NY-11 Special Election Thread

[NewYorkExpress]

It's Lean R to start, but Donovan isn't unbeatable. A Democrat like Debi Rose, Kenneth Mitchell (Both of whom represent/ed the North Shore of Staten Island in the New York City Council), Michael Nelson (Who Represented Midwood, Sheepshead Bay and Brighton Beach in the New York City Council), Matthew Titone and Michael Cusick (both of whom represent Staten Island in the State Assembly) could win, with some luck (and De Blasio staying away)

I just can't help but wonder if Republicans would be better off running Susan Molinari now, and Donovan in 2016, should Molinari lose.

[NewYorkExpress]

Donovan wins 50-49... or something in that range... While the race certainly will be closer thanks to events like the Garner choking, I'm not sold on enough protesters voting for a candidate as conservative as Cusick to put him over the top.  I would expect the Working Families Party to run someone else, and that to be the difference here.

[NewYorkExpress]

Donovan wins 50-49... or something in that range... While the race certainly will be closer thanks to events like the Garner choking, I'm not sold on enough protesters voting for a candidate as conservative as Cusick to put him over the top.  I would expect the Working Families Party to run someone else, and that to be the difference here.

Why would the WFP run someone else?

Cusick has run with the WFP ballot line in past Assembly elections but despite being offered it has turned it down because he thought it would hurt more than help in a mostly white moderately conservative swing district.

Also it highlights the utter absurdity of New York State's "me too" parties that tag along with the state's fusion voting if the Conservative Party and WFP both nominated the same candidate- which they have done by both nominating Cusick in his early races.

If Cusick turns down the WFP ballot line (which I personally doubt he will do in an Islandwide race), the WFP will just sit the race out like they have done in his Assembly races.

Arguably, pressure from protesters.

[NewYorkExpress]

Vincent Gentile's campaign accuses Donovan of having ties to the KKK.

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/04/donovan_wants_gentile_apology.html#incart_most-commented_news_article

You can't play "Six degrees with Kevin Bacon" like this, especially with someone as damning as David Duke.

If Gentile thought he'd hit 40% in November 2016, he just blew that opportunity...unless he can find a more direct link (Did he attend a fundraiser with Duke? What is his prosecutorial record on KKK members and sympathizers?)