More Than A Year Before The Vote, Grimm Vs Recchia Race Heats Up

Congressional elections are still more than a year away but the race to represent Bensonhurst and Staten Island is already starting to boil. NY1 is reporting that Republican Congressman Michael Grimm and the Democratic challenger, Councilman Domenic Recchia, are already locking horns over key issues like the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and taking swipes at each other’s campaign fundraising allegations.

As we’ve previously reported, Grimm is no supporter of the ACA, otherwise known as Obamacare, joining the broad GOP effort to repeal the hot-button measure numerous times. In an interview with NY1, Recchia accused Grimm of being a puppet of the GOP hierarchy.

“Michael Grimm is in the pocket of John Boehner,” Recchia told NY1.

While numbers indicate that Grimm voted with the GOP 84 percent of the time, Grimm vehemently denied this allegation.

“I voted against my party so many times that I’ve been criticized by the right constantly, so he’s misleading people, because he knows I’m a really good congressman, and he doesn’t have a prayer,” Grimm told NY1.

Recently, we reported that Grimm blasted his own party for inviting GOP Senator Rand Paul to a New York City fundraising event, because Paul voted against hurricane relief for Superstorm Sandy victims. Grimm also said that while he wants to repeal the ACA, he doesn’t support shutting down the government to do so.

“I don’t support shutting down government, I do support repealing Obamacare, but you know how we really do that as Republicans? We win the presidency and we win the Senate,” Grimm said.

While Grimm is currently figured as a favorite to be reelected, he is still vulnerable and Democrats are banking on investigations by the Department of Justice (DOJ) into allegations that Grimm accepted illegally raised campaign funds in his first election. Last week, we reported on a guilty plea entered by Ofer Biton, an Israeli national targeted by the FBI on charges of embezzlement and extortion. As the case is ongoing, it is not yet known if Biton is cooperating with federal officials in their continued investigation of Grimm’s connection in the matter.

Recchia has faced heat himself for using his role as Council Finance Chair to direct one third of his “member items” budget on projects in Staten Island, a district he doesn’t represent. In July, we reported that Recchia defended the action as the result of the unique circumstances brought upon by Superstorm Sandy.

NY1 highlighted how Recchia is doing everything he can to make his name visible in the upcoming showdown with Grimm, who is known for his tenacious campaigning style:

One of the biggest challenges facing Recchia may have nothing to do with politics, but instead location, since he lives across the Verrazano Bridge in Brooklyn and not on Staten Island.

Still, Recchia wants voters to know that he’s always thinking about the borough.

“My mother lives on Staten Island,” Recchia said.

He also wants to voters to know that he’s dedicated to find ways to shower the borough with council pork.

“As the finance Chairman, I funded millions of dollars for different programs on Staten Island,” Recchia said.

In fact, his name is all over a taxpayer-funded council newsletter for a district he doesn’t even represent.

A spokesperson for the councilman says Recchia didn’t ask to be included in it.

Recchia knows, however, that he needs to get his name out, as he prepares to go up against a congressman who is ready to fight.