GOP Chair Jockeying Coalesces Around Faso And Wojtaszek
Field narrows to two even as Mondello insists on plan to run again
Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:39:00
Joseph Mondello may say he is running for another term this fall, but that has not deterred the two leading candidates to replace the embattled state GOP chair from quietly campaigning for his job.
The field of potential Mondello successors once included at least a dozen names, but has by many accounts now narrowed to two: Niagara Chair Henry Wojtaszek and former GOP gubernatorial candidate John Faso.
In part, this has to do with other top contenders beginning to eye races for other offices instead: Andrew Eristoff, a former New York City Council member and state tax commissioner, is now considering running for comptroller, and Ed Cox, the former chair of John McCain’s presidential campaign in New York, is weighing a run for governor or Senate.
That winnowing has allowed Faso and Wojtaszek to begin preliminary conversations with the key players in the September leadership vote and gauge support among the party’s 62 county chairs.
Elections for party chair are weighted based on each county’s number of votes on the GOP line in the 2006 gubernatorial election, forcing the candidates to campaign in dozens of small counties scattered across the state.
Faso and Wojtaszek both declined to comment on their future plans, but Faso expressed his interest in the job to a group of major Erie elected officials and Republican leaders on a trip to Western New York in late May, according to party officials. Erie, as home to a large number of Republicans, will likely be a lynchpin in the leadership battle.
He has also reached out to associates of Rudy Giuliani about possibly gaining the former mayor’s support for his bid to become chairman, according to a person close to Giuliani.
Republicans say Faso’s courtship of Giuliani, who most expect would not get involved in the leadership fight, shows how serious the former GOP gubernatorial nominee is about securing the job. Faso has also built relationships with a number of major Manhattan-based Giuliani confidants and backers through the political action committee he co-chairs with Cox, New Yorkers for Growth.
Wojtaszek has also begun courting county chairs in Western New York, his base of support, and implied to some that he has the tacit support of Mondello. Wojtaszek was the only candidate to meet with Mondello on a regular basis, even when the field contained close to a dozen contenders. In those conversations, according to a person familiar with them, Mondello expressed his support for Wojtaszek but declined to say whether or not he would run for re-election.
“Joe sort of sees him as his successor but, at the same time, Joe didn’t say he was leaving,” said one Republican familiar with the conversations. “I think Henry walked away with the concept of, ‘Okay, I can start kind of quietly campaigning for this.’”
The vying between Faso and Wojtaszek is already being interpreted by many as a referendum on Mondello’s leadership and a barometer for the direction of the party in the years to come.
Faso is viewed by many as a party elder whose commitment to core Republican principles is unshakeable. He has maintained close relationships with county chairs and elected officials throughout the Hudson Valley and Capitol region from his days as Assembly minority leader. Operatives and lower-level aides often reach out to him for guidance, fundraising help or advice.
Wojtaszek, meanwhile, is seen as the torch-bearer for a younger generation of Republican leaders. He has led an internal effort to modernize the party and incorporate the use of digital technology into its daily operations. And he has been courting Mondello for years, who in turn designated him “upstate coordinator” last year in a move many interpreted as a sign of support.
That may be Wojtaszek’s foremost advantage. Despite the enmity many rank-and-file Republicans feel toward Mondello, the chairs of the largest and most influential counties—such as Vincent Reda of Rockland, Jasper Nolan of Saratoga and Harry Withers of Suffolk—are likely to defer to Mondello if he decides to designate a successor.
“Mondello still has, like, four or five county chairs that he’s known for a long time that are loyal to him,” said one Republican who knows both men. “If he’s got 40 percent of the vote going into this thing, he’s not giving it to John Faso.”
Faso’s relationship with Mondello has been strained for some time, but the animosity reached its peak this year, when Faso became the first major Republican leader to call for Mondello’s ouster. That may just be enough to push Mondello toward another term, or throw all of his support behind a challenger to Faso, such as Wojtaszek.
Wojtaszek also has the advantage of being a county chair himself, one who is likeable and palatable even to the fiercest Mondello critics. County chairs generally prefer to promote from within rather than go beyond their ranks for a leader, unless a major Republican officeholder, such as a governor or senator, installs someone.
“To have the ability to talk the jargon when you’re interviewing, when you talk to other county chairs, you can relate to them, you know what you’ve been through,” said William Farber, the Hamilton GOP chair. “In my mind, that’s certainly going to give you some advantages.”
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Illustration by Ron Bucalo
The field of potential Mondello successors once included at least a dozen names, but has by many accounts now narrowed to two: Niagara Chair Henry Wojtaszek and former GOP gubernatorial candidate John Faso.
In part, this has to do with other top contenders beginning to eye races for other offices instead: Andrew Eristoff, a former New York City Council member and state tax commissioner, is now considering running for comptroller, and Ed Cox, the former chair of John McCain’s presidential campaign in New York, is weighing a run for governor or Senate.
That winnowing has allowed Faso and Wojtaszek to begin preliminary conversations with the key players in the September leadership vote and gauge support among the party’s 62 county chairs.
Elections for party chair are weighted based on each county’s number of votes on the GOP line in the 2006 gubernatorial election, forcing the candidates to campaign in dozens of small counties scattered across the state.
Faso and Wojtaszek both declined to comment on their future plans, but Faso expressed his interest in the job to a group of major Erie elected officials and Republican leaders on a trip to Western New York in late May, according to party officials. Erie, as home to a large number of Republicans, will likely be a lynchpin in the leadership battle.
He has also reached out to associates of Rudy Giuliani about possibly gaining the former mayor’s support for his bid to become chairman, according to a person close to Giuliani.
Republicans say Faso’s courtship of Giuliani, who most expect would not get involved in the leadership fight, shows how serious the former GOP gubernatorial nominee is about securing the job. Faso has also built relationships with a number of major Manhattan-based Giuliani confidants and backers through the political action committee he co-chairs with Cox, New Yorkers for Growth.
Wojtaszek has also begun courting county chairs in Western New York, his base of support, and implied to some that he has the tacit support of Mondello. Wojtaszek was the only candidate to meet with Mondello on a regular basis, even when the field contained close to a dozen contenders. In those conversations, according to a person familiar with them, Mondello expressed his support for Wojtaszek but declined to say whether or not he would run for re-election.
“Joe sort of sees him as his successor but, at the same time, Joe didn’t say he was leaving,” said one Republican familiar with the conversations. “I think Henry walked away with the concept of, ‘Okay, I can start kind of quietly campaigning for this.’”
The vying between Faso and Wojtaszek is already being interpreted by many as a referendum on Mondello’s leadership and a barometer for the direction of the party in the years to come.
Faso is viewed by many as a party elder whose commitment to core Republican principles is unshakeable. He has maintained close relationships with county chairs and elected officials throughout the Hudson Valley and Capitol region from his days as Assembly minority leader. Operatives and lower-level aides often reach out to him for guidance, fundraising help or advice.
Wojtaszek, meanwhile, is seen as the torch-bearer for a younger generation of Republican leaders. He has led an internal effort to modernize the party and incorporate the use of digital technology into its daily operations. And he has been courting Mondello for years, who in turn designated him “upstate coordinator” last year in a move many interpreted as a sign of support.
That may be Wojtaszek’s foremost advantage. Despite the enmity many rank-and-file Republicans feel toward Mondello, the chairs of the largest and most influential counties—such as Vincent Reda of Rockland, Jasper Nolan of Saratoga and Harry Withers of Suffolk—are likely to defer to Mondello if he decides to designate a successor.
“Mondello still has, like, four or five county chairs that he’s known for a long time that are loyal to him,” said one Republican who knows both men. “If he’s got 40 percent of the vote going into this thing, he’s not giving it to John Faso.”
Faso’s relationship with Mondello has been strained for some time, but the animosity reached its peak this year, when Faso became the first major Republican leader to call for Mondello’s ouster. That may just be enough to push Mondello toward another term, or throw all of his support behind a challenger to Faso, such as Wojtaszek.
Wojtaszek also has the advantage of being a county chair himself, one who is likeable and palatable even to the fiercest Mondello critics. County chairs generally prefer to promote from within rather than go beyond their ranks for a leader, unless a major Republican officeholder, such as a governor or senator, installs someone.
“To have the ability to talk the jargon when you’re interviewing, when you talk to other county chairs, you can relate to them, you know what you’ve been through,” said William Farber, the Hamilton GOP chair. “In my mind, that’s certainly going to give you some advantages.”
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Illustration by Ron Bucalo
