Advance endorsement of McMahon, part IV

The Staten Island Advance has a lengthy write up on why they are endorsing Mike McMahon for Congress. Here is the fourth part;

Indeed, we commend all four candidates for an intelligent, civil and highly informative campaign. They've raised the level of discourse in Staten Island politics and deserve the thanks of every voter.

The clear choice for us, however, is Mr. McMahon, who has been forced to be on top of his game by these three exceptional challengers. He came through the debates and the forums with flying colors, in our estimation.

Now we urge Staten Island voters to get him through the last part of the way and reward him with a hard-earned victory in the contest for the borough's congressional seat come Election Day.

Advance endorsement of McMahon, part III

The Staten Island Advance has a lengthy write up on why they are endorsing Mike McMahon for Congress. Here is the third part;

But Mr. Straniere has always had chinks in his armor. One is that he talks a good game, sometimes taking credit for things in which he had only a peripheral role, but he was never especially productive as a legislator. Of course, in fairness, as a perennial member of the minority in the Assembly, he was always stymied. However, as a member of the likely Republican minority in the House, we fear he'd again fall back on press releases and public pronouncements.

Of more concern is the astonishing number of financial and legal entanglements that have bedeviled him throughout his political career, and even after he left public office. At some point, we've got to wonder what he's been doing to bring on all this trouble.

And, while Mr. Straniere recently established a residence in New Springville in furtherance of his congressional run (though members of the House are not required to live in the districts they represent), questions about his actual place of residence have always hung over him. These kinds of doubts and Mr. Straniere's elusiveness in addressing them raise issues of trust.

Advance endorsement of McMahon, part I

The Staten Island Advance has a lengthy write up on why they are endorsing Mike McMahon for Congress. Here is the first part;

The diversity of Mr. McMahon's backers is a testament to his sensible, practical approach to the business of lawmaking and political leadership. He has consistently disdained ideology and partisan politics in favor of building consensus to achieve realistic goals.

The best evidence of his pragmatic style was his key role, as chairman of the Council Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management, in forging the city's long-term solid-waste management plan. To do this, he had to work behind the scenes with other Council members whose boroughs would be affected, as well as with the Bloomberg administration itself.

and

Lately, he has been at the fore of the effort to pressure the Health and Hospitals Corp. to provide a fair level of health-care funding for this borough of beleaguered private hospital systems.

We expect that he will be an even more forceful champion in this important struggle should he be elected to Congress.

And, at the federal level, Staten Islanders will demand that he become a powerful advocate for the major mass transportation improvements Staten Island sorely needs. Those who vote for him are counting on it.

Sanitation workers endorse McMahon

Another day another endorsement for McMahon;

McMahon, a Democrat who is running to replace Vito Fossella in Congress, accepted the endorsement today at Staten Island's Sanitation Garage No. 3 in Travis while being flanked by about 100 sanitation workers and the union's president, Harry Nespoli.

"Mike McMahon has always supported the working men and women of this district in the City Council, and has been very conscientious of the issues we face day to day on the job and back at home," Nespoli said.

"I have respected the work he's done as a public servant, and I'm proud to call him a friend. Now, Mike needs us to help him get to Congress. He's the best man for the job in Washington, and I couldn't be happier to help him get there for the benefit of the district."

Bob Straniere on the other hand is losing endorsements.

Fossella may not endorse anyone

Despite being the Republican nominee to replace Vito Fossella, the Republican Congressman, Fossella apparently hasn't decided if he is going to endorse Bob Straniere. I don't mean to do Bob from Manhattan's work for him, but he is the Republican candidate in this race and was selected to be the Republican endorsed candidate by a selection committee made up of Fossella loyalists. Despite that Fossella may not endorse Straniere;

...Rep. Vito Fossella said he doesn't know if he's going to endorse anyone for the House seat he's vacating -- including fellow Republican Straniere.

Law Enforcement Unions Endorse McMahon for Congress

from press release;

PBA, DEA, CEA, LBA, SBA and Court Officers all Back McMahon in Bid For Congress, Citing McMahon’s Extensive Record Fighting for Officers on Safety and Resources

September 24, 2008 – Several law enforcement unions today backed Council Member Michael McMahon in his bid for Congress in New York’s 13th Congressional District, citing McMahon’s long record of fighting for law enforcement officials’ needs, including providing bullet proof vests for the city’s officers and fighting for sufficient police forces on Staten Island.

The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, Detectives Endowment Association, Captains Endowment Association, Lieutenants Benevolent Association, Sergeants Benevolent Association, and the New York State Court Officers Association and New York State Supreme Court Officers Association all endorsed McMahon.

“New York City’s law enforcement officers are on the front lines every day, fighting for the safety of our citizens, and protecting our way of life. I’ve been proud to fight for their needs on the City Council, and I’ll continue that fight in Washington to ensure that all our law enforcement officers have the resources they need to keep us safe. I’m grateful to have their endorsement, and promise to honor it by advocating for our brave officers in Congress. From the threat of terrorism to the danger of crime on the street, our law enforcement officers are there for New Yorkers, and when in Congress, I will make sure that our government is there for them,” McMahon said.

“Mike McMahon has always been a strong voice for this city’s police officers, and the PBA is proud to endorse him for Congress. From fighting for our personal safety to fighting for his constituents’ safety by pushing for more precincts on Staten Island, Mike McMahon understands the needs of police officers, and knows the importance of making sure we have the tools to keep New Yorkers safe. I’m proud to say that he’s the best man for the job in Congress,” PBA President Pat Lynch said.

“When Staten Island’s population boomed, and needed more officers to keep the streets safe, Mike McMahon was there to make sure that New Yorkers had the protection they needed to stay safe. He fought for the 121st Precinct in Graniteville, and he’ll continue to fight for resources we need from Congress to protect New Yorkers. When we’ve needed him, Mike McMahon has been there for law enforcement officers. I’m honored to be there for him now, pledging my support to get Mike McMahon to Congress,” said Dennis Quirk, the President of New York State Court Officers Association.

"The members of the CEA are happy to endorse a candidate who strongly supports passage of the James Zadroda 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, an act that provides much needed financing for the medical treatment of those emergency workers who responded to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In many cases, the dramatic health effects and cancers attributed to exposure to the toxins at Ground Zero are just beginning to be known. Mike McMahon shares our belief that the heroes that came to our aid should not be forgotten by our government," said Roy Richter, President of the Captains Endowment Association.

During his seven years on the City Council, McMahon helped to get safety vests for police officers, worked to open the 121st Precinct in Graniteville, and ensured that law enforcement officers serving overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan weren’t hit with bills by the city when they returned home from duty. He continues to push for the opening of the 120th Precinct on Staten Island so that the county has the resources it needs to keep the streets safe.

In addition, McMahon has ardently urged Congress to act on medical funding for first responders sickened by their work at Ground Zero following the attacks on September 11th. He voted in favor of a Council resolution urging Congress to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, and has pledged to support the legislation once elected.

The law enforcement officers’ endorsements are a major boost for McMahon, and follow the Uniformed Firefighters Association and Uniformed Fire Officers Association endorsements in the primary.

McMahon remains in a strong position going into the general election, with national observers rating the race “likely Democrat” across the board.

McMahon received key support in the primary and going into the general, including primary endorsements from the Staten Island Advance, New York Times, Brooklyn Paper and Courier Life, endorsements from elected leaders including Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Charles Schumer, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, former Mayor Ed Koch, and members of the New York City Congressional Delegation, and critical labor support from the New York State AFL–CIO, the United Federation of Teachers, 1199 SEIU Healthcare East, UFCW, and RWDSU.

Upon entering the race, McMahon also earned a spot on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's vaunted “Red to Blue” program, promising financial, communications and strategic support from the national party.

The General Election will be held on November 4th.


updated the bad formatting

Realtors PAC endorses McMahon

via the Advance;

"Michael McMahon has demonstrated his commitment to homeowners and private property rights in the City Council and we are confident he will continue that commitment as Staten Island's and Brooklyn's representative in the U.S. Congress," Dawn Carpenter, president of the Staten Island Board of Realtors. "We have always enjoyed a good working relationship with Mike McMahon and we're pleased that RPAC has chosen to support him in his campaign for Congress."

Staten Island Advance Endorses McMahon as Clear Choice in Democratic Primary for Congress

via campaign email;

SI Advance Cites McMahon’s Record of Accomplishment, History of Reaching Across the Aisle to Achieve Results in Today’s Endorsement for the Democratic Primary for the 13th CD

August 31, 2008 – Michael McMahon's congressional campaign today won the coveted endorsement of the hometown Staten Island Advance in the Democratic Primary for the 13th Congressional District. The Advance lauded McMahon’s “experience, leadership and documented achievements”, his “deep commitment to the borough he lives in and serves” on the City Council, and his centrist values, citing his ability to work in a bipartisan manner to achieve results.

note: the email includes the endorsement article in full which I can not repost in full here. To read the article go here.

Democrats.com endorses Harrison

Democrats.com, (not the Democratic Party) an online organization of Democratic activists has endorsed Harrison. The group is best known for their large email list which can drive money and support to candidates across the country. They had this to say in their endorsement email;

Steve Harrison is an "aggressive progressive" who supports all the issues we care about: immediate withdrawal from Iraq, no war with Iran, single-payer health care, stopping global warming, and protecting abortion rights.

Harrison is endorsed by Progressive Democrats of America, Democracy for NYC, Down With Tyranny, Stonewall Democrats, the National Organization for Women, and Gloria Steinem. Harrison earned the right to be the Democratic candidate in his 2006 campaign, when he won 43% against Republican incumbent Vito Fossella, the best showing ever for a Democrat in the district.

They are pushing to raise $16,000 for Harrison, not an unrealistic feat after they raised $25,000 through email asks for another Democratic candidate running for Congress in Georgia earlier in the summer. At this point the money will be useful for get out the vote efforts in the final two weeks of this primary campaign.

1199 SEIU endorses McMahon

via the Advance;

Local 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East have endorsed City Councilman Michael McMahon (D-North Shore) in his bid for Congress.

The union praised McMahon for securing increased funding for Richmond University Medical Center and Staten Island University Medical Center, and for helping to bring a federally qualified health care clinic to the Island. The group also lauded McMahon for his efforts to ensure that all schools have nurses.

"The health-care workers of 1199 are proud to endorse Michael McMahon for Congress," said group president George Gresham. "His record of protecting access to health care and expanding funding for hospitals demonstrate his commitment to making progressive health care reform a reality."

and stuff like this always gets me excited;

The union members have pledged to "aggressively mobilize" on McMahon's behalf by doing direct mail and phone-banking, and by going door-to-door to its thousands of members in the district.

Stonewall Dems endorse Harrison

Robert over at the Albany Project brings us news that the Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC has endorsed Steve Harrison.

Harrison picks up three new club endorsement

Interesting. Steve has a post over at The Albany Project where he mentions the following campaign news;

In the last week we've had over FIVE HUNDRED new donors on the Internet. The Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID), Lambda Independent Democrats (LID) and Jim Owels Liberal Democratic Club have joined our already impressive list of endorsers. They all come with great volunteer support.

I hadn't heard about those endorsements previously. Definitely some positive movement for the campaign. They join three other clubs who already endorsed;

* American Heritage Democratic Club
* Democratic Organization of Richmond County
* Staten Island Democratic Assocaiton

DFNYC endorses Harrison

via DFNYC email;

Democracy for NYC recently held a forum and endorsement vote in the Democratic Primary in NYC's 13th Congressional district, currently represented by incumbent Republican Vito Fossella. Steve Harrison has won our endorsement with an unprecedented 100% of the vote!

We look forward to working with Steve Harrison to defeat Vito Fossella in the 2008 elections. To learn more about Steve, check out his website:
http://www.steveharrisonforcongress.com

DFNYC voting members, those who have been to three events in the past year, were eligible to vote. Ballots could be downloaded at our website and mailed in, or turned in at events, between April 15th and April 29th.

On Tuesday, April 15, Democracy for NYC, Stonewall Democratic Club, Three Parks Independent Democratic Club, Village Reform Democratic Club and Truth 13 held a candidate forum for the Democratic primary in the 13th Congressional District: Both candidates were invited. Steve Harrison attended the forum. Councilmember Recchia did not attend.

Harrison has previously been endorsed by;
* Democratic Organization of Richmond County
* Staten Island Democratic Association
* American Heritage Democratic Club
* Progressive Democrats of America
* Democratic Advancement PAC

Democratic Advancement PAC endorses Steve Harrison

via Harrison press release;

National Democratic Organization endorses Steve Harrison

Democratic Advancement PAC (DAPAC) endorses Staten Island/Southwest Brooklyn Congressional candidate

(Seattle, WA) National Democratic Organization, the Democratic Advancement PAC (DAPAC) is endorsing NY 13th Congressional district candidate (Staten Island/Southwest Brooklyn) Steve Harrison, who is running against Vito Fossella, New York City’s only House Republican. Against Fossella in 2006, Harrison received a higher percentage of the vote than any Democrat ever under the Congressional District’s current configuration.

DAPAC’S mission is to help progressive Democratic Candidates run and win. They provide tactical and strategic support for their endorsed candidates, including fundraising and getting out the vote (GOTV) expertise. DAPAC has generated over 250,000 phone calls on behalf of the candidates they support.

“Harrison supports taking immediate steps to end the war in Iraq, publicly funded, single payer, universal healthcare and strong environmental protection,” says DAPAC President Tom Cramer. “He has pledged to vote for these crucial issues once in Congress. DAPAC is proud to add him as a newly endorsed candidate.”

DAPAC has endorsed only six 2008 Congressional candidates besides Harrison thus far. Among them is Sam Bennett (PA 15th), who along with Harrison were among the “Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq’s” original 10 endorsers (responsibleplan.com). The Responsible Plan, which has received national broadcast, print and online media coverage, outlines a detailed approach to end the war. Among DAPAC’s previous endorsees is Democratic Congressional Committee Chair (DCCC) Chris Van Hollen.

For more information about Steve Harrison visit steveharrisonforcongress.com. For more information about DAPAC visit dapac.org.

DFNYC opening endorsement voting

Tonight was the candidate forum hosted by DFNYC, Stonewall Democratic Club, Three Parks Independent Democratic Club, Village Reform Democratic Club and Truth 13. The featured guests were to be Steve Harrison and Domenic Recchia. As of late this afternoon only Harrison had confirmed his attendance.

Tonight is also the opening of the endorsement voting for DFNYC in this race. Unlike many of the political clubs in the city voting members of DFNYC have attendance requirements to become a voting member, so this is not something that can easily be stacked. Harrison seems to be well received so far by members of the organization who have held events and fundraisers for him. Most of this support comes from his participation and progressive and grassroot outreach that is coming on strong this election. I have a hard time seeing how he does not easily win this endorsement and add it to his list. Here was my analysis of a DFNYC endorsement following Harrison's PDA endorsement;

PDA could bring invaluable volunteers into this race and if I had the option of having the volunteer advantage or the fund raising advantage I would gladly take the volunteers. You can buy ads and literature all you want, but if you don't have a ground game distributing those, talking to voters and getting them to the polls they are useless. If Democracy for America (DFA) follows suit and gets involved in this race on Harrison's behalf, which would not surprise me given DFNYC's involvement, I would think Harrison would quickly have the advantage in this race. I would also give him a sizable and experienced volunteer advantage. DFNYC enthusiastically campaigned for Barbaro in 2004 so they do have some history with this district and wanting to take out Fossella.

Check out dfnyc.org for voting information. Also this is another reason to join their mailing list if you have not done so alredy. You can signup at that link as well.

Brooklyn's American Heritage Democratic Club endorses Harrison

Harrison's campaign press release;

Bay Ridge's American Heritage endorses Steve Harrison with 100 percent of the vote
13th Congressional District Democratic Candidate now has club endorsements on both sides of the Verrazano

(Brooklyn/Staten Island) Democratic Congressional candidate Steve Harrison’s (13th District NY Staten Island/Southwest Brooklyn) latest endorsement shows he has strong support on both the Staten Island and Brooklyn sides of the Congressional District.

Bay Ridge's American Heritage Democratic club nearly unanimously endorsed him over potential primary opponent Coney Island Councilman Domenic Recchia on March 10. One hundred percent of those voting to endorse a candidate voted for Steve, with a handful of "no endorsement" votes.

Harrison adds the American Heritage nod to his collection of club endorsements which include the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) which unanimously endorsed him locally and nationally as well as near 90 percent support from the Staten Island Democratic Association (SIDA) and the Democratic Organization of Richmond County (DOR).

Other Harrison endorsements include: Ms. Magazine founder Gloria Steinem, former judge and assembly member Frank Barbaro and 60th AD district leader Ralph Perfetto, who founded the American Heritage club in November 1996 with his wife Phyllis.

The Primary winner will face Vito Fossella, New York City's only Republican House member. Harrison received a higher percentage of the vote than any Democrat ever under the congressional district's current configuration in 2006 against Fossella.

For more information visit steveharrisonforcongress.com

This is Steve Harrison's third club endorsement;
* American Heritage Democratic Club
* Democratic Organization of Richmond County
* Staten Island Democratic Assocaiton

note: As always if you know of any other endorsements for Domenic Recchia or Steve Harrison please pass them along to me and I will post, ny13blog(at)gmail.com

Harrison picks up another endorsement

Steve Harrison has picked up the endorsement of the Democratic Organization of Richmond County. via Dana at the Brooklyn paper;

[Steve Harrison] won the endorsement of the Democratic Organization of Richmond County in a landslide 22–3 vote over Democratic rival, Councilman Domenic Recchia, on Monday night.

snip

The Staten Island Democratic Association is an important progressive political club in a key portion of the conservative 13th congressional district, which encompasses Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and all of Staten Island.

This is the third major club/organizational endorsement for Harrison;
* Democratic Organization of Richmond County
* 13th Congressional District PDA
* Staten Island Democratic Association, SIDA

Local PDA chapter endorses Steve Harrison

I have been traveling for several days without internet access, sorry for the light coverage.

The local chapter of Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) has endorsed Steve Harrison;

The local chapter of Progressive Democrats of America, representing the 13th Congressional District, voted tonight to unanimously endorse Steve Harrison for Congress at a meeting at the Armory Inn in Westerleigh. At the meeting, Steve Harrison spoke about the importance of defending the principles of the U.S. Constitution and the need to create real energy independence in the United States, including revitalizing our manufacturing capabilities in the process. After his talk, he fielded several questions in a lively Q&A session. In answering the PDA candidate questionnaire, Mr. Harrison responded, “Our current Congressperson, Vito Fossella, poorly represents our district. As NYC's only House Republican, Fossella votes with Bush and against our interests 90% of the time. He supports Bush's fiscal policy that has cut critical middle class programs, while bankrupting this country. And he wants to indefinitely continue the failed war in Iraq, which costs us billions of dollars and countless American lives.”

Steve Harrison’s challenger for the Democratic nomination, Domenic Recchia, was invited to the meeting but did not attend.

Formed in January 2005, Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) works to build a Democratic Party controlled by citizens – with policies that serve the broad public interest, not just private interests. It is a grassroots PAC that works inside the Democratic Party, and in coalition with other groups working to end the war in Iraq, advocate for health care for all, ensure clean elections, and slow global warming.

PDA played a key role in the stunning electoral victories of Democratic Congressional candidates of November 2006. The 13th Congressional District Chapter of PDA was started in January 2008 to bring attention to the 2008 local congressional election.

Steve is quickly wrapping up the activist support in the district with the recent SIDA endorsement, the DFNYC activity (no endorsement yet) and now this. I am curious to see if the local PDA group can give this race some attention with their national group. PDA was very active with the Donna Edwards race in MD-04 where she knocked off a Democratic incumbent thanks in large part to tremendous activist support both in terms of money and volunteers on the ground.

SIDA endorses Steve Harrison

The Staten Island Democratic Association endorsed Steve Harrison tonight 42 to 6 according to a commenter on the SI Live politics forum.

Any other endorsements out there yet?

update: Tom covers the endorsement;

"It is no surprise that Steve Harrison won SIDA's enthusiastic endorsement last night," said club president Nick Popolo. "Over the past two years, Steve has built a solid relationship with many members of the club. We've seen him progress over the last two years to become an inspiring speaker and advocate."

Press release on Barbaro's endorsement

NY Political Icon endorses Democratic Congressional candidate Steve Harrison Former State Supreme Court judge and assemblyman Frank Barbaro endorses Harrison 6 PM December 21 press conference at the ferry terminal in Staten Island.

(Staten Island, Brooklyn) Iconic 80 year old former worker organizer, assemblyman and New York Supreme Court judge Frank Barbaro will endorse Democratic Congressional Candidate Steve Harrison at a 6PM, December 21, press conference at the ferry terminal, St George, Staten Island.

Harrison, is challenging New York 13th Congressional District (Staten Island and Southwest Brooklyn) incumbent Vito Fossella, New York City’s only Republican House member, again in 08, after receiving a higher percentage of the vote in 06 than any Democrat since the district’s creation.

Barbaro, in a prepared statement also marveled at Harrison’s o6 election achievement, calling it remarkable for a first time candidate with limited funds.

Barbaro cites Iraq, universal healthcare, preserving social security and protecting worker rights as among the reasons for his support of Harrison.

“Your positions on these issues demonstrated a deep commitment to American Values set forth in our Constitution and to our core Democratic values.”

Barbaro, whose public service career spans more than 50 years, also lauded Harrison’s community involvement.

“Your record of community achievement rooted in volunteer efforts over many years tells me that you will be guided by those you represent, not self interests or the greed of developers that is strangling our community. It is rare that we find a candidate who is honest and a man of integrity like you who always tells the truth,” said Barbaro.

Barbaro, a former longshoreman and labor organizer, after two unsuccessful runs, was elected in 1973 to the New York State assembly representing the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bensonhurst and Gravesend, serving until 1997, when he joined the State Supreme Court.

After retiring from the bench in 2003, Barbaro in 2004, like Harrison two years later, ran against Fossella, becoming the first Democrat to crack 40 percent against the Staten Island Republican. He also challenged incumbent mayor Ed Koch in a 1981 Democratic primary.

Barbaro, who pursued a law degree at night while working as longshoreman, currently maintains a private law practice in the Albany, NY suburb of Watervliet. Through that practice, he’s still battling Fossella. Barbaro acted as legal council in April for anti-war protesters dubbed the Fossella 5. The group was arrested for disorderly conduct and trespassing after they refused to leave the Republican’s office when his staff wouldn’t contact the Congressman to set up a meeting. The charges were eventually dropped.