Jewish Incumbent Race Profile: Chuck Schumer

Linda Berg — April 2, 2010 – 8:13 am | Congress | Democrats | Election 2010 | Republicans Comments (1) Add a comment

Most political speculation regarding the New York Senate race in 2010 refers to the first Senate election contest for Kirsten Gillibrand since her appointment by Governor Paterson last year. However, in 2010 New York will hold elections for both of its Senate seats; the only state in the country this year to do so. 

 

To many, Senator Gillibrand’s appointment was improbable. Traditionally the most effective time to target any incumbent is their first reelection campaign and since she was appointed, 2010 will be Gillibrand’s first statewide election. So it is not surprising that Republicans “prefer to place Ms. Gillibrand in their cross hairs” instead of the powerful Chuck Schumer who won his last statewide election with a comfortable 71% of the vote.

Schumer, oddly enough, has drawn a primary challenge from Randy Credico, a comedian and drug law activist who made a name for himself in Las Vegas in the 1980s with his political impersonations. He appeared on the Tonight Show in 1984 where he “imitated Johnny Carson - and was blackballed for calling Jeanne Kirkpatrick a Nazi.” 

Assuming that Credico does not topple Schumer, Republicans have yet to find a strong challenger for the general election. According to The New York Times, “Republican leaders tend to view Lawrence Kudlow, the conservative television commentator and champion of Wall Street who has talked of running, as a highly verbal and entertaining lamb to the slaughter.”  Still, as of today, no one has filed to challenge Schumer in the general election.

And that could be for millions of reasons—literally. At the end of 2009, Chuck Schumer had more than $19 million in his campaign coffers—the most cash on hand of anyone in the Senate, and more than enough to fend off his less than serious primary challenge.

Still, Schumer continues his energetic fundraising. “While many of my colleagues spent the last two election cycles raising funds for their own reelection bids, I devoted my time and energy as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to electing 15 more Democratic senators,” Mr. Schumer wrote in a somewhat rare public appeal, pegged to the last day of the first quarter. “But I was absent from my own fundraising for four years, and now I must ward off the potential of a big-money challenge bankrolled by all the corporations and special interests that are angry at the progress we have accomplished.”

Schumer’s admittedly slightly depleted war chest has still apparently intimidated his opposition and a significant and skilled challenger has not materialized just yet. Hopefully this status quo will remain in place through Election Day—although only time will tell for sure.

 

 

 

 

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