Courts and Law

Pro Bono Barrister: Would a primary help Recchia in Grimm race?

April 29, 2014 By Charles F. Otey, Esq. Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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Evangelist to Oppose Recchia in Democratic Congressional Primary?

If you can believe what Will Bredderman wrote in recent “Will’s Watch” column in the Courier Life — and I usually do — there is a scheme afoot that would have an Evangelical minister (who is also a former mayoral candidate) run in a Democratic primary against former Councilman Domenic Recchia, who is the leading Democrat in the race to unseat Republican-Conservative U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm in November.

Bredderman says that the apparent political architect of this scenario is Democratic Assemblyman Bill Colton, whose ongoing battles with the Recchia camp have compelled him to urge Staten Island-based minister Erick Salgado to oppose Recchia in the upcoming primary.

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Most political observers give Salgado, who has satellite churches on 18th Avenue and West 7th Street, little chance in a Democratic primary against Recchia, even though Salgado claims he will get the backing of Russian “media mogul” Gregory Davidson — a force to be reckoned with in Brighton Beach and nearby precincts, an area frequently described as “Little Odessa.”

Many believe that by seeking out Salgado in his vendetta against Recchia, Colton may be grasping at straws and hoping that former Councilman Recchia will not be newly-elected U.S. Rep. Recchia when the polls close in November.

Would Salgado Primary Help Recchia Campaign?

Most party primaries are dreaded throughout the essentially Democratic Brooklyn, where a primary win in September is tantamount to a victory in November. Conventional wisdom aside, a Salgado versus Recchia battle could work to Recchia’s ultimate advantage.

Recchia has an uphill battle against Grimm, the determined former Marine from Staten Island, and could actually gain some needed visibility in a Democratic primary in which his opponent, i.e. Salgado, is on the extreme right wing and whose champion is a veteran, embittered assemblyman.

Conventional wisdom again holds that a popular former city officeholder, with organization and money, like Domenic Recchia, would devastate an extreme right-winger like Salgado in this primary. Such a clear victory could well provide Recchia with much more momentum as he faces Grimm, who is as tough as they come. Conventional wisdom is probably right.

 


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