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This belongs to you. Take it back...
Kathy Konst 
Fri Feb 11, 2011 at 09:56:33 AM EST
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Or, why I disagree with Dan. I'm deferring to the locals.
First and foremost, I'd like to urge anyone with the last name "Konst", and anyone pushing a "Konst" for any elected office in Western New York to lose my number, my email address, and my Twitter handle. I am absolutely appalled by the aggressive trial ballooning of Kathy Konst, who abandoned a pretty safe Democratic seat to go work for Chris Collins, setting up an almost impossible election campaign for Diane Terranova, thus paving the way for antidemocratic tea partier Dino Fudoli to win. (Konst left the legislative race too late for her name to be removed from the ballot, and litigation was required to do so. It was a colossal middle finger to the Democratic Party). The notion that Konst, who is working for an authoritarian Republican administration, might be authorized by the Democratic chairs of the counties touching NY-26 is beyond laughable. Erie County has the second-largest weighted vote in the process, and Lenihan wouldn't advance Konst - even under duress - any sooner than he'd advance Ray Walter. She was just embroiled in a mini-scandal just a couple of short months ago, for God's sake.
Within minutes of yesterday's Lee resignation, Konst loyalists were relentlessly pushing the notion that DCCC had already identified Konst as a front-runner for the NY-26 race, and that the chairs of the rural counties were either already behind a Konst candidacy, or were actively pushing for it. In my discussions throughout the day, I discovered that none of this was true. I'm sure they contacted DCCC, but there's no chance D-trip would go against the wishes of the party chairs. When I tried to put a lid on what was starting to be ignorant speculation by out-of-town media regarding Konst, I was met with aggressive good-cop, bad-cop pushback. (I had one Konst loyalist calling to try to reason with me while another threatened me with a defamation lawsuit - SIMULTANEOUSLY). All done! Good bye! Please don't ever contact me again! Have a nice day!
Buffalo Pundit's whole piece is well worth a read.
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Thu Feb 10, 2011 at 15:05:50 PM EST
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Okay, with the last 24 hours being as crazy as they have been, a lot of people haven't been able to keep up with the rapid developments. Dozens of names have been batted around, and many people probably don't know the scoop on who they are.
With reasonably good intelligence as to who is "out," we know that the last three people standing on the field at the moment are Kathy Hochul, Kathy Konst, and Jon Powers. None of them have actually expressed an intent to do it, but none of them have bowed out yet, either, and there's reason to believe in interest from all of them.
I must also stress that this being a Republican leaning district, all of these candidates will likely lean to the middle. Not everyone may like that, but it's what's right for the district.
So without further adieu, I present you the short biography round up.
Kathy Hochul is the current Erie County Clerk. She's well liked in Erie County, has good name recognition there, but much lower name recognition in the rest of the district. She has a generally reformist attitude as far as it goes, but she has no record legislatively. I couldn't tell you where she would come down on any federal issues. She's also demonstrated little interest in reaching out outside of Erie County. Call her pretty much an unknown quantity as far as performance in the rural areas of the district, and signature issues.
Kathy Konst is the current Erie County Commissioner of Environment and Planning, and former Erie County Legislator for District 5. She ran for the State Senate in 2008, and came closer than anyone else ever before to bumping off Dale Volker, despite being outspent 29 to 1. (No, that's not a typo.) She's charismatic, and has a great reform track record, such as trying to abolish the Erie County Water Authority, which is a massive bastion of pork and patronage. She's a moderate Democrat, but with strong reformist cred, leaning more towards a fiscal responsibility angle than social conservatism. I suspect in higher office she'd lean a little to the left socially, but not much. She gets a lot of crap for otherwise irrelevant internal Erie County politics, such as taking a job working for the current Republican county administration. Her daughter runs a left-wing social activism non-profit group in LA called Alliance Hollywood.
Jon Powers was the endorsed Democratic candidate for this seat in 2008, and is currently a Special Advisor on Energy to the Department of Defense. He's an Iraq War vet, Baghdad 2003-2004, after which he worked on trying to help war orphans. He tried to run for this seat starting way back in 2007, but the millionaire industrialist who also wanted it went massively negative in the primary, and the fallout destroyed them both, letting Alice Kryzan slip through. Powers then took a job with the Truman National Security Project, partly in an effort to get off the Working Families Party ballot line and not split the vote, and he's been in Washington DC ever since. Jon's a good guy, very friendly, very likable. He's socially moderate, pro-choice, and has some very good creds on energy independence. He took a lot of undeserved flak in the 2008 primary, mostly in the form of heavy smear ads and whisper campaigns from Jack Davis, the aforementioned millionaire industrialist.
My disclaimer: I count both Kathy Konst and Jon Powers among my friends, and I think that they're both very dedicated to their issues and public service, and either of them would make a fine representative for the 26th District. I respect Kathy Hochul for her work in Erie County and her popularity there.
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Tue Nov 04, 2008 at 22:11:37 PM EST
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These are the results coming for the 59th Senate District race between Republican incumbent Sen. Dale Volker and Democratic challenger Kathy Konst.
THIS IS STILL A RACE
30 percent reporting:
Konst: 19,057 51%
Volker: 17,997 49%
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Thu Oct 30, 2008 at 09:57:10 AM EDT
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The new Siena Polls on four state Senate Races are out this morning and it is a decidedly mixed bag.
7th SD - Nassau County - Craig Johnson (D, incumbent) vs. Barbara Donno (R)
Johnson has a 50-35 percent lead over Donno, down from a 49-25 percent lead in the previous Siena New York Poll. Johnson has the support of more than three-quarters of Democrats, while Donno has the support of more than two-thirds of Republicans. Johnson has a nearly two-to-one lead among independent voters, 50-28 percent, up from 36-24 percent in the last poll. Donno's overall gain in the poll comes largely from Republican voters, where she went from leading 47-28 percent, to now leading 68-19 percent.
Johnson is viewed favorably by 40 percent and unfavorably by 28 percent of voters (36-17 percent last poll). Donno currently has a 29-23 percent favorable rating (16-9 percent last poll).
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37th SD - Westchester County - Suzi Oppenheimer (D, incumbent) vs. Liz Feld (R)
Oppenheimer has maintained a large 64-29 percent lead over Feld, down slightly from 61-24 percent in the previous poll. While Oppenheimer has support from 88 percent of Democrats, Feld is only winning among Republicans 64-30 percent. Oppenheimer has a better than two-to-one, 59-28 percent, lead among independent voters. Oppenheimer leads in every region and with virtually every demographic group.
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56th SD - Monroe County - Joseph Robach (R, incumbent) vs. Richard Dollinger (D)
Robach leads Dollinger 52-39 percent, edging up slightly from 49-38 percent in the last poll. Robach has the support of 84 percent of Republicans and 34 percent of Democrats in this district with a large Democratic enrollment edge. Dollinger has the support of 55 percent of Democrats and 13 percent of Republicans. Robach leads among independent voters 56-37 percent, up from 46-34 percent. Dollinger leads by 11 points in Rochester and eight points in Brighton, however, Robach leads 67-27 percent in Greece and Parma.
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Obama has a commanding 61-32 percent lead over McCain.(!)
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59th SD - Erie/Livingston/Ontario/Wyoming - Dale Volker (R, incumbent) vs. Kathy Konst (D)
Volker has a 50-39 percent lead over Konst, down six points from the last poll, when he led 50-33 percent. Volker has the support of three-quarters of Republicans, while Konst wins among Democrats 60-28 percent. Konst now leads among independent voters 47-40 percent, after trailing with these voters 43-28 percent previously. Volker has a small three - point lead in the Erie County portion of the district and a large 23-point lead in the Livingston/Ontario/Wyoming Counties portion of the district.
Much, much work to do. If you are in or near the 56th or the 59th, now is the time to get off the bench. I still think that the Rocbach/Dollinger race is going to turn largely on the Obama GOTV effort. Obama leads McCain 2-1 in that district and the urban parts of Rochester are going to be key. If you are anywhere near there, now is the time to get involved. This is a winnable race, folks.
More soon. Stay tuned.
On the web:
Rick Dollinger for State Senate
Kathy Konst for State Senate
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Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 16:58:58 PM EDT
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Kathy Konst has finally submitted her campaign finance disclosure reports to the New York State Board of Elections, according to The Buffalo News:
Democratic State Senate candidate Kathy Konst today filed campaign finance reports, some of which were six weeks overdue.
Konst's latest report showed her with $3,883 on hand, compared to the almost $77,000 reported earlier this week by her Republican opponent, incumbent Dale M. Volker of Lancaster. On Friday, she missed her third deadline in a row for filing the reports, which outline where campaign donations originate and how they are spent.
The state Board of Elections sued Konst earlier this month over her failure to file the reports as required by election law. A board spokesman was not available today to determine the status of that litigation.
After looking at the reports, I'm wondering why this took so long. The 32 day pre-general filing by Konst shows only one $75 contribution and expenditures of $1,158.66. While this report wasn't as late as others, I wonder why it took so long to compile and submit.
I guess it's better late than never, but it's not like we're dealing with a ton of money here. As of today, she has $3,989.36 cash on hand.
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Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:58:36 AM EDT
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If the race between Democratic candidate Kathy Konst and Republican incumbent Sen. Dale Volker wasn't on your radar before, you might want to keep an eye on it. It is quickly becoming the ugliest race in the state.
Yesterday, Konst held a press conference ahead of a Buffalo News story out today that claims she voted in New York and Florida in 1998. Obviously, that would be illegal and it is a very serious claim against Konst.
From the Buffalo News piece:
Kathy Konst, the Democratic county legislator from Lancaster challenging incumbent Republican Dale M. Volker for the State Senate, voted on Election Day in Florida and New York in 1998, according to documents obtained by the Republican Senate Campaign Committee.
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Officials of the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office confirmed for The Buffalo News that Konst voted at the polls in the Nov. 3, 1998, general election at polling place 407 in West Palm Beach.
Erie County records, meanwhile, also show her voting at the polls on the same day in Lancaster.
Records also show that Konst registered to vote in Palm Beach County on July 7, 1992, and then registered in Erie County on Oct. 5, 1992. In addition, she applied to renew a Florida driver's license in 1994, two years after she said she moved to Lancaster.
Konst, in a transcript of her press conference yesterday sent from her campaign, denied these claims and said that this would be a hard feat to accomplish due to her schedule at the time.
I've gone through my records from 10 years ago. In 1998, I was president of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and had TWO events in New York around that time - one event on Nov. 2 and another on Nov. 4. The election was on November 3. So, to accomplish this feat, I'd have to first vote in New York and then hop a plane to FLORIDA to vote there, and then immediately returned to New York for my event the next day. I have documents and many witnesses who can attest to these facts. I lived in Florida from 1989 to 1992, but I haven't lived or owned property in Florida since 1992, when I moved to Buffalo with my family.
There is a lot going on this race and little of it has to do with the issues affecting voters. In fact, Volker has done a great job at slinging mud in Konst's direction. It is worth noting, however, that Konst has only submitted one campaign finance filing - a 32 day pre-primary filing - to the New York State Board of Elections. She could easily put a halt to that by submitting those filings, although she has insisted that there is an electronic error preventing those filings from being sent.
Nevertheless, this has gotten ugly. I taken the time to read, learn and write about many state senate races statewide. This one is the nastiest. I don't see that changing anytime soon. Volker is going to go after Konst with all he has got and apparently the SRCC has taken the liberty of going after Konst too.
I would watch this race. It could get even more interesting especially if Volker keeps up these tactics.
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Sun Sep 28, 2008 at 15:08:33 PM EDT
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The campaign in the 59th Senate District is rapidly becoming a battle between Democratic candidate Kathy Konst and Republican Sen. Dale Volker. The battle has been fueled by Konst's Integrity Party that Konst started to get her name on an extra line for November. Konst passed petitions and accumulated 5,000 signatures - 2,000 more than she needed to meet the 3,000 signature minimum for independent nominating petitions.
Almost two weeks ago, Konst's petition signatures were ruled valid by the New York State Board of Elections. However, Volker is still raising questions about the petitions.
Today's Buffalo News discussed this story and provided a little background on this.
The election board held that of the more than 5,000 signatures that Konst's campaign collected, 3,129 contained valid signatures, with 3,000 required to be on the ballot.
Craig Miller, a spokesman for the Volker re-election campaign, said the campaign sought the subpoenas because of an "obvious pattern of deceit and fraud" in Konst's petitions.
"We found signatures from Canada, from George W. Bush," he said. "It merits further investigation."
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In any case, she (referring to Konst) said she received dozens of calls from people who had signed her petition and reported being intimidated by private investigators and "goons showing up at the door."
Shanley's experience mirrors that. She said a private investigator came to her door last week demanding information about the petition she had signed, both from her and two of her grown children who had also signed.
"He wanted to know was I sworn in [when she signed the petition] and did I raise my hand. He wanted to know was it a man or woman who asked me sign."
She couldn't remember exactly - she was at the Taste of Lancaster when she signed the petition - but she thought it was a man.
"He said that was the problem," Shanley said. "He said he could throw me in jail."
This has also been covered by WGRZ-TV Channel 2 this week and has garnered plenty of local attention. This will get ugly real fast. Volker, who has three lines (Republican, Independence and Conservative) in November, seems intent on getting Konst knocked off her only other line even though the NYS BOE determined that she had enough valid signatures to get on the ballot.
I don't see Konst backing down either. She is going to keep up this fight. If anything, it puts Konst front and center against a Republican incumbent who might have been seen as not-so vulnerable before. Now, if Volker is focusing on knocking Konst of a minor party line, Konst can gain publicity from this to get her name out there and show herself as a much better option to Dale Volker.
ON THE WEB:
Kathy Konst's ActBlue Page
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Wed Sep 24, 2008 at 09:35:06 AM EDT
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I really like this from our candidates. Following last week's event here at City hall in NYC, a number of our upstate candidates are holding another event in Rochester. It's a great way to score some free media at a time when interest in these races is really beginning to pick up steam. (And trust me, that interest really is picking up. My server logs don't lie. Google action on these races is through the roof in the last few weeks.)
From an emailed release:
Upstate Democratic Senate Candidates Blast Republicans for Failing New York State
(Rochester, NY) Throughout their 40 years in control of the State Senate, Republicans have failed to meet the needs of working class New Yorkers and revitalize the Upstate economy. With a struggling economy statewide, rising energy costs and crumbling housing market in Upstate communities, New York can no longer afford the unfulfilled promises of Senate Republicans. Democratic candidates for the State Senate are holding a press conference to blast Republicans for failing to make the changes needed to get New York back on track.
Invited:
Don Barber (SD-51)
Paloma Capanna (SD-54)
Rick Dollinger (SD-56)
Ken Dow (SD-41)
Kathy Konst (SD-59)
Joe Mesi (SD-61)
David Nachbar (SD-55)
Mike Russo (SD-43)
John Tonello (SD-53)
Where:
Monroe County Democratic Headquarters
1150 University Ave., Bldg. 5
Rochester, NY 14607
When:
TODAY / Wednesday, September 24, 2008 @ 11am
If you are in or around Rochester, you should drop by if you have the time. I'm sure the candidates would love to say hello.
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Mon Sep 22, 2008 at 15:23:21 PM EDT
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I ran into some traffic problems today so I couldn't make it for my interview with Kathy Konst. I have rescheduled the interview for tomorrow. So if you have any questions, please send them along to robert.harding22@gmail.com or you can leave them in the comments section.
Also, I will be sitting down with Alice Kryzan tomorrow. My goal is to give Alice this platform to discuss key issues so we can get to know more about her candidacy. Again, you can e-mail me your questions or leave them in the comments.
Kryzan has come out today with a critique of the current financial crisis as well as her call for politicians to put the needs of Americans first.
As she has from the beginning of her campaign, Alice Kryzan, Democratic Congressional Candidate for NY-26, decried this 'same old same old politic', calling for political leaders to start putting the people's interests first;
"We don't need oil lobbyists writing our energy policy, insurance companies making our medical decisions, or financial institutions taking huge risks and then asking Americans to foot the bill. We can't have two more years of these failed Bush policies, two more years of fewer jobs, stagnated wages and work sent overseas. We need someone ready to help us realize our future, not cling to the knee-jerk deregulation rhetoric of the past."
Alice called on Congress to act quickly to stabilize the market in order to ensure hardworking Americans don't lose their homes or other assets. But she also insisted that any legislation include accountability measures to improve financial regulation and ensure this disaster is not repeated. Furthermore, taxpayers should receive their fair share of any profits these companies make after being bailed out, CEO compensation should be limited, and Congress should give homeowners the assistance they need to protect their homes. And, of course, any efforts to stabilize the market should have independent oversight to ensure the job is done right.
Alice expressed disappointment that so many politicians refuse to grapple with the serious issues facing our country;
"People are tired of candidates who only offer platitudes and quick fixes. Whether it's offshore drilling that increases oil companies' profits without lowering gas prices or writing a blank check to the financial market to protect CEO's record salaries, the public has had enough. We need people with real solutions who we can trust to go to Washington and get results."
While Alice calls for commonsense measures to address our financial problems, Bush Republican Chris Lee says we need more of the same deregulation that increases corporate profits at the expense of hardworking Americans. In fact, Lee has made deregulation the centerpiece of his campaign, one of the only issues on which he has taken a clear stand.
It would be nice to have a real solution to the problem with our markets and real solutions to the problems average Americans are facing. Banks don't need bailouts. The American people need bailouts.
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Wed Sep 17, 2008 at 16:28:18 PM EDT
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A lot of news on our Senate races today and I know Phillip has more coming from the City Hall event today.
But we have great news to pass along from Kathy Konst's campaign today. Konst had created an Integrity Party line to ensure that her name would appear on the ballot with or without a Democratic primary win. Last week, she won the Democratic primary to face Sen. Dale Volker. This week, she was informed that the petitions she turned into the New York State Board of Elections for the Integrity Party were deemed to be valid by the NYS BOE.
From Konst's campaign:
Kathy Konst has received notification by the New York State Board of Elections that the Integrity Party petitions nominating her for the State Senate are in fact valid.
Konst said, "I'm gratified that the 5000 good citizens who signed my petitions are vindicated by the State Elections Board."
Konst continued: "The reason we created the Integrity Party in the first place is threefold:
"First, to restore integrity to the election process in New York State. The media has well-documented the abuses that have taken place at the minor party level. Endorsements are being bought and paid for with cash and promises of patronage jobs. We didn't want to be a part of that process.
"Second, to offer voters an option of voting for Kathy on an alternative line in the voting booth. All too often, a Republican will not vote for a person on the Democratic line, no matter how much they like that candidate.
"Third, to create a party that people could be proud of joining. We have people who have read about the party in the media and have called our office to ask how they could be a part of the Integrity Party." If successful in November, we intend to move forward to offer the Integrity Party statewide."
It appears Volker's challenge was nothing more than political theater. Of course, there is still a legal challenge in a court to deal with. The Konst campaign is hoping that the court rules with the NYS BOE decision in mind.
ON THE WEB:
Kathy Konst's ActBlue Page
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Wed Sep 17, 2008 at 12:15:02 PM EDT
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Kathy Konst, who is challenging long-time Republican Senator Dale Volker in the 59th Senate District, will visit SUNY Geneseo this weekend and invites students to come meet her.
Konst will be in Geneseo on Friday and Saturday. I am still waiting on specifics (times and locations) but the fact she is reaching out to this community is important. Livingston County Democrats usually work very hard for its candidates as evidenced by Jon Powers and his dominating performance in Livingston County last Tuesday. (Note: Powers won Livingston County with 939 votes, giving him a margin of victory of nearly 500 votes over Alice Kryzan who had 446 votes.)
I have said in the past that I thought Konst gives the Democrats a chance to win this seat because she is more of a moderate Democrat who has shown that she is not afraid to work with Republicans. That will win over moderate Republican voters in this district. She also has the backing of Responsible New York, which will be key for her. This seat won't be easy. Volker has been in the New York State Senate for over three decades. But again, Konst will be a challenge for him. Plus, there is a lot of time left. This race is far from over.
Lastly, I will be interviewing Kathy Konst on Monday. If you have questions for her, leave them in the comments section or send them to me at robert.harding22@gmail.com. Depending on how many questions I get, I'll make sure that reader-submitted questions take priority over my own.
ON THE WEB:
Kathy Konst's ActBlue Page
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Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 17:28:53 PM EDT
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A source in the 59th Senate District has informed me that there will be a debate between Democratic challenger Kathy Konst and incumbent Republican Sen. Dale Volker.
According to the source, the debate will take place at 7 p.m. October 1 on the campus of SUNY Geneseo. There will be more specifics released later, but we can be assured of at least one debate in SD-59.
Konst won in a Democratic primary over Timothy Pawarski last week while Volker overcame a fairly strong primary challenger in David DiPietro to win the Republican primary.
More on the debate and this race to come.
ON THE WEB:
Kathy Konst's ActBlue Page
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Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 15:33:39 PM EDT
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Sen. Dale Volker has his own Republican primary to worry about against former East Aurora Mayor David DiPietro. Regardless, Volker has filed a lawsuit against Democratic candidate Kathy Konst due to questionable petitions filed for Konst's Integrity Party line, which was created to ensure Konst's spot on the November ballot.
Candidates duking it out in 59th Senate District
The lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court in Erie County, seeks to invalidate the petitions filed by Konst to create the new Integrity Party line on November's election ballot.
Konst, meanwhile, has called for an investigation of Volker by state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, alleging "government abuses."
Volker's lawsuit as brought because "many of the names (on the petition) are problematic," said Volker spokesman Craig Miller. For example, he said, one signature was "George W. Bush," and listed "The White House" as the address.
The case will be heard in state Supreme Court in Buffalo on Sept. 12. The outcome and a determination by the state Board of Elections as to whether the petition is valid will determine whether Konst, who is also running as a Democrat, will appear on the Integrity Party line in November.
That ruling could determine whether or not Konst is on the ballot in November. She is in a primary of her own against Timothy Pawarski, who is the endorsed Democratic candidate in this race. So the petitions for the Integrity Party line being upheld could be the difference between running in November or sitting this year out.
This will be an interesting race to watch on Tuesday. DiPietro is putting up a fight against Volker. I don't see DiPietro winning, but depending on how well he does will show how vulnerable Volker is. Konst is somebody who is very moderate and independent. She has worked with Democrats and Republicans. She could put up a serious fight. Tuesday will show how serious that fight may be.
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Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 23:26:17 PM EDT
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(Author's note: I meant to post this earlier before a long day at the hospital.)
Yesterday I wrote about a possible challenger to Dale Volker in SD-59. It was reported that Kathy Konst would drop her bid for Congress in NY-26 and run against Sen. Dale Volker in SD-59.
However, today Konst said she may have "misspoke" although she is still thinking about running against Volker.
From The Buffalo News:
Konst earlier said that she had made the decision to run for the Volker seat, but then said late Monday that she is only considering it and has not made a decision.
She said earlier in the day that she was approached recently by business leaders who are concerned about the power shift away from upstate. She said since they and she are convinced the Democrats will claim the Senate majority in November, she believes that the time is right to seek the Volker seat.
"I never before thought it appropriate to run against Volker, because in order to get anything for upstate, we had to have seniority," she said earlier Monday. "But once [Senate Majority Leader Joseph L.] Bruno dropped out, it looks like the Republicans will lose the Senate and whatever influence Dale had will be gone."
So, we need seniority (Volker) but you are going back on your words? Interesting. If she never said this, the News is sure acting like she did.
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Mon Jun 30, 2008 at 17:39:44 PM EDT
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Kathy Konst will drop her primary run in the 26th congressional district and instead challenge Sen. Dale Volker in the 59th Senate District, according to The Buffalo News.
Democrat Kathy Konst is expected to end her congressional candidacy tonight and instead launch a new campaign for the State Senate against veteran Republican Dale M. Volker, a source in her campaign said today.
Konst, who entered the congressional race to succeed Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds in May, would not comment. But the source said she is expected to tell her volunteers tonight that she will enter the Senate race with the conviction that Albany's upper house will turn Democratic as a result of the fall elections.
The move could mean a major challenge to the long-entrenched Volker, and leaves the congressional field seeking to succeed Reynolds now down to Democrats Jack Davis, a Clarence businessman; Jon Powers, an Iraq War veteran and former substitute teacher; and Amherst attorney Alice J. Kryzan.
This is huge. Here is how the enrollment looks in SD-59.
Democrats: 64,032
Republicans: 81,471
Independence: 8,353
Conservative: 5,219
Working Families: 731
Green: 587
Libertarian: 10
Blanks: 43,048
TOTAL: 203,451
I have a mixed opinion of Konst. She is a moderate Democratic legislator representing the 5th legislative district on the Erie County Legislature. There has been some talk that she has sided with the Republicans. That is worrisome.
That said, a moderate Democrat can win this district. Volatile Volker is facing a primary challenge so his job won't be easy to begin with. Now, the Democrats have someone to run against him in November.
Can she win? Time will tell. I will reach out to Konst for an interview. We should get to know more about her to decide whether or not this is a race we can win. Beating Volker would be huge. Konst just might be the person to do that.
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Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 11:37:44 AM EDT
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In New York's 26th congressional district, there is a four-way primary for the Democratic nomination. The four candidates are: Endorsed Democratic candidate Jon Powers, Alice Kryzan, Jack Davis and Kathy Konst.
Here is a breakdown of all the candidates and what they have done to date.
Jon Powers: Powers has received plenty of backing, including all seven county Democratic committee endorsements and the support of local labor unions, VoteVets and high-profile individuals like Sen. John Kerry. Powers has been traveling the district garnering support for his candidacy. When Powers attended the Wyoming County Democrats Flag Day Party, that was the last stop on a day that took him through Erie County, Orleans County, Genesee County and Wyoming County.
Powers has proven that he does have hometown support. He has several volunteers helping his cause in all seven counties and has support from many Democrats and even some Republicans. He is the front-runner in this race. There is no question about it.
Jack Davis: There was supposed to be all these changes with Davis. Instead of ignoring campaign staff, he was going to listen. Instead of sitting in his factory or his home, he was going to get out and campaign and talk with voters. Instead, we get more of the same with Jack Davis.
His website has not been updated since April 29. Based on what I know and what I have been told, he has not been to any events either. There is nothing new with Jack Davis. He is still the same lazy millionaire who will let his money do the talking.
Alice Kryzan: I have seen Kryzan at a few events. On the issues, she is not a bad candidate. Her problem is money. A portion of her cash on hand is a $97,000 loan for her campaign. She also isn't very engaging. She attended the same event in Wyoming County on Saturday and didn't really meet with voters. She had a small group of people she sat with, but that was it.
Kathy Konst: It has been said that Republicans encouraged Konst to enter this race. Konst is one of these "Independent Democrats" who go against what the party is doing or who the party is supporting in favor of their own self-interests. She is an opportunist and does not belong in this race.
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Thu May 29, 2008 at 14:40:52 PM EDT
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Erie County Legislator Kathy Konst will join the fray in the 26th congressional district, telling the Buffalo News that she is "beyond the exploration stage of this."
Konst now joins a Democratic field that includes Jack Davis of Clarence, who has promised to spend $3 million of his own money on his third campaign for the seat; Jonathan P. Powers of Clarence, an Iraq War veteran and former substitute teacher who has the Democratic endorsement; and Alice J. Kryzan, an Amherst attorney.
Konst's entry could blunt some of the hopes of Kryzan, who is planning a grand opening of her Williamsville campaign office today and who was expected to be the only woman in the race.
Konst has a long record as an Erie County legislator. The only problem I see for her is what she considers one of her best traits: Her independent thinking. In a primary, that might not be a good thing. In a general election, however, that is a good trait to have.
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