UPDATED
Several Democratic Brooklyn sources confirmed that City Councilman Vincent Gentile will get the nod to face off against Staten Island Republican Dan Donovan on the special May 5 election for the 11th Congressional District.
The district is 70 percent in Staten Island and 30 percent in Southern Brooklyn so ultimately the decision on who gets to run on the Democratic line is up to the Staten Island Democratic Committee, who could not be reached for comment. The committee is also strongly considering Assemblyman Bill Colton.
“Vinnie has been banging on a lot of doors and will get the nod,” said a source, adding that it will be an uphill battle to win the seat in heavily Republican Staten Island.
The lack of an indictment in the Eric Garner case will help Donovan (who is currently the Staten Island District Attorney) and could galvanize the minority voters to vote against him, but ultimately there are a lot of registered Democrats in Staten Island that vote Republican anyway and the Independents also usually vote Republican, said the source.
Gentile advisor Justin Brannan sounded confident in saying Gentile is still working things out and a statement is shortcoming.
Meanwhile Donovan wasted no time in making a campaign stump statement just hours after Gov. Cuomo called for the special election today.
“I thank Governor Cuomo for announcing a date to hold the special election.There are critical issues being debated in Washington right now and the people of Staten Island and South Brooklyn deserve to have a voice in those decisions,” said Donovan, who is currently the Staten Island District Attorney.
“We must have a representative in congress who will fight for our transportation needs, continuing Sandy recovery and ensuring our city is protected from terrorism. I’m looking forward to hitting the campaign trail over the next few months to hear directly from New Yorkers and discuss my plans to improve the quality of life for the people of the 11th congressional district,” he added.
