State Senate Watch - Without Tonko, Democratic Challenge to Farley May be Far Out
NYSERDA president opting for McNulty seat puts party in search of candidates
Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:32:00
Riding high after Darrel Aubertine’s special election win that narrowed the Republican majority to a single seat, Democrats are sizing up a potential challenge to State Sen. Hugh Farley (R-Schenectady)—who some believe may soon announce his retirement.
The search for a candidate intensified in early March, as the man generally viewed as the Democrats’ best candidate, Paul Tonko, apparently started leaning toward a different race.
Tonko, president of the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA), spent 25 years representing the Assembly in the area before joining the Spitzer administration last year. He is generally considered the most competitive Democratic contender in the region, and was thought to be a natural fit to challenge Farley. But with Rep. Michael McNulty (D-Albany) retiring, Tonko has apparently decided that he would prefer a run for Congress than to try going back to the Legislature.
That is bad news for Senate Democrats, who could have relied on Tonko to immediately generate major interest in the Farley race.
“Whatever Paul Tonko decides to run for, he has my support,” said Larry Bulman, chair of the Saratoga County Democratic Committee.
If Tonko decided to run for either seat, he would first have to announce his retirement from NYSERDA, a job that pays upward of $175,000 a year. State rules bar administration officials from openly campaigning for elected office.
But if Tonko does decide to enter the Congressional race, he will find himself in a crowded Democratic primary. Others who have already announced their candidacy are Phil Steck, the Colonie Democratic County Chairman, and Tracey Brooks, a former aide to Sen. Hillary Clinton (D).
That and Tonko’s love for energy policy could sway him in the direction of running for the State Senate, according to local Democratic political consultant, Kyle Kortary.
“If a guy like Paul Tonko were to run for a State Senate seat and win, I think he automatically becomes the first candidate for chair of the Senate Energy Committee,” he said.
Though Tonko has made no official announcement of his intentions, Democrats are beginning to size up the field without him. Given the Republicans’ 20,000-voter registration edge, they are trying to find a candidate who might be able to match Tonko’s caliber, said Doug Forand, a top political strategist for the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee.
“There’s no low-hanging fruit here,” he said. “In the absence of a strong candidate with good name recognition, it’ll be tough.”
Democratic discussions of the race without Tonko have generally focused on two candidates, Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton and Susan Savage, chair of the Schenectady County Legislature.
Stratton, whose late father held the Congressional seat for 30 years, ruled out a Congressional run in February. But he did not rule out making a Senate bid—if Farley decides to retire.
“I do have an interest is seeing the Senate turning to Democratic control for the first time in a generation,” Stratton said. “We don’t have any Democratic representation in the State Legislature for Schenectady County. That’s important to me as well.”
Neither Tonko nor Savage replied to repeated requests for comment.
Though many in the region seem content to wait until Farley retires—and potentially give him a pass this year, as Democrats fight for several other targeted Senate seats around the state—some say that the longtime senator is vulnerable, and could make for an easy pick-up. Farley’s age could be made an issue, Democrats say, as could his chairmanship of the Senate Banking Committee, which they say has neglected the sub-prime mortgage crisis. Farley’s district has been hit particularly hard by the crisis.
“He has stymied and blocked a lot of good consumer legislation,” said Brian Quail, chair of the Schenectady County Democratic Committee. “So we have a really good issue there.”
Farley defended his record, saying that since capturing his seat over 30 years ago, he has won subsequent re-elections by large margins, whether the 11,000 votes by which he beat Stratton in 2000, or the 2:1 margin by which he beat Democratic challenger Gary McCarthy in 2006.
Farley said he is not ready to announce either his retirement or his re-election, but is giving serious consideration to both. Either way, his decision will not be based on which Democrats are lining up to take him on, he said.
“I can’t pick my opponents,” Farley said. “But I take every race very seriously.”
ahawkins@nycapitolnews.com
The search for a candidate intensified in early March, as the man generally viewed as the Democrats’ best candidate, Paul Tonko, apparently started leaning toward a different race.
Tonko, president of the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA), spent 25 years representing the Assembly in the area before joining the Spitzer administration last year. He is generally considered the most competitive Democratic contender in the region, and was thought to be a natural fit to challenge Farley. But with Rep. Michael McNulty (D-Albany) retiring, Tonko has apparently decided that he would prefer a run for Congress than to try going back to the Legislature.
That is bad news for Senate Democrats, who could have relied on Tonko to immediately generate major interest in the Farley race.
“Whatever Paul Tonko decides to run for, he has my support,” said Larry Bulman, chair of the Saratoga County Democratic Committee.
If Tonko decided to run for either seat, he would first have to announce his retirement from NYSERDA, a job that pays upward of $175,000 a year. State rules bar administration officials from openly campaigning for elected office.
But if Tonko does decide to enter the Congressional race, he will find himself in a crowded Democratic primary. Others who have already announced their candidacy are Phil Steck, the Colonie Democratic County Chairman, and Tracey Brooks, a former aide to Sen. Hillary Clinton (D).
That and Tonko’s love for energy policy could sway him in the direction of running for the State Senate, according to local Democratic political consultant, Kyle Kortary.
“If a guy like Paul Tonko were to run for a State Senate seat and win, I think he automatically becomes the first candidate for chair of the Senate Energy Committee,” he said.
Though Tonko has made no official announcement of his intentions, Democrats are beginning to size up the field without him. Given the Republicans’ 20,000-voter registration edge, they are trying to find a candidate who might be able to match Tonko’s caliber, said Doug Forand, a top political strategist for the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee.
“There’s no low-hanging fruit here,” he said. “In the absence of a strong candidate with good name recognition, it’ll be tough.”
Democratic discussions of the race without Tonko have generally focused on two candidates, Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton and Susan Savage, chair of the Schenectady County Legislature.
Stratton, whose late father held the Congressional seat for 30 years, ruled out a Congressional run in February. But he did not rule out making a Senate bid—if Farley decides to retire.
“I do have an interest is seeing the Senate turning to Democratic control for the first time in a generation,” Stratton said. “We don’t have any Democratic representation in the State Legislature for Schenectady County. That’s important to me as well.”
Neither Tonko nor Savage replied to repeated requests for comment.
Though many in the region seem content to wait until Farley retires—and potentially give him a pass this year, as Democrats fight for several other targeted Senate seats around the state—some say that the longtime senator is vulnerable, and could make for an easy pick-up. Farley’s age could be made an issue, Democrats say, as could his chairmanship of the Senate Banking Committee, which they say has neglected the sub-prime mortgage crisis. Farley’s district has been hit particularly hard by the crisis.
“He has stymied and blocked a lot of good consumer legislation,” said Brian Quail, chair of the Schenectady County Democratic Committee. “So we have a really good issue there.”
Farley defended his record, saying that since capturing his seat over 30 years ago, he has won subsequent re-elections by large margins, whether the 11,000 votes by which he beat Stratton in 2000, or the 2:1 margin by which he beat Democratic challenger Gary McCarthy in 2006.
Farley said he is not ready to announce either his retirement or his re-election, but is giving serious consideration to both. Either way, his decision will not be based on which Democrats are lining up to take him on, he said.
“I can’t pick my opponents,” Farley said. “But I take every race very seriously.”
ahawkins@nycapitolnews.com
