Steve Harrison
Encyclopedia
- Since easily winning a special election in 1997, Republican incumbent Vito Fossella
had long been reelected without trouble in this district, based in Staten Island
and the southwest section of Brooklyn. Fossella is the only Republican in New York City's Congressional delegation.
But in 2004, his share of the vote dropped dramatically against septuagenarian former Judge, assemblyman and mayoral candidate Frank Barbaro who achieved 41 percent of the vote. Attorney and former Community Board 10 Chairman, Steve Harrison , the 2006 Democratic candidate, improved on Barbaro's results receiving 43 percent of the vote.
CQPolitics rating: Republican Favored.
Harrison is running again in 2008. Harrison received no money from the DCCC, and was generally considered an outsider candidate, but after a strong showing in five debates with his challenger, and a grass-roots style campaign, Harrison exceeded expectations by receiving 43% of the vote, despite being overspent 15-1 by the Fossella campaign (1.7 million to 130,000). This was the strongest showing by a Democratic candidate in several election cycles in this relatively conservative district. Based on this strong showing, Harrison has declared his intention for a rematch, but several other Democrats may still be considering entering the race, raising the potential of a Democratic primary against the incumbent.
Vito Fossella
Vito John Fossella, Jr. is a U.S. Republican politician from the state of New York who formerly represented the state's 13th Congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives for six terms, from 1997 to 2009 serving as the lone Republican from New York City. Fossella, a Staten Island...
had long been reelected without trouble in this district, based in Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
and the southwest section of Brooklyn. Fossella is the only Republican in New York City's Congressional delegation.
But in 2004, his share of the vote dropped dramatically against septuagenarian former Judge, assemblyman and mayoral candidate Frank Barbaro who achieved 41 percent of the vote. Attorney and former Community Board 10 Chairman, Steve Harrison , the 2006 Democratic candidate, improved on Barbaro's results receiving 43 percent of the vote.
CQPolitics rating: Republican Favored.
Harrison is running again in 2008. Harrison received no money from the DCCC, and was generally considered an outsider candidate, but after a strong showing in five debates with his challenger, and a grass-roots style campaign, Harrison exceeded expectations by receiving 43% of the vote, despite being overspent 15-1 by the Fossella campaign (1.7 million to 130,000). This was the strongest showing by a Democratic candidate in several election cycles in this relatively conservative district. Based on this strong showing, Harrison has declared his intention for a rematch, but several other Democrats may still be considering entering the race, raising the potential of a Democratic primary against the incumbent.