Addressing disgraced former Congressman Michael Grimm’s punishment primary challenge to vulnerable Representative Dan Donovan, DCCC Spokesman Evan Lukaske issued the following statement:
“The fact that convicted felon Michael Grimm has a credible chance to beat Representative Donovan demonstrates the serious harm that this do-nothing Congress is inflicting on vulnerable Republican incumbents,” said DCCC Spokesman Evan Lukaske. “Voters of all political persuasions are disgusted with Donovan’s failure to get anything done in Washington. Ultimately, our Democratic candidate will face either a convicted felon or an ineffective and weak establishment politician entangled in an embezzlement scandal—a clear choice for voters on Staten Island and in Brooklyn.”
A memo from the Republican Super PAC Senate Leadership Fund highlighted the precarious position of establishment Republicans like Donovan. Discussing the implications of the Alabama Senate Race, in which insurgent Roy Moore defeated establishment Republican Luther Strange, they found:
- Republican primary voters are “deeply frustrated by the sluggish rate of change in Washington.”
- “The Obamacare repeal fiasco is political poison,” and that the “defeat has poisoned the attitude of GOP primary voters toward congressional Republicans in general.”
- “The Republican Congress has replaced President Obama as the bogeyman for conservative GOP primary voters.”
Convicted felons don’t normally make strong candidates, but Donovan’s recent troubles opened the door to a Grimm challenge. Earlier this year, multiple reports exposed details surrounding a massive fraud conducted during Dan Donovan’s tenure as Staten Island District Attorney. Donovan’s hand-picked procurement manager, William Nelson, allegedly stole more than $440,000 in taxpayer dollars to spend on vacations, collectibles and consumer goods.
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