There has been some speculation that state Sen. Diane Savino would be an unlikely candidate for the seat held by Vito Fossella due to her friendship with NYC Councilman Domenic Recchia. But Savino says that won't have any bearing on her decision to enter the race, nor will any deference to '06 nominee Steve Harrison be a factor:
"In life and politics, nothing is fair," Savino said. "I'm not one of those people who believe, 'Oh, it's my turn.' There's no such thing as your turn. If you're willing to put yourself out there and expose every aspect of your life, and devote all your efforts and time to talking to people...then it's your turn. That's what it takes to win."
...Steve's biggest problem is not that people don't think it's his turn," Savino continued. "Him and Domenic, and I've told them this, their biggest problem is they don't live on Staten Island. Eighty percent of this district is in Staten Island.
One thing about Staten Islanders, they will vote for anybody on any line if they're from Staten Island versus someone who's not."
Savino won't give a timeline for her decision, but says that she will make an announcement in "due course". The New York Daily News' Elizabeth Benjamin notes that "petitions start circulating June 3, so at that point everyone's intentions will be out in the open."
Jonah in NYC had an excellent diary yesterday on the potential Democratic candidates for this seat.
(Impressive work. From the diaries with a few minor edits. - promoted by James L.)
By now you know Rep. Vito Fossella did some very bad things. There are a lot of news articles and blog posts covering his immoral behavior. I don't need to get into that, instead I am here to provide a better understanding of just who these potential Democratic candidates are that are suddenly being talked about. To start with, only one candidate has declared for this race, Steve Harrison. Additionally, City Councilman Domenic Recchia is raising money for this race but has yet to declare his candidacy or put together a campaign staff of any kind for almost eight months. The rest of this diary is going to focus on three Democratic office holders from Staten Island; State Senator Diane Savino, Assemblyman Mike Cusick and City Councilman Mike McMahon.
