It took a week for party leadership to present the two candidates who will be vying for control of Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand’s newly vacated seat in the 20th Congressional District. Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, R-Schenectady, and businessman Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls, will face off in a yet-to-be scheduled special election that will take place 30 to 40 days after Gov. David Paterson gives the word.
Murphy is a political newcomer whose selection came after a whirlwind of speculation. While Republican leaders tapped Tedisco almost immediately after Gillibrand was sworn into the Senate, Democratic leadership from the district’s 10 counties made their choice on Sunday, Feb. 1, after a comparatively lengthy vetting process of the roughly 30 interested parties.
Our selection process was excellent. Unlike our counterparts the Republicans, we had a very open process, said Saratoga County Democratic Committee Chairman Larry Bulman. `One thing that the candidates complimented us on was the fact everyone had an opportunity.`
Murphy’s selection took some by surprise. He has not held elected office before, though he has served on the staff of two governors (Mel Carnahan and Roger Wilson). He’s young: At 38, he wasn’t in high school when his opponent sat in the Assembly for the first time. But since then, he’s had a Harvard education and put in a few years on Wall Street. He now works for Advantage Capital Fund, which invests in and advises small businesses.
It’s that experience with job creation that molds the main plank of Murphy’s platform. According to a press release announcing his candidacy, his nickname is `Mr. Jobs.` By helping the development of area businesses he has claimed responsibility for the creation of 1,000 jobs.
Murphy did not respond to requests to be interviewed in time for this report. Bulman said he was selected `based on his education, qualifications and experience.`
`I never thought we would find anybody with the kind of energy that Kirsten Gillibrand had, but we have succeeded,` he continued.
Tedisco will also be touting job creation as a goal, but plans to point to his 26 years in the Assembly.
`The constituency is going to ask the question, ‘Who can get out there and hit the ground running?’` he said. `The last thing they need in this difficult economy is someone who needs a learning curve.`
Battling the ailing economy will be a chief priority should he be sent to Washington. He criticized the recently approved $800 billion stimulus package, saying that any relief fund should go right into the pockets of taxpayers.
`We need a representative who’s going to go out there and say, ‘No, we need this money to go to the middle class and the people who need it most,’` he said.
He acknowledged that the campaigning process will be a `fast break,` but he pledged to devote time in every part of the enormous district.
`What we’re going to do is the same thing we’ve always done,` said Tedisco. `I’m going to show that I can reach out, even is this brief four-to-six-week period, and talk to as many people as possible.`
He’s already started that process, officially kicking off his campaign on Tuesday, Feb. 3, from his Clifton Park campaign headquarters. On Saturday, he met members of the `Women for Tedisco` group in Saratoga Springs. The GOP choice maintains a blog and Web site that’s often updated.
Though he’ll be making appearances across the district, Tedisco noted that his electronic lines of communication makes it a lot easier for him to reach the vast constituency of the 20th ` and vice-versa.
`The hallmark [of my campaign] is the understanding that a good representative is not only a good speaker, but a good listener,` he said.“