HOOSICK FALLS, N.Y. – Wanted: A campaign manager for Jim Tedisco (R-NY) who can stop him from talking to the press.
On the surface, I agree with this New York Times piece in that the upcoming special election in New York’s 20th Congressional District should have been a slam-dunk for Jim Tedisco. His Democratic opponent, Scott Murphy, has spent the last two weeks fighting off charges about unpaid taxes and questionable lobbying activities, and inquiries about why he didn’t bother to vote in so many elections, while dealing with name recognition numbers which continue to hover in the teens. Assemblyman Tedisco, however, has continued to gamely find ways to endanger his own chances. He still refuses to take a stand on whether or not he would have voted for the recent stimulus package, which is bad enough, but now he’s given an entirely new reason for demurring on the question.
Mr. Tedisco said that if he answered the question, he would only encourage Mr. Murphy to pester him about other positions: “It won’t just be this, it’ll be, ‘How would you vote on the war in Iraq?’ Those are hypothetical. Not walking into a voting booth that’s in front of you is not hypothetical. He really could have voted, and he didn’t.”
Well… yes. That’s probably true. But you’re running for Congress. Your prospective constituents would probably like to have a good idea where you stand on the pressing issues of the day and how you are likely to vote if given the opportunity. How you will cast your vote on matters like the economy and the war in Iraq would probably be of interest to them, don’t you think?
As if that wasn’t enough, opposition research has now turned up a letter that the Assemblyman penned on behalf of convicted felon David Silipigno. Given that Mr. Silipigno was a repeat donor to Tedisco’s campaign war chest, it raises prickly issues of propriety which I’m sure Jim would prefer not to be talking about on the campaign trail.
If Tedisco isn’t careful, Murphy is going to start picking up momentum and defining Jim in a negative light. There will be one debate a few weeks from now, and plenty of time remains for the TV ad wars to continue. As always, we’ll keep you up to date on the developments on this closely watched race.
Previous NY20 Coverage:
Scott Murphy’s Anti-Military past?
First TV ads from both campaigns
Tedisco’s Car Trouble?
Scott Murphy’s Tax Troubles
Tedisco – Murphy Gun Control Debate
NY 20th: Meet the Candidates