Manhattan Publisher Tom Allon says his decision to bypass the competitive 2013 Democratic primary for mayor by switching his party registration to Republican (as we suggested he might do in a blog post Sunday) will change the course of the election, but it's hardly a sure thing.
Our Frank Miller and I report:
"The Democratic primary is going to be a circus of pandering, special interests and quite frankly it?s become a place where systemic corruption is making that party look bad," says underdog Allon, who plans to run a "fusion" campaign for the city's highest office on the GOP and Liberal Party lines.
"The party stuff is just a sideshow; it's really about electing the best candidate to run the city."
The political ingenue made his announcement in front of a statue of Theodore Roosevelt outside the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan Monday morning, and said his campaign -- which would combine the fiscally conservative values of the GOP with goals that jive with his endorsement by the Liberal Party -- could have broad-based support from people seeking a rational alternative to the status quo.
The Liberal Party lost state ballot status after Andrew Cuomo's 2002 aborted primary run for governor against eventual Democratic nominee Carl McCall, but Allon says he should have no trouble getting the signatures needed to score the Libs a ballot line in the 2013 vote.
A variety of notable Republicans, including the leaders of the city's GOP county committees, welcomed Allon into the fold Monday -- but stopped short of saying they'd do more than consider his candidacy among that of other possible entrants into the race. Those buzz-names include current Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and supermarket magnate John Catsimatidis, to name just a few.
Allon isn't the only dark horse candidate to go the way of Mike Bloomberg, who jumped from the Democratic Party to the GOP to avoid a bruising 2001 primary against a field of better-known candidates . Despite the millions he spent, Bloomberg was still a longshot to beat Democrat Mark Green until the attacks of 9/11 threw New York into turmoil.
Before even getting to the general election against Green, Bloomberg beat former Rep. Herman Badillo in a Republican primary. Allon's decision to change parties sets up another potential primary fight in which Allon could face off with Doe Fund founder George McDonald and possibly other as-yet unannounced entrants.
"I'm a big believer in the democratic process and [think] that the voters should be offered choices on all levels," Allon said. "As far as I?m concerned, the more people in a race, the better."
McDonald, whose Doe Fund is dedicated to helping former convicts and people overcoming substance abuse reintegrate in into the workforce and society at large, said he had no problem with Allon's leap to the Republican side of the aisle, although he insisted he'd ultimately be the one to make it to the general election against the Democratic standard-bearer.
"A lot of reasonable people are alarmed by the field the Democrats are putting up for next year. All the gains we have made under Mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg are in jeopardy," he told the Daily News Sunday night in advance of Allon's announcement. "I plan to be the Republican nominee for mayor to preserve and expand those gains, but I welcome Mr. Allon into the race. The competition of ideas will make my candidacy even stronger."
The question remains whether candidates like Allon or McDonald could get Republican or GOP-leaning donors excited to open their wallets.
Catsimatidis, the billionaire high-dollar GOP donor who's still considering a run of his own if Kelly doesn't jump off the fence and into the contest, says the simple fact is without serious money, a compelling backstory or a very high profile public image, it's going to be hard to get any traction -- even with the chance to avoid getting knocked out in a Democratic primary.
"It is difficult for a Republican to get elected statewide or citywide unless they have war hero status, the status of Commissioner Ray Kelly or enough money to make the difference," Catsimatidis -- who said he's personally positioned to spend between $15 and $20 million of his own fortune on a run if he chooses to do so -- told the Daily News.?
"It is difficult for a Republican to get elected statewide or citywide unless they have war-hero status, the status of Commissioner Ray Kelly or enough money to make the difference," Catsimatidis said.
"Rudy Giuliani had the personality and there was a special situation where we needed safety in our streets and New York, and Rudy was perceived to bring that safety to our streets," he said. "[Former Republican Gov. George Pataki [was] a Rockefeller Republican -- pro-business, but pro-people and pro-environment."
Just to make a comparison, Catsimatidis bluntly said a single one of his stores generates millions in business each year. As for Allon and McDonald, "These guys run nickel and dime [operations], so they to prove that they?re capable of running a $70 billion business" like New York City.
Allon says it's the current state of the Democratic Party, rather than a change in his support for core issues like reproductive freedom, LGBT rights, education and fighting poverty and unemployment, that's driven his move.
He declined to say who he'd support in November's presidential election, but said he backed Bloomberg in 2005 and 2009 and has come to "regret" supporting Green in 2001.?
The good news: Not only does a move to the GOP allow him to shed the anchors of a party he says has a serious problem with corruption and "core values," but getting a primary going will allow him and other GOP candidates more time in the limelight in a seriously blue city.
"It will mean that the media will have to pay attention," Allon said.
First image via the Allon Campaign
johnny depp lance armstrong sf giants hayden panettiere raul ibanez completely wrong Duck Dynasty
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.