Andrew Cuomo
DeFrancisco versus Molinaro: Who is winning the endorsement race?
The all-important county officials are lining up behind both GOP gubernatorial candidates.
Marc Molinaro has been publicly mulling a gubernatorial bid for so long that he could challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s father for the most indecisive New York politician in memory – except that it looks like he’s actually going to pull the trigger and run for higher office. After racking up endorsements from GOP leaders for weeks, the Dutchess County executive finally confirmed that he was running on Wednesday, and he will publicly launch his campaign on April 2.
It’s just as well that Molinaro isn’t officially starting the race on April 1, as observers might have good cause to believe it was an April Fool’s Day prank. Molinaro has already changed his mind once on seeking the Republican nomination. He previously declined to run for governor in January. A “Draft Molinaro” campaign, launched by former colleagues in the Assembly, gained momentum in February and culminated in a victory in a straw poll of Republican county leaders in a state committee meeting.
State Senate Deputy Majority Leader John DeFrancisco may wish Molinaro’s upcoming campaign is just a practical joke. DeFrancisco announced that he was running for governor in January, and has insisted that he will remain in the race through the state GOP convention in May, even as his initial frontrunner status has slipped while county leaders and prominent Republicans flocked to Molinaro. DeFrancisco, an irascible veteran lawmaker known for his straight-talking manner and contentious relationship with the governor, may find a significant challenge from the 42-year-old Molinaro, who has earned support in some critical downstate counties. Joseph Holland, a former aide to Gov. George Pataki, is also running, although he does not have any endorsements from county leaders.
Although Molinaro may have the backing of more county leaders, whose votes have a high weighted percentage at the state convention, DeFrancisco still boasts the endorsements of several upstate county chairs. Here is the rundown of notable endorsements in the Republican gubernatorial primary so far:
Marc Molinaro
Republican county chairs:
Dutchess – Michael McCormack
Essex – Shaun Gillilland
Monroe – Bill Reilich
Rockland – Lawrence A. Garvey
Schoharie – Chris Tague
Chemung – Rodney Strange (Strange had previously endorsed DeFrancisco, but switched to Molinaro.)
Steuben – Joe Sempolinski
Wayne – Bob Oaks
Fulton – Susan McNeil
Ontario – Trisha Turner
Orleans – Edward Morgan
Greene – Brent Bogardus
Columbia – Greg Fingar
Saratoga – Carl Zeilman
Hamilton – Bill Murphy
Livingston – Lowell Conrad
Ulster – Roger Rascoe
Seneca – Tom Fox
Washington – Dan Boucher
Schuyler – Lester W. Cady
Yates – Sandra J. King
Allegany – Dwight "Mike" Healy
Putnam – Anthony G. Scannapieco Jr.
Sullivan – Richard Coombe
Franklin – Ray Scollin
Clinton – Clark Currier
Orange – Courtney Greene
Suffolk – John Jay LaValle
Erie – Nick Langworthy
New York – Andrea Catsimatidis
Otsego – Joe Marmorato
Chautauqua – Dave Wilfong
Public officials:
Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb (Kolb previously sought the Republican gubernatorial nomination, but dropped out of the race in January.)
Assemblyman Dean Murray (Murray launched the “Draft Molinaro” social media campaign.)
New York City Councilman Joe Borelli
John DeFrancisco
Republican county chairs:
Genesee – Richard Siebert
St. Lawrence – Tom Jenison
Onandaga – Tom Dadey
Albany – Christine Benedict
Lewis – Michael Young
Niagara – Scott Kiedrowski
Broome – Bijoy Data
Chenango – Thomas Morrone
Delaware – Maria Kelso
Jefferson – Don Coon
Madison – Todd A. Rouse
Montgomery – Rosemary Smith
Oneida – Peter Sobel
Tioga – Donald Castellucci Jr.
Cattaraugus – Robert Keis
Oswego – Fred Beardsley
Cayuga – Cherl Heary
Public officials:
State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan
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