Tedisco has the qualities to win in the face of a shortened campaign.
`This is going to be a sprint; it’s not going to be a marathon,` he said. `In that short time span, he would be an excellent candidate.`
In this situation, Paterson will need to call the special election, which must be scheduled within 30 to 40 days of his proclamation. Some expect an announcement in the coming days, though technically Paterson can move at his leisure up until July 2010.
Independent candidates who can collect 3,500 valid signatures may also appear on the ballot.
If Republicans are staging a sprint to the ballot line, then Democrats are holding a marathon.
`When we first met, we talked about whether we would endorse, and we decided that the fairest thing to do was not to endorse,` said Essex County Democratic Chairwoman Sue Montgomery-Corey, who is in charge of rounding up the Democrat candidates. `When we first met, we talked about whether we would endorse, and we decided that the fairest thing to do was not to endorseWe’ve been going back and calling people, and making sure they understand procedurally what we’re doing.`
In the coming days and weeks, candidates will be vetted by the party leadership in hopes that all can agree upon the best candidate without political bickering. The deadline for applications was noon on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
Some notable local Democratic hopefuls include failed candidate for the 112th Assembly District Mike Russo; Saratoga Springs Department of Public Works Commissioner Ron Kim; defeated 21st Congressional District candidates Tracey Brooks and Darius Shahinfar; and former WTEN anchor Tracy Egan.
In New York, one need not live in a district to run in it, bringing announcements in from such far-flung locales as Ithaca.
`It’s my hope that through this process we can come up with a really great candidate who is ready once they set foot in the House,` said Montgomery-Corey.
Saratoga County Democratic Committee Chairman Larry Bulman said that this is the best way to come up with a candidate the whole district can live with, instead of having one or two heavily populated counties make the decision for everyone.
`We’re not rushing into this, we want it to be very transparent and to have an open process,` said Bulman, who was briefly considering a run himself. `We have dire problems [in this country]. We need to make sure that we pick the right person who can hit the ground running.`
Each county’s leadership technically gets a weighted vote in the decision. Unlike in the GOP, however, the bylaws dictate that vote figures will be drawn from 2006’s gubernatorial race.“