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2012
Long: No Bending On Taxes
May 2nd - 3:18 pm
Republican Senate hopeful Wendy Long said in an interview that she was “surprised” and “saddened” that Rep. Bob Turner had suggested a broader compromise on the nation’s debt and deficit issues that may include raising taxes.
“We have to be unwavering on that,” Long said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. “I do not think you compromise on principle. You compromise on the margin of things, but you don’t compromise on a fundamental principle.”
Long, an attorney from New York City who has the backing of the state Conservative Party, is locked in a three-way GOP primary to take on Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the fall along side Turner and Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos.
Turner told me in an interview Tuesday morning that while he voted for the latest version of the Paul Ryan budget — which includes deep cuts to socials service spending — he expects a compromise on revenue-generators might be needed.
“I’m trying to duck that specific, but we’re going to have to do what has to be done,” Turner said. “This is a very serious problem. We cannot stand on certain principles that are inflexible. Everybody’s going to have to bend somewhere. The job is too big and too important.”
Appearing alongside Liz later on Capital Tonight, Turner clarified a bit, saying:
“There’s no one that wants to raise taxes in a down economy that will hurt business and job growth. We all understand that. We have an enormous deficit and overspending problem. We will have to come together on both sides of the aisle to solve this and I think we have to signal a certain flexibility. I don’t know what that’s going to be… what I’m saying is let’s not dig in, put ourselves in a position where we can’t move forward.
But Long called that a “major difference that’s now emerging in the Senate primary.”
“I had thought that Bob was where I was and that’s opposed to any tax increase,” she said.
Asked if she would back Ryan’s budget, Long did not want to get into specific aspects of the plan, which has tripped up previous Republican candidates.
“Certainly something on the broad outline of the principles of the Ryan plan is the right way to go and that is, as he says, we have to get off the path of debt and decline and we have to get on the path of freedom and opportunity… I think the fundamental approach of the Ryan plan is sound,” she said. “Since I’m not a legislator yet I don’t have to be voting on every little detail of it.”
Asked which detials of the plan she likes versus that ones that she would jettison, Long stayed general.
“Nothing specific,” she said. “I definitely agree that we have to cut taxes and cut spending except for defense. With that broad stroke principle that is in the Ryan budget I totally agree with.”
Brooks Campaign Team Forms (Updated)
May 2nd - 10:15 am
Monroe County Executive and congressional hopeful Maggie Brooks is tapping her communications director to lead her effort in unseating longtime Democratic Rep. Louise Slaughter.
Brooks, viewed as a Republican rising star who has a good shot at winning in the newly formed district that includes much of Monroe County, has hired Noah Lebowitz to be her campaign manager.
Lebowitz is leaving his job as the county’s spokesman to work on the campaign effective today.
“I am honored to have a talented and experienced team join my campaign to show our country how much it stands to learn from our County,” Brooks said in a statement.
“Following an outpouring of support from thousands of residents who volunteered to qualify our campaign on the ballot, or contributed resources to help fund our fight, I am confident our new campaign organization stands ready to do even more to effectively communicate with local voters in the days to come.”
Other Brooks hires today include Pamela Baker as finance director. Baker has worked for various members, including former NRCC Chairman Tom Reynolds.
The campaign has a website up and running as well, which can be found here.
UPDATE: Brooks’ press release announcing her latest campaign hires includes the following line about “external support”: “In addition to the strong backing of an extensive and well organized local party structure and campaign staff, Brooks has assembled an all-star team of national-level advisors and consultants.”
I (Liz) asked for more information on that, and received the following list:
- Survey Research: The Tarrance Group. (This is a Virginia-based firm that works on a lot of national and congressional GOP campaigns. NY clients have included former Rep. John McHugh and current Rep. Nan Hayworth).
- Media: DMM Media (Partners: Patrick McCarthy and Mike McElwain. This is another national firm that likes to keep a low profile. it has no Website, but, according to Wikipedia, focuses on microtargeting).
- PAC Fundraising: The Oorbeek Group. (Based in D.C., its president, William R. Oorbeek, is connected to Reynolds).
Turner On Taxes: ‘Whatever Has To Be Done’
May 1st - 10:59 am
Rep. Bob Turner, locked in a three-way battle for the Republican nomination to take on Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand this fall, said in an interview that the controversial budget plan proposed by Paul Ryan will have to be altered in order to solve the nation’s debt problem.
Turner said he didn’t want to get into specifics, but indicated that his party can’t continue to uniformly oppose tax increases in order to solve the debt issue.
The budget discussion begins around the 3-minute mark.
“The Ryan plan was put through by the House,” Turner said, who voted for the latest iteration of the GOP budget proposal in March. “There will certainly be compromises. This thing can’t be done without getting both sides of the aisle and the party together.”
Does that mean tax increases?
“Whatever has to be done,” Turner said. “I’m trying to duck that specific, but we’re going to have to do what has to be done. This is a very serious problem. We cannot stand on certain principles that are inflexible. Everybody’s going to have to bend somewhere. The job is too big and too important.”
Turner has had a back and forth relationship with the Ryan proposal. In 2011, he said was opposed to the plan, calling it “starting point for negotiations.”
Programming note: Liz will be talking with Turner one-on-one this evening on Capital Tonight at 8 and 11:30.
DioGuardi For Long
Apr 30th - 2:49 pm
Joe DioGuardi, the former Westchester County Congressional representative who lost to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in 2010, today endorsed Republican hopeful Wendy Long.
“Our nation is in a fiscal crisis unsurpassed since the Great Depression,” DioGuardi said. “We need bold and decisive action in Washington if we are to put Americans and New Yorkers back to work. Wendy Long is a fiscal conservative who will fight to cut spending, lower taxes, and shrink the ever growing national debt. But, most importantly, she is the only Republican who can defeat Kirsten Gillibrand, and that is why I am endorsing her for U.S. Senate.”
DioGuardi narrowly won a three-way Senate race against economist David Malpass and Nassau County Legislator Bruce Blakeman.
He was soundly defeated by Gillibrand, who was running for the remainder of Hillary Clinton’s six-year term, 63 percent to 35 percent.
DioGuardi’s campaign achieved some minor buzz outside of New York due to his daughter, Kara DioGuardi, was at the time a judge on American Idol.
Long is in a three-way primary herself this time out, running against Rep. Bob Turner and Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos.
Becker: My Donations Came From District
Apr 30th - 11:21 am
Democratic Congressional hopeful Richard Becker released a map today that he says shows most of his donations — nearly 78 percent — came from within the newly drawn NY-18 or the old NY-19.
It’s a contrast the Becker camp is trying to draw with the donations raised by rival Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney, a prodigious fundraiser who has a broader base of donors around the state. 
From the Becker campaign:
“This election is going to turn on a couple of simple questions: Who’s going to be the middle class standard-bearer the Hudson Valley needs? Who has what it takes to create jobs right here in the Hudson Valley? Who can go toe-to-toe with Nan Hayworth on women’s reproductive rights, on Medicare, and on the GOP’s Tea Party extremism? Dr. Becker been a doctor and small businessman here for 30 years, has created hundreds of jobs right here in our communities, and has already been holding Nan Hayworth accountable for months – and the people have noticed.”
The map also serves as a subtle reminder that Maloney doesn’t live in the district.
Incumbent Rep. Nan Hayworth is considered one of the more vulnerable New York freshman this election cycle.
Kanner Moving To Obama Campaign
Apr 27th - 10:50 am
Danny Kanner, the affable and hyper-responsive press secretary to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, is moving on to join President Obama’s re-election effort, news first broken by a Maggie Haberman scoop at Politico.
Kanner confirmed the news to me via email.
“It’s been fun,” he wrote.
Haberman reports that Kanner will be heading to Chicago to work as deputy director of rapid response.
Kanner is well-known in New York political and journalistic circles and has worked several Senate campaigns as well as for Florida Gov. Charlie Crist.
Schneiderman, of course, initially went against the Obama administration’s plan to settle with major mortgage-lending banks. Later, Obama appointed the attorney general to lead a nationwide mortgage-settlement task force.
‘This Is Ann Romney Calling’
Apr 25th - 4:32 pm
It’s a little late, since we already know the outcome of yesterday’s GOP primaries (Mitt Romney won in all five states, including New York), but this is nevertheless noteworthy.
A reader sent a recording of a robocall he received from Romney’s wife, Ann, in which she highlights the fact that couple has been married for 43 years and touts his abilities as a guy who “you can count on in tough situations” with the “ability to turn around struggling organizations.”
The individual who received this lives in Niagara County – an area where Newt Gingrich was expected to do well, thanks to his support from Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino. Gingrich did fare better in WNY than elsewhere in the state, but Romney still cleaned his clock, even though, unlike the former House speaker, he never stepped foot anywhere near the region.
So far, I’ve received no reports of any Gingrich robos.
The Ann Romney robo-receiver also got a (pre-recorded) call from the candidate himself two nights before the Tuesday primary. But Ann Romney was the closer, which makes sense when you consider that polls show she’s more popular than her husband. (The same goes for First Lady Michelle Obama).
Here’s the script of the Ann Romney call, which you can also listen to below:
“Because today is Election Day, I want to share with you a little bit about the man I know. Throughout our lives together, Mitt has always been a guy you could count on in tough situations. A strong and decisive leader who has the ability to turn around struggling organizations.”
“When Mitt and I were talking about him running for president, I had one question: If you can win, can you fix it. His answer was yes, and that was all I needed to hear. America needs a turnaround, and I know that Mitt is the person that can lead us. He needs your help to get it done, so please remember to vote today, and we would appreciate your support.”
Shinagawa, Lamb Also Net ‘Emerging Race’ Distinctions
Apr 24th - 3:21 pm
There’s more emerging race news to report this afternoon out of D-Trip.
Nate Shinagawa, the Democrat who is also competing in the NY-23, annonuced the distinction this afternoon (his primary opponent Leslie Danks Burke announced the same news earlier and the DCCC hasn’t made any endorsements in that race).
“We are pleased to see that this district is a high priority for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee,” said Shinagawa in a statement. “We’ve known this race is winnable because of the failure of Tom Reed and Tea Party Republicans to make jobs and economic development a priority in communities like the Southern Tier. We look forward to working closely with local and national Democratic organizations to elect the proven leader our district needs and deserves.”
Dan Lamb, meanwhile, the Democrat running in the neighboring NY-22, said that being in an “emerging race” was a “validation” that the campaign was having an impact.
“This is a great step for our campaign, and a validation of the hard work our grassroots supporters are doing to move our race to the next level,” said Lamb. “In the coming weeks, we’ll be intensifying our efforts. We’re going to make sure that voters know there’s a candidate willing to speak honestly and fight tirelessly to create jobs, opportunity, and economic security throughout our part of New York.”
Cuomo: Romney’s HUD Statement ‘Irrelevant’
Apr 24th - 2:26 pm
Gov. Andrew Cuomo isn’t too concerned about the future of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under a Romney administration.
Romney, who will likely score an easy layup today in New York’s Republican presidential primary, said last week at a private gathering that HUD “might not be around” if he defeats President Obama in the fall.
But Cuomo, a HUD secretary from 1997 through 2001, doesn’t think there will be a Romney administration at all and today called the former Massachusett governor’s statement “irrelevant.”
“I don’t think he’s going to be president, so I think it’s irrelevant,” he said rather bluntly.
Cuomo frequently references his time at HUD, which he’s cast as a formative time for him to learn the levers of power in Washington and be able to administer and reshape a vast bureaucracy.
Maragos: Long’s Debate Call ‘Premature’
Apr 24th - 1:56 pm
Nassau County Comptroller and Republican Senate candidate George Maragos said this afternoon he welcomed Wendy Long’s call for a trio of debates, but said such a challenge is “premature” considering no sponsors have lined up.
“I find Ms. Long’s challenge premature in that she does not appear to have made any arrangements with any of the media outlets or the League of Women Voters to host the debates,” Maragos said in a statement.
He added that his campaign had reached out to YNN sister station NY1 to host a forum, but was waiting confirmation before making a public statement.
“I am confident that my experience, values and vision for New York will prove to be the best choice for Republican voters on June 26th and for all New Yorkers in November,” Maragos said.
Long, a Manhattan attorney in her first political campaign, called for three debates prior to the June 26 Senate primary between herself, Maragos and Rep. Bob Turner.
Turner spokeswoman Jessica Proud said in an email that the campaign is looking forward to debating “key issues” like raising gas prices, but did not commit to Long’s call.
The winner of the primary faces U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the fall.
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