NY-22: Paladino Hopes His Success in Beating GOP Establishment Will Rub Off on Tenney

Carl Paladino sent state Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney a text message today wishing her luck in her campaign for the Republican line in New York’s 22nd congressional district.

In 2010 Paladino rode the support of the Tea Party to upset the choice of the Republican Party’s political establishment and became the GOP’s nominee for governor—a dynamic Tenney is hoping to repeat today by knocking out moderate Republican Congressman Richard Hanna.

Paladino, who ultimately lost the gubernatorial race in a landslide against Democrat Andrew Cuomo, has endorsed Tenney over Hanna because of her conservative views, and told City & State that he believes she will win today’s primary.

“She has shown with her actions she supports a conservative agenda,” Paladino said. “And she will actively represent the people, rather than going to Washington and sitting there like a lump on a log. [Hanna] is not representing our interests, the interests of the people that are in that 150-mile-long district. It’s a conservative-leaning, moderate district.”

Hanna, who was ranked by The National Journal as the third most moderate Republican in Congress, has defended his Republican bona fides, but Paladino, like Tenney, goes farther than just classifying Hanna as a moderate. To Paladino Hanna is a liberal.

“He was getting away with it because voters had no choice. They certainly weren’t going to vote for a Democrat,” Paladino said. “But now in a primary, it’s given the people a choice to step away from this guy who never learned how to be a Republican.”

Tenney said Paladino’s endorsement has helped her win the support of national Republican figures, and his experience prevailing in the 2010 primary has also proven useful.

“We don’t agree on everything. Carl’s a bit over the top on some things and we have a different way of expressing ourselves,” Tenney said. “But our core values are the same. We both believe in less government, getting the government out of business. We’re both business people. We know how important it is for government to be objective.”

Paladino said he had been out in the 22nd congressional district rallying support for Tenney all day and will continue to do so until the polls close tonight.