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Bruce Blakeman
DioGuardi: I’m ‘The New Paul Revere’
Sep 14th - 12:51 pm
CapTon’s Mike Whittemore caught up with one of the three Republicans vying to take on Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in November, former Westchester Rep. Joe DioGuardi, in Ossining earlier today where the candidate was pressured on whether he’ll drop off the Conservative line if he fails to win today’s primary.
DioGuardi, who was leading his two opponents – Bruce Blakeman and David Malpass – in last weekend’s Siena poll, said he doesn’t intend to lose, but he also didn’t sound like someone he plans to ending his run, either.
“I’m in this because I have a message,” DioGuardi said. The message I have is fiscal responsibility that I brought to Congress and that I wrote a book about in the early 90s.”
“That message is absolutely important for America, but the people have finally caught up with that message. That’s why I’m running. I feel like I’m the new Paul Revere and the tyrant is not King George III anymore, it’s Washington – spending money we don’t have.”
“…So, my feeling is I’ll pursue this race no matter what happens. I expect to win, but no matter what happens, I believe I still can win. We had a senator, Sen. Buckley, that won on the Conservative line here. And you can be sure I will use the same energy right through the last day. Sen. Gillibrand doesn’t know how much trouble she’s in.”
Siena: AG, GOP Gov Primaries Too Close To Call
Sep 11th - 9:46 am
Today’s Siena poll finds GOP gubernatorial primary opponents Rick Lazio and Carl Paladino locked in a statistical dead heat (43-42), while Sen. Eric Schniederman and Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice are battling it out (25-23) in the five-way Democratic AG primary, with 29 percent of voters still undecided just three days before heading to the polls.
“In the final days of the campaign, likely Republican primary voters are split between Lazio and Paladino,” said Siena pollster Steve Greenberg.
“A heavier than normal Republican turnout upstate will likely hand the nomination to Paladino, who leads upstate 53-32 percent, while a heavier than normal downstate suburban turnout will likely make Lazio the Republican nominee, as he leads there 55-30 percent. Lazio also leads 53-33 percent in New York City, which traditionally produces a smaller vote than any region in a Republican primary.”
A “wild card” could be the Tea Party supporters, among whom Paladino leads by just five points, 47-42. Lazio leads among those unfavorable or undecided about the movement, while the race is deadlocked among voters who describe themselves as conservatives.
Malpass Goes Negative
Sep 8th - 8:03 am
US Senate hopeful David Malpass released a radio ad yesterday that slams his GOP primary opponents in advance of next Tuesday’s primary in which Republicans will select a candidate to challenge Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in November.
This isn’t the first time Malpass has gone on the attack. He released an ad that accused Gillibrand and President Obama of “destroying our way of life.”
This time, however, he’s swiping at his fellow Republicans, Bruce Blakeman and former Rep. Joe DioGuardi, which, come to think of it, is in direct opposition to the so-called eleventh commandment created by his old boss, President Reagan.
Here’s the script:
“(Male voiceover): “Who’s the clear choice in the Senate race against Kirsten Gillibrand?”
“Well, Joe DioGuardi is a career politician and a lobbyist for Albania. He voted against Reagan nearly half the time, increased spending and debt. No wonder he’s run and lost 5 five times. Bruce Blakeman is another political insider. In Nassau County, he increased property taxes 9 percent and nearly bankrupted the county.”
“The choice is clear. David Malpass. The Republican candidate with a clear commitment to Reagan’s principles. David Malpass. A political outsider with the experience and vision to lead New York to a brighter future.”
“The New York Post endorses David Malpass, praising him for speaking eloquently and authoritatively on the economic issues that are of critical concern to New York. David Malpass for U.S Senate. Republican Primary, Tuesday, September 14th.”
“(Malpass) I’m David Malpass, I’m running for the United States Senate and I approved this message because I need your vote on September 14th.”
Malpass Uses DioGuardi’s Card Against Him
Sep 2nd - 3:27 pm
GOP US Senate hopeful David Malpass has gone negative against one of his two primary opponents, Joe DioGuardi, turning the former congressman’s signature gimmick against him.
Malpass released a Web video that features DioGuardi holding his old House voting card – the one the ex-congressman uses in his own book and new TV ad to slam Congress for turning it into the most expensive credit card known to man – and slams him for his anti-Reagan voting record.
Malpass, as you’ll recall, used to work for Reagan and is styling himself as the only true fiscal conservative in the race, even though DioGuardi has the Conservative Party line.
He clearly doesn’t think the third contender in the race, Bruce Blakeman, is a serious threat, beacuse he’s not bothering to go after him, even though Blakeman has done his fair share of hitting Malpass.
Here’s the script for the ad, entitled (what else?) “This Card”:
“When Joe DioGuardi voted against Ronald Reagan in Congress, he used this card. Using this card, he voted against Reagan 40 percent of the time. He used this card to vote himself three pay raises. The National Taxpayers Union gave DioGuardi a 31 percent rating because of the damage he did with this card. Do we really want to give Joe DioGuardi another? David Malpass, the fiscal conservative for US Senate.”
Sticks And Stones
Sep 2nd - 2:56 pm
He knows they didn’t mean it.
Or, at least that’s what state GOP Chairman Ed Cox claimed when our Curtis Jetter asked him at the YNN State Fair set how he felt when the three US Senate contenders all said – without hesitation – during the lightning round at last week’s debate that Cox has not done a good job leading the party.
“They’ve all called me and made absolutely clear that it was not a personal thing,” Cox said. “In fact, it was a quick thing and they would have answered differently if the question had been put differently to them. It was a lightning-round question.”
Cox said it stands to reason that this trio might be upset with him since he didn’t support any of them – Bruce Blakeman, Joe DioGuardi and David Malpass – leading up to the GOP convention.
In fact, he actively sought someone more high-profile to take on Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, even hoping that gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio might agree to do so, but to no avail.
“They don’t like a primary; nobody likes a primary,” Cox reasoned. “But a primary is what is needed when you have unknown candidates.”
“All three of the candidates are unknown and the convention decided they ought to have a primary. Joe DioGuardi said I should have done him right and the other two feel I should have done them right. But the point is a primary is good for unknown candidates.”
Post For Malpass
Sep 1st - 8:42 am
The Post has endorsed political newcomer David Malpass in the three-way GOP US Senate primary, the winner of which will face Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in November, calling him the “unquestionably superior candidate” who “follows the intellectual tradition set by the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan.”
(Moynihan, for the record, was a Democrat. He also held the seat Gillibrand now occupies and was replaced by Hillary Clinton upon his retirement in 2000).
The Post acknowledges that it “remains to be seen” whether Malpass’ brand of wonkiness can translate into votes on Election Day.
Today’s Q poll shows Gillibrand with a comfortable lead over all of her challengers, and she trounces Malpass, 45-24. The big problem for the GOP trio is that no one seems to know who they are. Each of them can count on the generic Republican vote, but little else.
A whopping 85 percent of New Yorkers said they didn’t know enough about Malpass to have an opinion about him.
GOP US Senate Debate(2) Highlight #3: ‘Attractive’
Aug 25th - 11:48 am
Saving the best for last.
Here’s the moment during last night’s debate in which Bruce Blakeman, when asked to say one nice thing about the woman he would like to defeat, Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, responds that she’s “attractive” and “probably a good Mom.”
That happened to be my question (actually, the full request was: Say one nice thing about each of your opponents and Gillibrand). I gave Blakeman the opportunity to back off or clarify his stance, and instead he reiterated it.
Probably not the smartest thing to say when you’re facing an all-woman panel in a debate moderated by…a woman.
While Gillibrand has been singled out for her looks on a number of occasions (she ranks No. 3 on The Hill newspaper’s latest 50 Most Beautiful list) and also regularly plays up her full-tuime mother/congresswoman status, Blakeman’s comment has been characterized as a sexist gaffe by most of the observers with whom I’ve chatted since the debate.
GOP US Senate Debate(2) Highlight #1: Canning Cox
Aug 25th - 10:25 am
The three Republicans fighting for the right to take on Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand mixed it up at Union College’s Yulman Theater last night, but there was one thing on which they were all in accord: State GOP Chairman Ed Cox.
Asked if they thought Cox has done a good job leading the party since winning a battle for the post against then-Niagara County GOP Chairman Henry Wojtaszek last fall, the candidates responded thusly:
David Malpass: “No.”
Joe DioGuardi: “He didn’t do right by me at the convention. I had to go to the people to get my signatures. I’d say ‘no.’”
Bruce Blakeman: “No.”
This isn’t terribly surprising, with the exception of Blakeman, who is the party’s designee. Cox’s tenure has been marred by missteps – from his anemic fundraising to his failed efforts to get Rick Lazio out of the governor’s race and party-switching Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy in – the chairman has not won accolades among rank-and-file Republicans. (To be fair, however, they are a difficult bunch to please).
A Cox loyalist e-mailed last night in the chairman’s defense, noting all three candidates “actively” sought the chairman’s support and endorsement. Cox is supporting Blakeman as the official standard-bearer, but this Republican noted the former Nassau County legislator is close to Nassau County GOP Chairman (and Cox’s predecessor) Joe Mondello, who supported Wojtaszek in the state chairmanship fight.
“As far as Malpass and DioGuardi are concerned, it’s no surprise they’re both upset at Chairman Cox’s backing of Blakeman, though the mature reaction would entail the two of them understanding the position Cox is in, given that Blakeman is the party’s designee,” the Republican reasoned.
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