Wendy Long Staffing Up, Nearing Senate Bid Announcement

Written by Andrew J. Hawkins on . Posted in Blog
Time posted: February 21, 2012 3:59 PM-

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Wendy Long, a conservative attorney and former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, will announce this week whether she intends to challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, two sources close to her say.

Long has already met with New York State Republican chairman Ed Cox and Conservative Party chairman Mike Long (no relation), and is said to be working the phones calling county party chairs and potential donors in an effort to boost her bid.

Mike Long said that he believed that Wendy was getting very close to making an announcement.

“I believe she may announce this week,” Mike Long said. “She did very well in our interview up in Albany. I know she’s on the phone calling Republican chairmen. I know she’s on the phone calling conservative chairmen around the state. The window is very short. But I know she’s starting to move forward.”

Mike Long said that Wendy has told him she has no interest in running unless she can raise enough money to challenge Gillibrand. To that end, she has been calling friends and potential donors in the legal world who she thinks could help fund her campaign.

Gillibrand has had several potential opponents fall by the wayside, most notably internet businessman Marc Cenedella, who decided not to run after several news stories revealed his unsavory blogging history. So far, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos is the only declared candidate running against her.

Wendy Long is largely unknown in city and state politics. She’s a social conservative who was chief counsel to the Judicial Confirmation Network, a Republican-linked group that describes itself as “an organization of citizens joined together to support the confirmation of highly qualified individuals” to the U.S. courts.

While at the JCN, she sent several letters to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and wrote many articles opposing the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Her Wikipedia page lists her as a legal adviser to Mitt Romney’s campaign.

She has been slowly increasing her public appearances, speaking at a state Conservative Party dinner last month and scheduling another talk in Brooklyn in March.

She is also said to have hired a campaign manager: Dick Wadhams, a veteran Colorado GOP operative who ran Senate campaigns for John Thune and George Allen. Wadham’s has a reputation for being a “pitbull” of an operative in the vein of Karl Rove. His involvement in the race to unseat Gillibrand could make this campaign interesting.

Neither Wendy Long nor Wadham returned requests for comment.

Gillibrand herself is sitting on a huge pile of money – around $8.1 million – but is struggling to boost her name recognition. After scoring an above 50 percent approval rating for months, her ratings slipped recently to 47 percent.

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Comments (16)

    • Patti Haynes

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      Wendy, a lot of us are watching and we would notice immediately if anyone tried to reverse Roe v Wade. Have NO doubt about that fact. People aren’t as stupid and beguiled and as hypnotized by the Conservative rhetoric as you would like to believe. The more tricks you guys try, the more aware we become.

      Reply

  • devtob

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    If Mike Long succeeds in getting this right-wing extremist a statewide GOP nomination, it may be “interesting” in the way Carl Paladino was in 2010.

    But it won’t be close.

    Reply

  • VJ Machiavelli

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    Looks like a GOP Primary and they will need it since neither George or Wendy have ever run statewide.

    George has an edge since he has run and won in Nassau county

    Before there was the “Oracle of Delphi” there was Count Vampire J. Machiavelli

    VJ Machiavelli
    Power to the People who “VOTE”

    Reply

  • Morning Buzz, Feb. 22 - NYTimes.com

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    [...] Finest. [New York Post]Wendy Long, a conservative lawyer and former clerk for Clarence Thomas, gears up to challenge Senator Kirstin E. Gillibrand. [City & State]A woman asserts her right to wait for the Staten Island Ferry while drunk. [New [...]

    Reply

  • | City Room: Morning Buzz, Feb. 22

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    [...] Long, a conservative lawyer and former clerk for Clarence Thomas, gears up to challenge Senator Kirstin E. Gillibrand. [City [...]

    Reply

  • City Room: Morning Buzz, Feb. 22

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    [...] Long, a conservative lawyer and former clerk for Clarence Thomas, gears up to challenge Senator Kirstin E. Gillibrand. [City [...]

    Reply

  • @nyc

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    Long will win the Republican primary easily, and has enough money for the expensive campaign up ahead. Mrs. Long, you have my vote.

    Reply

  • Turner to Challenge Gillibrand for Senate | US Senators

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    [...] Republicans include Joe Carvin, the Republican supervisor in the Westchester County town of Rye; Wendy Long, a Manhattan lawyer who was legal counsel to the Judicial Confirmation Network, a conservative [...]

    Reply

  • The New York Resource | The New York Resource

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    [...] other Republicans are Joe Carvin, the Republican supervisor in the Westchester County town of Rye; Wendy Long, a Manhattan lawyer who was legal counsel to the Judicial Confirmation Network, a conservative [...]

    Reply

  • Turner to Seek Gillibrand’s Senate Seat | US Senators

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    [...] other Republicans are Joe Carvin, the Republican supervisor in the Westchester County town of Rye; Wendy Long, a Manhattan lawyer who was legal counsel to the Judicial Confirmation Network, a conservative [...]

    Reply

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