The primaries are finally over. I know, three-quarters of Erie County is saying, what primaries? We observed three federal holidays in just over one month. We will now move to the political quiet season.
Candidates and their teams, of course, will remain busy attending fundraisers and various community events. Serious work needs to be done by the relative handful of candidates who actually have competitive races or actually any race at all.
Here are some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets concerning federal, state, and local politics and government:
- The one fun thing to watch nationally will be the scramble among the dozen or so Republican presidential candidates to get the invite for the party’s August 23rd debate. Criteria for qualifying: getting at least 40,000 contributors from at least 20 states; registering what is the sign of a pulse in three polls; and pledging to support the eventual nominee. That last one is going to be tough but Donald Trump has conveniently given all of them a pass to lie whenever it suits them.
- Convicted felon Chris Collins (aka BOP# 86014-054) tells WGRZ that he wants to return to Congress, but only if Congressman Byron Donalds gets out of the way by running for governor or senator in Florida. The governor’s seat is not open until 2026 unless Ron DeSantis resigns or gets elected president. Incumbent Senator Rick Scott is running for re-election in 2024. Collins is just trying to get attention.
- Among the Legislature-approved bills awaiting action by Governor Kathy Hochul is one which would re-set all town and county elections to even numbered years and another which would weaken the state’s new public campaign financing law. It would seem that those would be easy vetoes for the Governor and would win her public support.
- The issue about use of an advertising budget line in the Erie County Clerk’s office raised a stir earlier this year, but Comptroller Kevin Hardwick’s recent audit of the Clerk office finances could be a much bigger problem for Mickey Kearns. He is cooperating with the investigation.
- Investigative Post’s Geoff Kelly notes that even with Our City Action Buffalo group’s heavy involvement and a substantial amount of money raised for the candidates they supported, progressives did not fare well on primary day.
- The average number of votes received by the five winning candidates was 1,192, while those defeated, including the second-place finisher in the Ellicott District, averaged just 587 votes. As Trump might observe, couldn’t someone find just 606 more votes?
- The Republican and Conservative primary elections in Erie County 10th Legislative District are over with Lindsay Lorigo the apparent winner in both contests. The controversy about the state Commission on Judicial Conduct investigation into her husband’s 2022 election to the state Supreme Court hurt her vote-wise while Carl Paladino’s late mailer on her behalf put her successfully over the finish line.
- The real story about those primaries, which will not impact legislative control, is the outrageous amounts of money spent by and for the candidates. If state Board of Elections records on July 17 provide a full and complete picture, it is likely that $100,000 or more was spent for Lorigo. The annual salary of a county legislator is $42,588.
- Historically Republicans in Erie County covet the Conservative Party endorsement even though the line has provided the winning margin in just a few campaigns over the years. Now, however, there is a new twist for the Conservatives which will somewhat depreciate the value of the party endorsement — switching parties to contest and win the line in a primary. Changes in the state Election Law have made strategic affiliation switching the new and important tactic.
- In the Town of Tonawanda, Evans, Lackawanna, and perhaps elsewhere, Republican candidates and their supporters have switched to a Conservative affiliation to run and vote in the Party’s primary. The process involves rounding up 50 to 100 of your friends and relatives to change their affiliation to Conservative by early February; then get those folks ready to vote for you in June. There are only 15,000 registered Conservatives in Erie County. In many municipalities and districts 50 to 100 voters new to the Conservative Party will win the primary. Undoubtedly someone is right now preparing a handbook for candidates who will want to give it a try in 2024; publication date in December.
- While the Rs and Cs will at least be paying lip service to burying the hatchets following the primaries in the 10th district, the participants will be remembering where those hatchets were buried.
- Party endorsements for the 140 or so offices that will be on the ballot in Erie County this November were conferred in February, so we are basically at the half-way point of Election 2023 with just four months to go. Those paying attention realize that there will be an election for Erie County Executive this year. Mark Poloncarz is the Democratic and Working Families candidate while Chrissy Casilio Bluhm carries the Republican and Conservative banners.
- Poloncarz has been going about doing his job, attending political events throughout the county, and raising money. Casilio-Bluhm, according to her Facebook postings, has had one fundraiser and has been attending Republican events throughout the suburban and rural towns of the county. She has not posted on Twitter, where she has 165 followers, since February 26, perhaps shy of the medium given issues about her previous posts. The only public appearances she has had concerning issues was a Ch. 2 interview in March where she promoted a tax cut and having the county executive propose the uses of sales tax revenues that school districts in the county should consider.
- Fifty-seventh District Republican State Senator George Borrello has reportedly for some time had an interest in becoming a member of Congress. He lives in the 23rd District presently represented by Nick Langworthy. Langworthy won last year’s general election by more than 88,000 votes but his margin in the August primary against Carl Paladino was much closer – just 1,847 votes.
- I have only rarely written anything about the Buffalo School District, although with an annual budget of more than $1 billion there might be a story or two in there worth exploring. For that reason I don’t think I have ever mentioned retiring Buffalo Teachers Federation President Phil Rumore. Our paths crossed only once, in 2002 when I was a candidate for Erie County Democratic Chairman. The BTF played a role in Democratic politics from time-to-time. I met with Phil more than once seeking his support. I didn’t win the chairmanship but Rumore played peacemaker after the election of Len Lenihan, hosting a let’s-all-be-friends dinner for Len, the late Jim Keane, and me after the party officially selected its officers. Rumore has been more than controversial over his 42 years leading the BTF but it must be said that he knew his job – representing teachers – and did it very well.
Posting update
Politics and Other Stuff will return to its regular Tuesday publication schedule on July 11.
Ken Kruly writes about politics and other stuff at politicsandstuff.com
Follow on Twitter @kenkruly