New York Congressional Primaries (today) Will Bring Big Decisions Tonight

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New York Congressional Primaries Will Bring Big Decisions Tonight
By Marie Horrigan, CQ Staff


Many political eyes will be focused on New York’s congressional primaries Tuesday, as some key battles will be set for the November elections. In several cases, the results could determine a party’s shot to gain — or hold — a seat.

The late primary leaves candidates with exactly eight weeks for campaigning between the day they secure the party nomination and the day they face their general election opponent.

Here is a roundup of the most interesting races to watch:

New York’s 13th District:

The top race in New York’s primaries is for the Staten-Island-based seat currently held by Republican Vito J. Fossella , the scandal-ridden congressman, who announced his retirement in May after an arrest for drunken driving unraveled the story of a second family in Washington.

Both Democrats and Republicans have heated primaries here, although Democrats offer a more unified front. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and most of the local party organization has endorsed New York City Councilman Mike McMahon, who faces Stephen A. Harrison in the primary. Harrison held Fossella to the lowest take of his congressional career, 57 percent, in 2006 but with the scandal surrounding Fossella and the subsequent chance to pick up the seat, Democrats turned to McMahon for the general election. McMahon reported raising $717,000 and had $413,000 on hand through Aug. 20, according to his pre-primary report, while Harrison raised $201,000 and had $45,000 on hand by the same date.

The Republican primary, meanwhile, has turned nasty. Two candidates are competing for the party nomination: former state Rep. Robert Straniere and Staten Island GOP Finance Chair Jamshad Wyne. The district encompasses all of Staten Island and the southern tip of Brooklyn and both county Republican parties have endorsed Straniere. But Wyne has boosted his candidacy with $325,000 in self-loans, which puts him far ahead of Straniere in fundraising. Wyne raised $334,000 and had $203,000 on hand through Aug. 20 while Straniere raised $15,000 and had $12,000 on hand by the same date.

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