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NY-19: Obscure GOP Rep Targeted By High-Profile Musicians and Celebs
GOP incumbent Rep. Sue Kelly may be a little-known pol from Westchester, but she's facing some pretty high-profile opposition: Her main foe is Dem singer-songwriter John Hall, who's backed by the likes of Jackson Browne, Rosanne Cash, Steve Earle and Nancy Griffith.
Sure, first Hall has to get past a trio of contenders who want the Dem nomination, too, but with stars like the above playing at his fundraisers -- as they will be on Aug. 20 -- Hall should have little trouble getting past his challengers.
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Sorry, Greg, but John Hall is not Sue Kelly's "main foe" yet. While Hall has name recognition among fans of bad mid-'70s rock, he has three rivals for the Democratic nomination. One of them is a wealthy ex-Republican attorney with a fat Rolodex. She's had fundraisers featuring people like George Soros, Stanley Tucci, and Chevy Chase. Do celebrity endorsements matter much? Who cares?
The most important thing is that the Democrats choose a candidate who can beat Sue Kelly in November. John Hall may have some credibility among a certain set of AARP-rockers, but I've actually seen him campaign three times, and he's a remarkably bad speaker. You know how they say Al Gore is stiff and boring? Hall makes Gore (the cartoon version of Gore) look like Robin Williams. He will have to overcome that as well as his old-hippy image to get swing voters to the polls in November.
There are two young, dynamic candidates running in the primary as well: Darren Rigger and Ben Shuldiner. Rigger's campaign seems to be fairly dormant right now, but Shuldiner's is very active. I live out in the boonies and his volunteers have been knocking on doors out here; in fact, there are damn few Democrats in the district who won't have had a visit from him or one of his supporters before the primary. He's also keeping a full calendar of meet-and-greets in the district, and he actually beat Hall in first quarter fundraising - all in small donations, without concerts with famous friends. He's a great speaker, too.
While I don't blame you for trying to talk your guy up, remember: he's not the only horse in the race - in fact, he's not even the front-runner. And remember, the most important thing in this still majority-Republican district is to find someone who can beat Sue Kelly. From what I've seen, John Hall will have a tough time doing that.
August 14, 2006 8:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Excellent comment from MBowen. I think that the race is very close. My wife and I have been volunteering for the Judy Aydelott campaign. We went to two of her community events and were impressed by her sincerity, her antiwar stance, and her passion for healthcare for all Americans. On a pragmatic side, we see her as the only candidate with a real shot to take Sue Kelly the conservative incumbent. She's a 64 yr old grandmother, like Kelly, but is experienced in business and law. And I actually think that being a lapsed Republican (and woman) will help with moderate Republicans and independent voters in November. Like MBowen said. You need to look at the district, and who they've elected 6 times.
I agree that Shuldiner is running a good campaign, and is a good person, but I fear that his age, 29 I think, will be a disadvantage in the general. I haven't seen much from Darren Rigger. I was very disappointed in a mailing from John Hall. The pictures shows him with Eliot Spitzer with his arm around Hall. There is the large word underneath "The ENDORSED Candidates, John Hall and Eliot Spitzer". In very small print are the groups that have separately endorsed Hall and Spitzer. The implication is that Spitzer has endorsed Hall, which he has not. Cheesy in my opinion.
September 10, 2006 7:05 PM | Reply | Permalink