Congressman Jose Serrano isn't interested in running for the U.S. Senate. He likes where he is in the House and doesn't plan on moving on. That is according to Liz, who reported today that Congressman Serrano won't run for the U.S. Senate and has no plans to endorse Senator Kirsten Gillibrand either.
Add Rep. Jose Serrano to the list of House Democrats taking a pass on 2010 primary challenges to their former colleague, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
Serrano, a 35-year veteran public official from the Bronx who said back in May that he would consider taking on Gillibrand if no one else was willing, told me yesterday he isn't willing to risk his seat to do so
But Serrano remains concerned about the process by which Gillibrand was plucked from relative political obscurity by Gov. David Paterson and the subsequent "pressure" to which would-be contenders like Reps. Steve Israel and Carolyn Maloney were subjected to clear the field for her next fall.
"No, I'm not running," the congressman said during a telephone interview. "But I was not pleased with the selection, and I'm not pleased with the style and the pressure on Maloney and everyone else to get them out."
"I've been in office 35 years...I've never seen this type of pressure to get candidates out of the way. The White House, the vice president, the senator (Chuck Schumer). This was incredible."
"Here we are, and it looks like she's going to get a clear ride. Very few times in politics do you get to be that lucky, and there's no other way to say it but 'lucky.'"
There is the perception that President Barack Obama and other Democratic leaders have forced out the rest of the field. The only representative you could say was "forced out" was Congressman Steve Israel, who chose not to run after talking it over with President Obama.
When Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney announced she would not run on Friday, it was clear that she came to that decision on her own. While there may have been pressure, that pressure has been applied for months. Her decision not to run wasn't based on that pressure. Her decision not to run was based on some of the same reasons why Serrano won't run: Doesn't want lose seniority for congressional district in the House and doesn't want to start as a junior member in a new house.
The line about Gillibrand being selected from "relative political obscurity" made me chuckle. Gillibrand, while only a one-term congresswoman from an upstate district, has been a prolific fundraiser. Also, since when are you in "obscurity" if you are a member of Congress? Maybe you don't have the profile that someone like Sen. Chuck Schumer does. But it's not like Gillibrand was an unknown in political circles. Gillibrand raised nearly $4.5 million in 2008 for her re-election campaign. That was nearly as much as Israel, Maloney and possible Republican challenger Peter King combined. I don't like using money as a key indicator, but being able to raise that kind of money from an upstate district says a lot about her political credentials.
It looks like the push is still on for a Democratic primary. I wish the focus would shift from finding an opponent to taking a serious look at the job Gillibrand is doing as our senator. |
