McMaon wins big

via press release;

McMahon Scores Sweeping Victory in Staten Island and Brooklyn Congressional Election, Sets Sight on Washington to Get Results for District

Topping Republican Opponent By Landslide 28 Points With 99% Reporting, Mike McMahon Decisively Wins Battle for 13th Congressional District Seat

Win Follows Massive GOTV Effort By McMahon, Along with Strong Fundraising and Operational Push by McMahon and National Dems

With Mandate from Staten Island and Brooklyn Voters in Hand, McMahon Looks to Washington to Bring Real Change and Results for District Residents

November 4, 2008 – Congressional candidate Michael McMahon scored a significant victory today against his opponents in the general election for the 13th Congressional District, covering all of Staten Island and parts of Southern Brooklyn. Winning in a landslide 61%-33% victory with 99% of the precincts reporting with large margins of support on both sides of the district, McMahon is the first Democrat to take the seat in 28 years. Following his victory, McMahon set his sight on winning results for the district in Washington, including funding for mass transit improvements, increasing access to health care, and creating real economic opportunity and tax relief for the district’s middle class families.

“I am grateful for the trust and faith the voters have put in me, and humbled by the difficult tasks that lie ahead. We built a coalition to achieve this victory. Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives and independents came together to vote for real change for this district, and I’ll work to build another bipartisan coalition in Washington to bring home real results. We need cooperation now more than ever. The economic crisis, crumbling infrastructure and our strained armed forces abroad will demand the best of us in Congress, and I hope to repay the voters for their trust tonight with hard work, dedication and a memory of who I’m there to serve,” McMahon said.

McMahon’s impressive victory comes after a round of notable endorsement from the Staten Island Advance and New York Times for his long record of proven results and bipartisan cooperation, nods from elected officials including Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Staten Island Borough Presidnet James Molinaro and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, as well as key labor endorsements from over twenty local unions.

McMahon ran a strong campaign out of the gates, raising $500,000 for his campaign within only three weeks of announcing his candidacy, and raising $1.4 million overall. McMahon attracted top-flight campaign talent from the Obama and Clinton campaigns, as well as Senator Schumer’s office, and the offices of Representatives Joe Crowley and Steve Israel. Over the course of the campaign, McMahon attracted hundreds of volunteers who knocked on over 30,000 doors and called over 100,000 voters, blanketing the district with grassroots support.

McMahon also earned a spot on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's vaunted “Red to Blue” program, ensuring key financial, communications and strategic backing for the campaign, along with a rare primary endorsement from DCCC Chairman Representative Chris Van Hollen and area visits from Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar.

McMahon’s sharply increased name recognition and strong margins on both Staten Island and in Brooklyn in the election leave him primed to best represent the residents of the 13th Congressional District, and bring home the results for his district from Congress as he did for seven years from the City Council.