| Former New York State Republican Committee chair and current Monroe County Republican chair Steve Minarik is running into some criticism from members of his own party because of the tactics his ad firm, Wahl Media, early on in the 48th Senate District special election won by Darrel Aubertine.
Minarik is being criticized because of negative attacks that apparently were even too negative for some Republicans. Some Republicans are even blaming Minarik's tactics for the loss.
For the record, Wahl Media made a pretty penny for their efforts. According to Will Barclay's campaign finance filing, Minarik's Wahl Media made $643,833 through February 8. Meaning, they could have made more money, which we will know with the post-election filings.
What will this mean for Minarik? The talk in Albany circles is that Minarik's role in the 56th Senate District race might be limited by the state GOP. In fact, the state GOP might try to play a more dominant role in SD-56 because of Minarik's failures in SD-48.
This might not be a good sign for Republican Joe Robach in SD-56. Minarik and Robach are very close. If Minarik is pushed aside by the state GOP, that could be good for the Democrats in that district. Not that Minarik is a political guru, but the state GOP had their chance to play a huge role in the SD-48 race and they lost big time. So if they jump into SD-56, that could be a very good thing for Democratic candidate in the district and could make the race more appealing to the New York State Democratic Party. |
