Primary Forced In New York's 40th: Divisive Contest For Statewide Republicans

There has been a strong response from both sides to the following story:

News Copy heard last week from a highly-placed Republican consultant that Southeast's Jim Borkowski was being contemplated as a candidate for the 40th State Senate District, in ghoulish anticipation that Greg Ball was going to "blow up" like a Monty Python skit.

16 tons won't be falling on Ball's head.  The "scandal" is a contrived story devised by Team Borkowski and Team Hayworth (Nan Hayworth).  It's also a residual rumor left over by the hearsay and slander spread by Team Stephens (Willis Stephens) -- with others claiming, perhaps incorrectly, that all these lies about Ball are also coming from Team Leibell (State Senator Vincent Leibell).

Welcome to New York, where dirty laundry is manufactured without a conscience.

The bottom line is that Borkowski is also reported by political operatives in Yorktown to be departing his Assembly ambitions -- and now wants to start a divisive primary against Greg Ball.  Keep in mind that Leibell hasn't officially left this race yet.  He's still the incumbent State Senator but it has been repeated that he has long been looking to run for Putnam County Executive.

Ball also has twice the amount of money raised than Leibell.

Ball has survived two difficult primaries to remain in the Assembly, first challenging incumbent Willis Stephens and then facing a divisive primary against a Democrat who ran as a Republican.  His numbers in both races were extraordinary and he survived Page Six level slander being leveled at him (politics is a contact sport, right?).

Borkowski runs at cross-purposes to State Senate Republicans, who desperately want to retain Leibell's seat swithout much difficulty.

Leibell is expected to depart for the county executive race but Borkowski's handlers seem obsessed with running another spiteful race to hurt Ball.  The problem is that Borkowski could destroy the State GOP's chances to beat back Democrat Michael Kaplowitz, potentially costing Republicans the State Senate Majority.

Borkowski's backers are close to Willis Stephen, as is Borkowski (who worked with Stephens as an attorney), so this is political vengeance served on a very cold dish.

It's also counter-productive internecine nonsense.

Complicating the primary are the lies being circulated by the campaigns of Borkowski and Nan Hayworth that Greg Ball is hiding some politically fatal scandal that will "blow him up" before Election Day.

Many people are getting tired of the naysaying.  It doesn't help Republicans.  It doesn't help how people feel about politicians in New York.  News Copy has been one of those whipping boys victimized by lies within the GOP sphere of influence.  We empathize with how Ball and others feel.  Joe DioGuardi and Rob Astorino have endured the same liberal naysayers trying to bury them.

Maybe it's time for some politicos to just grow up.  A little respect for political contemporaries might go a long way to helping Republicans win in November,

News Copy won't be surprised if both State GOP Chairman Ed Cox and State Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos step into this primary and advise the Republicans bad-mouthing Ball to quit their petulant whining. 

Ball has the support of all three county chairs.  Despite his sudden departure from race against Congressman John Hall, the young maverick hasn't lost a step going door to door and reaching people.  As usual, his website is cutting edge and his focus now is on state issues that are on people's minds.

Greg Ball is a proven winner, and he has the backing of Putnam County GOP Chairman Tony Scannapieco.  Republicans in the State Senate want a reliable race in the 40th, so any reality to the fiction about Ball would have been vetted out months ago.

Meanwhile, Westchester Republicans relied directly on operatives from Ball's camp to help Bob Castelli win a special election -- taking back the 89th Assembly District for the first time in 17 years.  Ball's success in Northern Westchester preceded that County GOP's steady political comeback by four years.  Albany has certainly noted his progress, the same way the NRCC still wishes he was back in the Congressional race.

The problem for arch-conservative Ball will be securing the Conservative and Independence lines, a political machination that sources are telling News Copy could take a lot of diplomacy.  Finally, Ball's fundraising might take a hit over donors who already gave to him for the 19th -- but he's cultivated a loyal grass-roots base.

Ball wouldn't be the first Republican who ran against the establishment for a State Senate seat -- and as the Tom Dadey and now Andrew Russo races have demonstrated -- he won't be the last around New York State.

Comments

[F.P.]

Hey Bob:

You call Greg Ball an 'arch-conservative', well:

Do 'arch-conservatives' oppose Don't Ask, Don't Tell?

Do 'arch-conservatives' call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan?

Do 'arch-conservatives' take thousands of dollars from people whose only political agenda is to pass gay marriage?

Do 'arch-conservatives' go out to dinner in Albany with the executive director of the New York State Pride Agenda?

And so on and so forth...

Do your homework and don't be fooled.

[Phil Franz]

as scott brown said "this is the people's seat"

the 40th district is not vinnie leibell's, jim borkowski's, mike kaplowitz's or even [shock] greg ball's seat.

it is the people's seat. let the people decide.

[Richard Saunders]

Greg Ball has consistently opposed civil rights legislation in NY:

http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=69198&type=category&category=13&go.x=14&go.y=15