There is at least one other group who wants to see Senator Hiram Monserrate removed from the New York State Senate and that is NARAL Pro-Choice New York.
NARAL Pro-Choice New York issued a strongly worded statement about Monserrate yesterday:
"In the wake of his assault conviction, NARAL Pro-Choice New York strongly condemns Senator Hiram Monserrate and unequivocally calls for his immediate ouster. The New York State Democratic party has a proud history of supporting and defending women and women's issues; this stain on the party cannot stand or the Democrats will no longer be seen as the party that protects women's health and rights.
Our message to the Senate is urgent and clear: if you do not remove this individual from office, we will."
You can't blame NARAL for their disgust. The silence from the state party is disappointing. I know that they are supposed to support Democrats, but given the nature of this crime, they should come out to condemn Monserrate.
What NARAL does here is good. Not only do they target Monserrate for his conduct, but they put the Democrats on notice. Good for them.
Gillibrand, who was appointed by Gov. David Paterson in January to fill Hillary Clinton's old U.S. Senate seat, doesn't have to run for re-election until next year.
But a number of Democrats - among them Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Steve Israel, and Carolyn McCarthy and Manhattan Borough president Scott Stringer - have all signaled they are mulling a primary against the upstate Gillibrand, whose congressional record has often leaned to the right (although not, it should be noted, when it comes to abortion rights).
Enter NARAL, who, like Sen. Chuck Schumer, is hoping that an early announcement of support Gillibrand - coupled with her prodigious fundraising - will scare the other Democrats away.
"Is this somewhat motivated by our desire to not see a bloodbath of a primary in advance of a general election?" Conlin said. "Absolutely. But it is backed up by solid record."
Conlin said this endorsement is the earliest NARAL has ever chosen sides in a race.
"Quite frankly, although there will be other friends who will look at this seat, Kirsten is the person who we think is best suited to walk in Hillary Clinton's footsteps and be that champion on reproductive health and rights," Conlin said.
Although Gillibrand has faced criticism for her conservative voting record on issues like guns and immigration while a congresswoman from the GOP-dominated 20th CD - positions she is now rushing to moderate as senator - Conlin said Gillibrand has been a model of consistency on abortion rights.
Avoiding a primary would be ideal. I know that some like primaries, but I only like primaries when they are necessary. If a candidate deserves a primary challenge, they should be challenged. Especially as progressives, we know that there are elected officials out there who deserve primaries. I don't see Gillibrand as one of them, but this race was surely going to draw at least one or two primary challengers for a prized seat in the U.S. Senate.
There will be more on this endorsement later after NARAL Pro-Choice New York makes their official announcement.
NARAL Pro-Choice New York is targeting Sen. Frank Padavan because of Padavan's bragging about New York State requiring insurance coverage of mammograms. The truth is that Padavan was actually one of ten senators in the New York State Senate to vote against it.
In what can only be called the pinnacle of hypocrisy, Senator Padavan uses his website to brag about New York State's law requiring insurance coverage of mammograms. How dare he promote this service when he was one of only ten extremist senators -- along with Serphin Maltese and Caesar Trunzo -- to vote against the law requiring it (Women's Health and Wellness, S765/ A11723, 2002)?
Says Kelli Conlin, President of NARAL Pro-Choice New York, "Mr. Padavan has been saying one thing in his district and doing another in Albany. In the final days of his campaign, he is misleading his constituents and orchestrating a candidate 'Extreme Makeover.' He's set up a bus to provide mammograms outside of his office but in Albany, he OPPOSED insurance coverage for breast cancer screening. This bus isn't a service; it's an election year smokescreen. Like they say in the 'Extreme Makeover, Home Edition' show: Frank Padavan, move that bus!"
NARAL Pro-Choice New York has endorsed Mr. Padavan's opponent, Councilman Jim Gennaro for State Senate.
Jim Gennaro is running against Padavan. Gennaro has run a solid campaign, but does have his hands full with Padavan.
It looks like abortion will be an issue in at least one senate district this year as NARAL Pro-Choice New York has started to run an ad in the 56th Senate District against Sen. Joe Robach, a conservative Republican who is anti-choice.
Here is the ad:
NARAL Pro-Choice New York didn't give Robach a nice review for his stance on abortion. This is what they had to say about this ad and Robach's record on abortion:
On October 14th, NARAL Pro-Choice New York released a television spot in Monroe County exposing Joe Robach's seventeen year anti-choice voting record in Albany.
In his time in Albany, Joe Robach held an 83 percent voting record with the Right to Life Committee.
He voted to block poor women from receiving support to pay for abortion care and has sided with the most extreme anti-choice Republican elements.
Joe Robach would vote to outlaw abortion and treat women like criminals.
Kelli Conlin, President of NARAL Pro-Choice New York stated, "Joe Robach is spending a lot of money to try to convince the people of his district that he is an advocate for women. But the truth is he's dangerously out of touch with the women of Monroe County. Time and time again, he has chosen to side with the most anti-choice forces in the state legislature. He would vote to make abortion illegal and to treat women like criminals. We want women to be aware that Joe Robach doesn't represent them when it comes to the important issue of keeping abortion safe and legal."
Dollinger has made women's health issues and abortion key issues in this campaign. Below the fold you can find Dollinger's women's health plan that he unveiled last week.
It's nice to see NARAL Pro-Choice New York doing this for Dollinger. Going after Robach on these issues is a must because it really highlights what he's all about. He's a conservative Republican and he has been hiding that fact throughout this campaign. This ad is strong and paints Robach as the anti-choice candidate he is.
So to set the record straight, here is a revised press release announcing this endorsement:
NARAL Pro-Choice New York, the State affiliate of a leading pro-choice advocacy group, announced the endorsement by its Political Action Committee of former Bausch and Lomb Senior Vice President David Nachbar (D) for State Senate. Nachbar is running in the 55th district, which includes roughly half of Monroe County. The Nachbar campaign announced the August 27, 2008, endorsement today.
Katherine Grainger, NARAL Vice President of Public Policy and Political Initiatives, cited Nachbar's "dedication and leadership on reproductive rights issues." On the organization's Web site, incumbent Alesi's voting record and positions are staunchly anti-choice, making for a clear contrast with Nachbar.
"I greatly appreciate this endorsement," Nachbar said. "This district needs someone in Albany who will represent our community's pro-choice values. I strongly support women's reproductive rights, an area where government should not intrude into women's private lives."
Nachbar's campaign is rated as one of the top challenger races in the State, in a year that may well produce an historic change in control of the Senate from Republican to Democratic. "This election is a major opportunity for change," Nachbar said. "I believe that there's hope, and that we can rightly expect much more from our government than what we've been getting."
I know I made a quick note of this yesterday but the campaign wanted to make sure that they set the record straight and that it was NARAL Pro-Choice New York, not the national organization, that endorsed Nachbar.
CORRECTION: It was NARAL Pro-Choice New York that endorsed Nachbar, not NARAL Pro-Choice America. My apologies for that error. - Robert
If you asked me a month ago if I would consider David Nachbar a pro-choice candidate, that would have been a difficult question to answer. Not that Nachbar isn't pro-choice (he is a strong supporter of women's reproductive rights and is pro-choice) but Nachbar is a former executive, making him an ideal candidate to talk to about doing business in New York, high taxes, Empire Zones/IDAs and improving New York's economy, especially in SD-55 where new leadership is needed.
But Nachbar has proven that he is a pro-choice candidate. Last week, Nachbar was endorsed by NY ChoicePAC which is a PAC that formed to elect more pro-choice legislators to our state's Legislature.
Today it was announced that Nachbar has received NARAL Pro-Choice New York's endorsement, giving him another key endorsement from arguably the most prominent pro-choice group in the country.
In making the endorsement, NARAL spokesperson Katherine Grainger cited Nachbar's "dedication and leadership on reproductive rights issues." On the organization's Web site, incumbent James Alesi's (R) voting record and positions are staunchly anti-choice, making for a clear contrast with Nachbar.
"I greatly appreciate this endorsement," Nachbar said. "This district needs someone in Albany who will represent our community's pro-choice values. I strongly support women's reproductive rights, an area where government should not intrude into women's private lives."
Nachbar's campaign is rated as one of the top challenger races in the State, in a year that may well produce an historic change in control of the Senate from Republican to Democratic. "This election is a major opportunity for change," Nachbar said. "I believe that there's hope, and that we can rightly expect much more from our government than what we've been getting."
The more you hear about Nachbar, the more you realize the type of progressive voice he will be in Albany. He is very intelligent on issues affecting our economy, taxation and business but also showing that he a very well rounded candidate who can handle a lot of tough issues and a lot of key issues to the progressive movement and to Democrats, not only in SD-55 but statewide.
