State GOP will look to build on significant 2015 victories

On the surface, 2015 wasn’t a particularly big year in New York politics. It was, however, a banner year for the New York state Republican Party. While the state’s most prominent Democrats, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, were embroiled in petty squabbles, the state GOP expanded, thrived and demonstrated unity.

First, the GOP held the seat of disgraced former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm in a May special election. Dan Donovan did everything required of a candidate, while Democrats struggled to find a viable candidate. Former U.S. Rep. Michael McMahon and Assembly members William Colton and Michael Cusick all flirted with the idea of a run and were courted by party leaders, but ultimately declined, leaving New York City Councilman Vincent Gentile as the last man standing.

When it was clear that Gentile struggled to make headway among Staten Island voters, the national Democratic Party and its supportive elements quickly gave up on the race and surrendered the seat. Meanwhile, the GOP made sure to clear the field for Donovan and the national party structure provided support wherever it was needed. Voters in New York’s 11th Congressional District overwhelmingly rejected Gentile, electing Donovan with almost 60 percent of the vote.

Republicans built upon this momentum over the summer, seeking to challenge Democrats in their upstate strongholds. The move was an aggressive one by state GOP Chairman Ed Cox, who carefully steered the party apparatus to victory in November, including GOP upsets in Binghamton, Syracuse, Elmira, Amsterdam, Oswego, Rome and Clarkstown.

Not every race was a winning one, as first-time candidate Joan Illuzzi lost her special election bid to replace Donovan as Staten Island district attorney. From the start of the race, conventional wisdom had it that McMahon would utterly obliterate Illuzzi, especially if he managed to take the Conservative Party ballot line. Still, Illuzzi managed an unprecedented and impressive win, stealing the Conservative Party’s nomination as a write-in candidate, and exceeded Election Day expectations by coming within a few thousand votes of an upset.

By contrast, Democrats were unable to avoid nasty public infighting – the Cuomo and de Blasio Shakespearean drama was on full display – and did not perform well at the polls or even in recruiting candidates.

2015 was certainly a terrible year for de Blasio. His Reign of Error has given New Yorkers a case of buyer’s remorse, a sentiment that should bode well for 2017 challengers, but no credible contender for the GOP mayoral nomination has emerged.

It is clear that billionaire supermarket magnate John Catsimatidis would like to be mayor and is positioning himself for a potential second run. However, his candidacy is not viewed as remotely serious, especially after his hapless bid in 2013 and his big donations to Democrats – including including to de Blasio in 2014 when the mayor got behind a major Democratic push to seize control of the state Senate. Sure, Catsimatidis might be inspired by the early success of fellow billionaire Donald Trump in the presidential race, but the “Cats Man” might inadvertently help Democrats by making New Yorkers think the GOP is some sort of sideshow attraction and not a serious party in the five boroughs.

The announced retirement of U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson signals an interest in his running statewide in an upcoming election. He has made the right moves for it. Recognizing that at the end of the day all politics are local, Gibson has spent significant time boosting local Republican clubs and increasing his visibility. Many expect him to run for governor in 2018, but a far stronger option for him and the rest of the New York GOP would be if he challenged incumbent U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in that cycle.

Imagine how Gibson and Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino would complement and bolster one another’s campaigns if the former challenged Gillibrand and the latter took on Cuomo in 2018? Republicans have not had such a strong set of candidates in several years.

With big wins in 2015, the New York Republican Party had a strong year. If it can build on its successes of the year, maintain its party unity and continue to grow, 2016 could be an even better sequel.

Evan Siegfried, a Republican strategist, is president of Somm Consulting, a public affairs firm based in New York City.