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NY-29: Massa Won't Run Again

by: Crisitunity

Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 2:13 PM EST


Well, this was completely unexpected:

Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) is finished with Congress after a single term, he plans to announce in a press conference call today, sources confirm to Hotline OnCall.

Massa, a former top aide on the House Armed Services Committee and aide to ret. Gen. Wes Clark, will cite health reasons in his announcement, the New York Daily News, which broke the story, reported today, though Massa warned a source for the paper about "hearing things that aren't true," a seemingly veiled reference to embarrassing information that may emerge.

Massa has been consistently marching to the beat of his own drummer in his year in Congress (since narrowly taking out incumbent GOP Rep. Randy Kuhl in 2008)... voting against health care reform, ostensibly from the left, and against foreclosure reform. So, bailing on his seat (especially after his cryptic will-he-won't-he re-election announcement several months ago) doesn't seem that out of character.

As much as replacing Massa with someone more consistent would be nice, an open seat throws the DCCC for one more loop. The mostly rural district centered on Elmira is an R+5 district, possibly the toughest in New York, and Corning mayor Tom Reed is a reasonably strong Republican opponent, touted by the NRCC (although he certainly hasn't set the world on fire with his fundraising), and, as one of the few loud-and-proud moderates running this cycle for the GOP, may be poised to follow in the footsteps of the district's beloved ex-Rep. Amo Houghton.

UPDATE: Massa's spokesperson says he's leaving because of a recurrence of cancer. Best wishes to Massa as he focuses on his health.

UPDATE: Looking at state legislative maps, this looks like a real dead zone in terms of a Dem bench... nothing in the state Senate, thanks to the hegemony of the GOP old-timers staying on. In the state Assembly, looks like David Koon in Perriton overlaps a bit in the Rochester suburbs. We may want to go the Scott Murphy/Bill Owens charismatic guy-with-money approach anyway.

LATER UPDATE (James): Yikes. The Politico has a dramatically different take on why Massa is retiring, citing allegations that he sexually harassed a male staffer. They also cite a few new potential Republican candidates: Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, state Assemblyman Brian Kolb and state Senator Kathy Young.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Sources are now saying that Massa plans to resign today, which would further complicate the health care reform vote in the House. (Wait... or does it? He voted against it the first time, and since he voted against it from the left doesn't seem likely to have budged.)

STILL MORE: No, it sounds like he's retiring at the end of his term... although his prognosis doesn't sound good, as he said he'll be "entering the final phase of his life at a controlled pace."

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NY-29: Massa Won't Run Again | 81 comments
What...the...hell?


Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
Wow
This is the first time in my memory a congressman has opted to retire after one term. Anyone got any others?

Male, 23, DC-At Large
Well, I guess we now know what district is getting deleted in 2012
Guess it's delete NY-29 and rework the lines on NY-3.

Man, this one sucks. I got to admit though, Massa has been voting and acting in a very odd manner since he elected. I didn't have a lot of faith in him getting re-elected. I don't recall seeing positive press on him either (granted I'm in Texas and don't read NY rags . . . ever). But he did make gizmodo early into his career with trying to demonstrate an electric vehicle and having it crap out on him and he just bs'ed his way through the press conference afterwords in a negative way.

26, Male, Democrat, TX-26

At least now he can vote for health care n/t

[ Parent ]
Didn't Massa vote against becaue
it wasn't a "single payer" bill?
[ Parent ]
I had thought it was something like that.
If I recall correctly, he was a big supporter of the public option.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
[ Parent ]
His vote against HCR was from the left, not the right
He wanted single-payer and thought a public option was not far enough. So unlike the retiring members who voted against from the right (Baird, Tanner, Davis, Gordon) and now don't have to worry about the response from their competitive districts, I don't think Massa will change his vote since he had different motivations to start with.
[ Parent ]
That's what he says...
but I find that hard to believe in R+5 district. It seems more of an excuse to placate the netroots while also not pissing off constituents.  
[ Parent ]
Yea
that was always my sense of it
[ Parent ]
Beat it once
He can do it again. All the best. Any suggestions who might step up?
NY-29
I don't think Democrats have much of a bench in this district.
[ Parent ]
NY
I hope he gets better.

But yea this seat is lost.

29/D/Male/NY-01

LALALALALALALALALALALALALA
Tekzilla, you are having a relapse.  You were doing so well, actually making the occasional non-chicken little comment or two.  Then this dreck.  Very disappointing, Tek.

What do you know about this district Tek?  Who are the likely Democratic candidates?  Massa's record was not exactly an ideal fit for this district, so it may be an upgrade from an electoral standpoint.  

In any event, until you can back it up with something other than your constant state of worry, STFU with your chicken little bullshit.

34, WM, Democrat, FL-11

[ Parent ]
Please share
All of your valuable insight on this race.  Obviously you have a wealth of knowledge that the rest of us don't have.  

I know it's outside of your personality to be pessimistic, so please please please inform us on what you know that the rest of us don't know.

40, male, Democrat, NC-04

[ Parent ]
Best wishes to Massa
But district is tough (at least for North-East). And Democratic bench rather weak.
Oh come on!
How is our side getting so unlucky....

Best wishes to Massa.

Politico report differs?
Politico is reporting that he is retiring due to a sexual harassment complaint from a staffer

http://bit.ly/bHg1Di

I'd like to see some proof.
It's too easy to say shit and not have to back it up.
[ Parent ]
Well meh
If he's retiring for health reasons, I wish him the best of luck in the future.  

I never really liked Massa though, he was a severe left-wing obstructionist mostly, a la Kucinich.  I had him going down in 2010 anyway, so this retirement won't change my overall breakdown any.

23, Male, Democrat, OH-13

Politico
Allegations he sexually harassed a male staffer
Dammnit!!
This one was the hardest to hold anyway!  No favors done here.

30, male, Democratic, CO-01
Just looking at D assembly members - possible successors
I'm sure there are some on the list from the district, ref http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W...

Parment has been interested before, but may be too old (he'd be 70 in 2012). I don't know if Donna Lupardo's district overlaps with NY-29 at all.

AFAIK, the 2 NY State Senators are both Rs. Don't know if they'd be amenable to running as Ds.

One more possibility - the Corning CEO, Wendell Weeks
Good story, ref http://www.usatoday.com/money/...

He was part of the Hillary for Pres campaign, ref http://www.nndb.com/people/648...

[ Parent ]
I'm not sure
This is the best cycle to run an uber-rich CEO type. Although he does seem like a lovely person and at least he isn't in finance or health care.

Kansan by birth, Californian by choice, and Gay by the grace of God.
[ Parent ]
Just guessing - since he rescued Corning
According to one of the articles I linked, Weeks rescued Corning from going under.

Thus, I'm thinking Weeks might be as popular in the area as I suspect Alan Mullaly is in Michigan for helping Ford survive the latest crash.

Furthermore, it's Corning. A previous congressman (Houghton) was also a Corning CEO.

But if he were just another CEO, I'd agree with you.

[ Parent ]
That's an excellent point
All CEOs are not created equal. I guess I'm just so used to blindly hating all of them that I forget that some are not evil incarnate.  :)

Kansan by birth, Californian by choice, and Gay by the grace of God.
[ Parent ]
Bill Parment
Mr. Parment is my Assemblyman and unfortunately his district is wholly contained in Chautauqua County, which is part of NY-27. Might become an issue if he were to run.
[ Parent ]
It wasn't an issue for Doug Hoffman in NY-23
Hoffman lived in Lake Placid, which is part of the North Country, despite not being part of the district.

I suggest that Chatauqua Co is a similar part of the southern tier of western NY. However, if you're local there, you'll have a better feel for that.

[ Parent ]
Parment
Chautauqua is very similar to nearby Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties in terms of demographics (though Chautauqua County has a slightly more palpable Democratic voter base and was the only one to vote for Obama in 2008, albeit narrowly). The biggest problem I see is that Parment represents Western Chautauqua County in the Assembly (the cities of Dunkirk and Jamestown, the small town Democratic bastion of Ripley, more 50-50-ish areas like Busti/Lakewood and Mayville/Chautauqua, which are only slightly watered down by the Republican bastions of Westfield and Bemus Point), while the small, mostly rural towns in Chautauqua County most reminiscent of the two counties east of us are represented by a Republican in the Assembly.

A second problem I could see with Parment is that he honestly has not faced a serious challenger in as long as I can remember, so who knows how rusty his campaigning skills may be.

[ Parent ]
Wasn't Stan Lundine from Jamestown?
And didn't he represent a predecesor district?
[ Parent ]
Stan Lundine
Lundine is in fact a Jamestown native and represented a district in the 1980's that contained all of Chautauqua and Allegany counties, as well as a majority of Cattaraugus County. He's still active in the local area, serving on the board of the Chautauqua Institution in my hometown. He is getting up their in years, but would probably make a formidable candidate (and could hold the seat until redistricting when it could then be dismantled).
[ Parent ]
Parment Pt. 2
Though I should add he is far more progressive than his district would suggest (voted for gay marriage and drew a lot of ire for voting for the farm bill in the Assembly), and it hasn't posed any problem, so we could certainly do far, far worse in terms of a candidate.
[ Parent ]
Your insights on Parment and Lundine are appreciated
If NY-29 is to be retained after 2012, I think Corning CEO Weeks would be the best possible candidate.
[ Parent ]
Agree
Geographically, it would seem much easier to draw the new district in a way that definitely incorporated Corning, and the fact that he seems to have connections to and actually live in the district in its current form would actually make sense.
[ Parent ]
Remember that Doug Hoffman was drubbed
So he isn't a really reassuring example.

"I'm not a member of any organized political party, I'm a Democrat!"
--  Will Rogers  
[ Parent ]
The vote percentage was 48-46
Not a drubbing, IMO.

And any discussion of Hoffman's residency was never taken seriously.

[ Parent ]
Um, losing a red district your party held since the Civil War...
...is the same as a purple-seat drubbing.

I know, I know, Hoffman wasn't "the Republican nominee," but he was the de facto Republican, who should've won a 2-way.

And yes, his carpetbagging did make a difference to voters.  It often doesn't matter, but in his case it hurt him because it dovetailed with the out-of-state activist and interest group support he got and fueled voters' resentment.

43, male, Indian-American, Democrat, VA-10

[ Parent ]
NY-23 was R+1
While I celebrated and cheered Bill Owens' victory, I think it was part of a logical progression for the area, not a huge surprise like Minnick in ID-01.

And I do not know of any evidence that Hoffman's residency made a difference. NY seems almost unique in its ability to accept carpetbaggers - and Lake Placid is just over the district line, surrounded by the district on three sides. It's all entwined with the Adirondack Park, with similar issues.

So while there were many problems with the Hoffman campaign (and I diaried and commented about more than a few of them) I do not think carpetbagging was one of them.

So I ask - do you have any links that substantiate your belief w/r/t carpetbagging making a difference in NY-23?

[ Parent ]
My opinion comes from...
...post-election analyses I read at the time, by sources I trusted.  I don't have links handy at my fingertips.  Nor would any of those analyses have hard data available, because there isn't any for a question like this.  There certainly were no exit polls on the matter, and no pre-election polling tested sentiment on Hoffman's residency.

But the post-election analyses all said that the turnout model in pre-election polling was off because those polls missed voters showing up primarily for local races they cared about but would also vote on the House special since it was there.  Those missed voters in the model were largely non-ideological, perhaps primarily soft Republicans or independents, and their motivator in NY-23 besides the TV and radio ads was resentment that all these out-of-staters were coming in to tell them who to elect as their Congressman.  This combined with Hoffman unable to discuss the substance of local issues in a meeting with the Watertown newspaper editors, and the fact of his not living in the district, all to fuel that same resentment.

So my point is not that Hoffman was hurt primarily by living out-of-district, but rather that living out-of-district fit within a larger narrative against him.  What's funny is it wasn't a narrative Owens or the DCCC expressly used, but it developed organically and took on its own life.

43, male, Indian-American, Democrat, VA-10

[ Parent ]
I remember the Watertown Times interview
Hoffman dissed the media in general, and was not helped by his coach, Texas Dick Armey.

But I suspect the reaction would not have been different if Hoffman had lived in the district. I don't see Lake Placid as being any different from the rest of the district - certainly no more different than Corning is from Jamestown. Heck, Lake Placid is closer to Plattsburgh in terms of kinds of people - (plenty of Lake Placid kids to go school in Plattsburgh)

when compared to say Elmira and Corning.

And Stan Lundine was pretty successful as a D rep for the entire area for a while. Even though Jamestown was cut out of what is now the 29th, he represented the entire district well. As ccdem suggests, he probably could do so again for a term (if the strategy is to cut up the 29th after the 2010 census).

I suggest that if Hoffman had come from east of Syracuse (the southern end of the district), he would have been seen as more of an outsider. That part of the district is away from the concerns of the Adirondack Park.

[ Parent ]
OK, fair enough
But he still lost. And while I don't have any evidence his lack of residency in the district cost votes, it could have made some of the difference. I think your argument is weaker when the candidate lost.

"I'm not a member of any organized political party, I'm a Democrat!"
--  Will Rogers  
[ Parent ]
Stay classy Politico

I want pics.
The staffer's hotness will determine if this was all worth it.
That isn't funny
Sexual harassment is nothing to joke about.

"I'm not a member of any organized political party, I'm a Democrat!"
--  Will Rogers  
[ Parent ]
I agree with you
Sexual harassment cannot be tolerated.  My own mother was sexually harassed about 40 years ago in a school system, and she was basically blackballed from teaching for about 15 years.  No one wanted to investigate the complaint.  The powers to be tried to make my mother in being a trouble maker.  A mitigating factor on my mother being "blackballed" was when my father offered to kick the principal's ass for doing nothing.  I know it's not the mature thing to say, but if someone did that to my own wife, I'd respond in the exact same way.

40, male, Democrat, NC-04
[ Parent ]
Well I very much doubt the staffer was getting much entertainment out of it.
Massa's no pin up.
[ Parent ]
AGREED :)

[ Parent ]
I hope the sexual harrassment allegations are false
And I, for one, will miss having Massa in the House. I didn't agree with all his votes, but he said a lot of good things that contributed to serious debates on issues. I am not Tekzilla, but I think that, given the partisan breakdown of that district, it is very likely, all things being equal, that a Republican will succeed him. All my best wishes for Massa's good health in the future.

"I'm not a member of any organized political party, I'm a Democrat!"
--  Will Rogers  
How many people have stayed and fought through cancer?
Sen. Specter, Sen. Dodd, Sen. Kennedy... A lot of tough people out there.  Look at how hard Massa fought to be a congressman.  FOUR YEARS of fighting and he finally got there to hang it up after one term because of cancer?  I know it's a serious disease, but as a congressman you get the best in healthcare.  It's nothing you can't stand and fight.  I'm inclined to believe the politico story in this case.  
[ Parent ]
Some cancers - and some treatments for cancer
are tougher than others.

I wouldn't jump to conclusions.

[ Parent ]
The senators you have listed
have all spent many years in congress when their cancer was detetected.  Kennedy for 45+years, Dodd for 28+years, and Specter for 22+years.  For these guys, being a US Senator is their life.  Massa, OTOH, has been in congress for a little over a year.  He doesn't have the time invested as Kennedy, Dodd, and Specter.  I think the same would apply to John McCain and John Kerry too.

I don't find fault on a person who quits a job so they can fight cancer.  On the same front, I don't know if the allegations against Massa regarding sexual harassment has any validity at all.  An investigation regarding Massa's behavior should be conducted, or at least if a civil suit is filed, a court of law should be involved.

40, male, Democrat, NC-04

[ Parent ]
Four years is still a long time. That's a college degree there.
How many people graduate college and say, wait, I want to change my major and go through all that again?

Why announce your resignation the same day sexual harrassment allegations come out when health issues are the driving cause?    Doesn't add up to me.  

[ Parent ]
I didn't think those allegations came out until
after the announcement was leaked.
[ Parent ]
Okay
But his health and the sexual harassment allegations are totally separate.

As for this "four year" commitment, that's not a lifetime commitment.  Many people graduate college with a four year degree and then change jobs into a different industry.  I'm speaking from experience.

40, male, Democrat, NC-04

[ Parent ]
Resigning today
Political Wire says Massa is resigning today

http://pwire.at/aFTL8I

ABC is saying he's resigning...
Although I guess if he wasn't going to vote for HCR, that HELPS, Nancy?

Sounds like Politico was right...

Resignation
A cancer recurrence would be more of a reason to resign rather than just retire.
[ Parent ]
Question
How does him NOT voting for HCR help?

As for Massa, yeah he was a bit kooky but I agree with Pan, he was a alright guy who brought discussion to the table. I hope this sexual harassment is BS. I wish him well in the future and hope he beats cancer.

22, Male, Democrat, PA-18.

[ Parent ]
Here's the train of though
Massa voted No in the Fall, and was likely to vote no again (you can equate this a being a Republican on HC, even though his opposition was from the left).

To pass, a bill must pass with support of half of the active chamber (not static at 218). If he goes the midway point is lowered another vote meaning Pelosi needs less in her corner to pass it.

That's how.

26, Male, Democrat, TX-26

[ Parent ]
Thank You for Clearing that up for me...


22, Male, Democrat, PA-18.
[ Parent ]
I think it's a wash unless someone else resigns
Yesterday, there were 431 members of Congress and we needed a 216-215 vote to win.  Today, there are 430 members and we need a 216-214 vote to win.

RULE XX: VOTING AND QUORUM CALLS
1. (a) The House shall divide after the Speaker has put a question to a vote by voice as provided in clause 6 of rule I if the Speaker is in doubt or division is demanded. Those in favor of the question shall first rise from their seats to be counted, and then those opposed.

(b) If a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner requests a recorded vote, and that request is supported by at least one-fifth of a quorum, the vote shall be taken by electronic device unless the Speaker invokes another procedure for recording votes provided in this rule. A recorded vote taken in the House under this paragraph shall be considered a vote by the yeas and nays.

(c) In case of a tie vote, a question shall be lost.

34, WM, Democrat, FL-11

[ Parent ]
You hear that, Charlie Rangel?
For the good of the party...

34, WM, Democrat, FL-11
[ Parent ]
How would that help?
Rangel's a "Yes" on HCR, right?

27, Democratic, IL-01
[ Parent ]
You and your pesky "logic."


34, WM, Democrat, FL-11
[ Parent ]
I hate to say it
But assuming we keep the Senate and the Governor's mansion, it's probably better that we lose this upstate district and make it much easier to protect the other incumbents in the upstate area.

It sucks to possibly lose the seat and lose someone like Massa, but this isn't the worst thing in the world for us.

Politics and Other Random Topics

24, Male, Democrat, NM-01, Chairman of the Atheist Caucus, and Majority Leader of the "Going to Hell" caucus!

I pretty much figured
that we would lose a couple of upstate districts this year. He and Arcuri seemed most endangered.  If they both lose, redrawing the map will become much easier (assuming Cuomo and Schumer help us to hold on to the senate).
[ Parent ]
Which argues for Parment
Since he's 70, one term and out as a capstone to his career might work for him.
[ Parent ]
And even if the Republicans take back the Senate
That pretty much guarantees an incumbent protection map with a Republican likely to get the ax (considering that a Republican will probably be the least senior member of the next congress and the population loss in upstate New York).

Honestly, even in the worst case, the Democrats are probably going to have a better map than the one that is currently drawn.

Politics and Other Random Topics

24, Male, Democrat, NM-01, Chairman of the Atheist Caucus, and Majority Leader of the "Going to Hell" caucus!

[ Parent ]
Maybe
I know my priorities when I tried redistricting New York had protecting Massa at the top.  I guess instead of sacrificing the 26th to save Massa, we can sacrifice the 29th to win the 26th.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
[ Parent ]
Question
Before Massa's announcement of retiring, was he electable in the 29th?  I personally had him listed around the 20th most vulnerable Democrat.  I didn't think his voting record was in line with his district and as a result was a prime target.

With all due respect to Massa and his health (I'm not trying to be insensitive), but are we in better shape with promoting a younger state rep/senator than worry about winning with Massa's current record?  I don't know the answer because I don't know a thing about our bench in the 29th.

40, male, Democrat, NC-04

Special Election
If Massa's resigning today, when's the special likely to be held?

I think our only hope for this seat right now is the NY GOP's...success, at candidate selection.

27, Democratic, IL-01

I have no doubt
That the NY GOP will royally fuck this one up again.
[ Parent ]
To be fair
To be fair, NY Republicans nominated someone who could win--Scozzafava--and it wasn't until national Republicans (Sarah Palin) jumped on the Hoffman train that he got traction and pushed Scozzafava aside.

So instead of criticizing NY Republicans, maybe this time y'all could get Sarah Palin to just STFU. (happily for Dems, that's unlikely!)

Kansan by birth, Californian by choice, and Gay by the grace of God.

[ Parent ]
Per Political Wire
Massa will not resign.  Will be interesting to see how he votes on HCR.  Probably still a "no" according to his prior justification of his no vote.

34, WM, Democrat, FL-11
Wow, just Wow
although his prognosis doesn't sound good, as he said he'll be "entering the final phase of his life at a controlled pace

Jesus that terrible.

22, Male, Democrat, PA-18.

Wasn't Massa in the Navy?
n/t
what a tough break
I hope he gets the treatment he needs for the cancer.
Massa asks Hornell Mayor Hogan to run in his place
http://www.stargazette.com/art...
Massa, a freshman Democrat who is up for re-election in November, called Hogan, who is also the Steuben County Democratic chairman, early Wednesday afternoon and informed him he is suspending his campaign because of a recurrence of cancer.

"Eric asked me if I would step into his candidacy for him. I was so taken aback by him not running, it was hard for me to respond," Hogan said. "He told me to give it some earnest thought. That's what I will do.


Good 'stache
Mayor Hogan has a pretty cool mustache, on that I think we can all agree. As a general rule, I do like mayors as candidates. They tend to be excellent retail politicians, which is always helpful.

Kansan by birth, Californian by choice, and Gay by the grace of God.
[ Parent ]
NY-29: Massa Won't Run Again | 81 comments

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