NY-Sen: Maloney's Statement On Decision Not To Run For U.S. Senate

by: robert.harding

Fri Aug 07, 2009 at 12:03:32 PM EDT

Richard Fife just passed along this statement from Maloney which gives us a good idea of why she decided not to run.

In seriously assessing a Senate Campaign, I have been inspired by all the calls of support I have received from a broad array of people from all over the state and encouraged by my strong showing in the polls.

However, these are unique times with unparalleled challenges and running for the Senate is a full time job.  Giving up for a critical period of time, the things I do best-passing legislation, working on the issues, serving New Yorkers would put politics before policy for the next year and a half.  

Working this past week to provide meaningful health care reform and to advance important legislation to help those who lost their health because of 9-11 attacks, which would bring more than $11 billion to the city of New York, brought into sharp focus the importance of the work we are doing in Congress and of what is at stake for the nation.

The right decision for me and the people I represent is to stay in the House of Representatives and use the leadership positions I hold, including Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, to get things done.

I make this decision, not because I fear a tough political fight, but because I love one. In this Congress, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to enact meaningful health care reform, restore the trust and confidence in our financial systems, and  take a step toward a clean energy future.

We can do all this and more, but not without a mighty effort that deserves all my focus and all my energy. I welcome the challenge of shaping those bills and passing those reforms.

I look forward to working with Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and the NY delegation on behalf of our constituents, the State of New York and the American people.

I thank my family, friends and supporters for their confidence in me throughout this process. I may not be entering the race - but I will never leave the fight.

As I stated earlier, we all benefit from having Carolyn Maloney in the House. We also benefit greatly from having Kirsten Gillibrand in the Senate. Maloney has been a strong representative for those in her district and for all of New York. She will continue to be a critical piece of our congressional delegation.

NY-Sen: Maloney Reportedly Out

by: robert.harding

Fri Aug 07, 2009 at 11:32:37 AM EDT

From the New York Times:

A person close to Mrs. Maloney, a Democrat from Manhattan, said she made her decision not to run after days of agonizing over the fact that running meant she would have to leave her current job at a point when she had significant seniority in Congress.

"It's been a tough decision for her," said the Maloney associate who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter.

Mrs. Maloney's decision potentially clears the path for Ms. Gillibrand, who Gov. David A. Paterson picked to fill Hillary Clinton's vacant seat in January, for the Democratic party's nomination in the race for United States Senate next year.

The reality is that Maloney is a key member of the New York congressional delegation and losing her in the House would lose us everything she has worked hard for. Much like losing Congressman Steve Israel would have cost us a key political figure and a key member of the delegation, losing Maloney to the Senate, where she would have been one of, if not the junior member of the upper house.

But the signs were there that this wasn't going to be a good move for Maloney. She made it known on more than one occasion that she would announce her candidacy only to delay such an announcement. Her delay made today a possibility. Because with every announcement to push her candidacy back came speculation that maybe she just wasn't interested in running for a seat that would have her starting all over again in a new house.

I also think that today is a win for Gillibrand. There are obvious reasons, but also some not-so obvious reasons. Maloney had been pushing some talking points against Gillibrand that tried to paint Gillibrand as this conservative upstater who wasn't worthy of representing a state that is more progressive than the congressional district Gillibrand once represented. Gillibrand has made it a point since being named the junior U.S. senator to raise her progressive profile and show that she has always had the progressive credentials critics have questioned.

In the end, those talking points didn't gain any traction. They were all debunked by what Gillibrand is doing in the U.S. Senate.

We need our best leaders in Congress. A Gillibrand-Maloney primary would have robbed us of two great women who are in great positions to better New York. Gillibrand is a rising star in D.C. and will continue to serve the best interests of New York. Maloney has been a key leader in D.C. for many years and has been behind some key legislation, including the recent credit card reform bill, that has left a great mark on our state and country.

We need them both in Washington D.C. There was no need for them to fight it out. We need both where they are right now to serve our best interests.

NY-Sen: New York City Media's Bias Against Senator Gillibrand Must End

by: robert.harding

Wed Aug 05, 2009 at 14:18:06 PM EDT

In the six-plus months since her appointment, very little has changed from that aspect. In recent days, Jason Horowitz of the New York Observer has authored two columns (here and here) that paint Gillibrand as a political opportunist and as a puppet for the all-powerful Sen. Chuck Schumer. Liz Benjamin also played along today, using a post about Rep. Jerrold Nadler's endorsement of Manhattan DA candidate Richard Aborn to point out that Nadler has yet to endorse Gillibrand. Of course, he hasn't endorsed Rep. Carolyn Maloney either, but that's not how the point was framed.

This approach by members of the New York City media is becoming so blatant that it is really hard to take them serious, especially if this ends up being a legitimate primary with no possible candidates but an actual candidate in Rep. Maloney running against Sen. Gillibrand. They have treated Gillibrand as an outsider and even though we are all New Yorkers (as in the state), Gillibrand is not a "New Yorker" (as in the city).

I am a supporter of Gillibrand's. That I will disclose. Those who write for some of the above publications have read here in the past and will continue to read in the future. My message to them isn't that they kiss Gillibrand's feet and paint some fake picture of her. All I am asking for is balance. There needs to be a level of equality in their reporting. The continued "criticize Gillibrand" approach is getting tired. It is one thing to criticize an elected official where criticism is necessary. But it's another to pile on just because you don't know too much about them other than they aren't from your city.

Again, I'm not looking for special treatment. All I am looking for is a level of fairness and balance. There have been certain opinions of Gillibrand that aren't necessarily written, but are shown in the writing approach of these reporters. Sen. Schumer has been the beneficiary of plenty of positive media coverage from New York City publications in the past, but they have also critiqued him just the same. That same principle can be applied to Gillibrand, but we have yet to reach that point.

Is it the New York City media being disappointed that it was Gillibrand and not media darling Caroline Kennedy that was appointed to the seat? Possibly. And since Kennedy received just as much (if not more) media coverage than Gillibrand when Gillibrand's appointment was announced, it's hard to debate that point.

But that was a long time ago, at least in political terms. Caroline Kennedy is an afterthought at this point. We have a possible U.S. Senate primary and we have a senator that New Yorkers are trying to get to know. It is the media's responsibility to fairly distribute the news to show New Yorkers (whether in upstate or downstate) what their senator is doing or isn't doing. So far, that isn't being done.

We deserve better from our journalists. It's time we got the full story instead of the story they want to tell us about Sen. Gillibrand.

NY-Sen: Overlooked Parts Of The Quinnipiac Poll

by: robert.harding

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 10:28:10 AM EDT

But while that might be the most important statistic from the poll, there are actually others that give you an idea that while Maloney might lead in a primary, that lead might not be what it seems.

There are a few other numbers from the poll that are worth highlighting:

- Gillibrand would beat Republican Peter King in a hypothetical matchup 44 percent to 28 percent with 26 percent undecided. Maloney also beats King, but by a 42 percent to 26 percent margin and 30 percent undecided. That four percent difference in the undecided column shows that while Gillibrand still has some work to do, Maloney has a longer way to go, especially if she is going to be a strong general election candidate. It's one thing to win the primary, as we have seen in the past, but it's another to be a weak candidate for a general election bid. I'm not saying that Maloney is the best candidate for the primary (I believe Gillibrand is) but if she is going to tout herself as the liberal in the race, she might want to change her tone and tout herself as more of a statewide candidate, which at the present time, she isn't.

- Maloney's only strength is New York City. Against King, Maloney beats King in New York City with 54 percent of the vote compared to King's 18 percent. In the suburbs, Maloney gets 41 percent against King's 39 percent, which isn't a huge margin. Maloney's faring in upstate New York isn't any better. In all of upstate New York, Maloney gets 32 percent of the vote against King, who gets 25 percent of the vote in a race against Maloney. Maloney's numbers against King in urban upstate areas (39 percent to 18 percent) are better than her numbers in other, presumably more rural areas of upstate (31 percent to 26 percent).

- While Maloney is strong in New York City and shaky elsewhere, Gillibrand is strong in most categories. While she needs to improve in the suburbs (King is beating her there in the poll by 17 percentage points), Gillibrand has strong numbers elsewhere. In New York City, she beats King 49 percent to 20 percent. In upstate New York, she beats him 46 percent to 24 percent. The polls show that both Gillibrand and Maloney have some work to do in the suburbs, but that Maloney also has a lot of work to do in convincing upstate voters that she, not Gillibrand, is the right nominee for the Democratic Party.

- Gillibrand's job approval ratings are rising. The poll finds that 37 percent of those surveyed approve of the job Gillibrand is doing as senator. Only 15 percent disapprove and 48 percent don't know or have no opinion on her performance. Those numbers are up from 33 percent in April and 28 percent in February. There are also more voters forming an opinion of Gillibrand. While only 48 percent are undecided on her approval rating, that is down from 54 percent in April and 62 percent in February. And it can be concluded from the results that as time goes on and Gillibrand has a chance to prove herself, more of those who don't know or have no opinion decide that they approve of her job performance.

Gillibrand has received plenty of endorsements from party leaders, unions and community groups, as well as many other progressive leaders, elected officials and organizations. There have been those who have argued that she has done this to avoid a primary. That isn't the case. She is receiving this support because people genuinely support her. The poll numbers have shown the evolution of New Yorkers and their support for Gillibrand. She is gaining more and more support at time goes on.

Maloney might lead in this poll that was released yesterday. But leading a poll in June 2009 is a far cry from winning the Democratic primary in September 2010. There is a long way to go and time is something that Gillibrand has shown benefits her greatly. The more time she has, the more she can show New Yorkers just how effective she has been and will continue to be.

ON THE WEB:

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's Campaign Website

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's U.S. Senate Website

Conversations With Kirsten

Contribute to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's Campaign

NY-Sen: Gillibrand Votes For Anti-Tobacco Measure, Introduces Immigration Bill

by: robert.harding

Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 08:59:30 AM EDT

But that attack was dealt a severe blow on Thursday when Sen. Gillibrand voted for H.R. 1256 - the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act - which will allow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the tobacco industry, a move that gives the federal government unprecedented power in regulating the industry.

She also been labeled as anti-immigrant, even though she has clarified that position and others since being appointed to the U.S. Senate. This week, she joined Sen. Bob Menendez in sponsoring legislation that would assist orphans, widows and widowers by allowing them to continue in the family immigration citizen. The Reuniting Families Act (S.1085) will help build upon moves made by President Barack Obama that allows families to stay an additional two years should they lose a parent our spouse.

This is what Gillibrand had to say about the Reuniting Families Act:

"I applaud the Obama Administration for taking an important first step to help families that have lost loved ones, but Congress must act in order to ensure a lasting solution for widows, widowers, and orphans as well," Senator Gillibrand said.  "I am hopeful that in the weeks and months ahead, we can take action on this legislation and make additional progress to protect families being torn apart by our immigration system.  This is an important part of our efforts to reform America's family-based immigration system to reunite loved ones, promote family stability and foster the economic growth that immigrant families have provided throughout our history."

The vote on the FDA regulation of tobacco and the co-sponsoring of the immigration legislation should show to Gillibrand's critics that she has strong positions on these issues that she has been attacked for over the last several months by those who are trying to make her seem not-so progressive.

It will be very difficult making the argument that Gillibrand is pro-tobacco when she cast this important vote. And it will be just as difficult to call Gillibrand anti-immigrant when she is co-sponsoring legislation that allows widows, widowers and orphans to stay in America and stay in the family immigration system.

Those who raise questions about her past views must remember the district she represented. She couldn't afford to be very progressive or else we would have had John Sweeney still representing the 20th congressional district. She had to balance out her views to appeal to a certain base and now that her base is a statewide audience, she has a chance to blossom as a candidate and as a legislator. That is exactly what she is doing in Washington D.C.

NY-21: Rep. Maloney To Campaign With Brooks Tomorrow

by: robert.harding

Mon Aug 18, 2008 at 14:59:02 PM EDT

WHO: Tracey Brooks and Rep. Carolyn Maloney

WHAT: Campaign Event

WHERE: Book House at Stuyvesant Plaza, 1475 Western Ave. Albany

WHEN: From 7 to 8 p.m. tomorrow

Here is more from the press release:

"Tracey brings hands-on community experience to Congress and will be a strong voice for families on guaranteeing health care for all, protecting a woman's right to choose, and getting our economy back on track," Congresswoman Maloney.

Congresswoman Maloney will also be on hand to sign copies of her book, Rumors of Our Progress Have Been Greatly Exaggerated: Why Women's Lives Aren't Getting Any Easier--And How We Can Make Real Progress For Ourselves and Our Daughters.  

"Congresswoman Maloney and I have the same priorities---helping our working families here at home, improving health care, and protecting the rights of women," Brooks said. "I am honored and delighted to have her support in this race, and I look forward to working closely with her Washington."

It's one thing to endorse a candidate and it's another to actively campaign for them. Maloney should be an asset for Brooks tomorrow and moving forward.

ON THE WEB:

Tracey Brooks' ActBlue Page

Rep. Maloney's book, Rumors of Our Progress Have Been Greatly Exaggerated: Why Women's Lives Aren't Getting Any Easier--And How We Can Make Real Progress For Ourselves and Our Daughters