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Tag: new york governor
Republican Who Mulled Run Against Cuomo Retires After Sexual Harassment Charge

Republican Who Mulled Run Against Cuomo Retires After Sexual Harassment Charge

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos

Republican Rep. Tom Reed said yesterday that he would not run for re-election or for any other office in New York in 2022, an announcement that came two days after the Washington Post published a story where a former lobbyist named Nicolette Davis accused Reed of sexually harassing her at a Minneapolis restaurant in 2017.

Davis, who was a 25-year-old insurance company lobbyist at the time, recounted that she had briefly met Reed earlier on the day in question during a networking trip. Davis says she went to a restaurant with several of her colleagues later that evening that Reed also happened to be at, and she wound up sitting next to him at a table.

In the words of reporter Beth Reinhard, Davis says that the congressman put his "hand outside her blouse, briefly fumbled with her bra before unhooking it by pinching the clasp," which left her "stunned" and afraid to speak. Reinhard continued, "He moved his hand to her thigh, inching upward." Reed only stopped, according to Davis, after she asked another person at the table for help, who then "pull[ed] the congressman away from the table and out of the restaurant."

Davis showed the paper a text from that night in which she told her friend and coworker, Jessica Strieter, "A drunk congressman is rubbing my back," and later added, "HELP HELP." An unnamed witness also told Reinhard that "Reed was visibly intoxicated and put his hand on Davis' back before being escorted from the restaurant while the rest of the group remained."

Strieter says that Davis told her more about the incident after the trip, adding, "She was really shaken by it." Davis' supervisor at the time, Brad Knox, also said that he remembered Davis telling him about what happened. Knox added that he asked Davis if she wanted to file a complaint with the House Ethics Committee but says that she decided not to. Davis herself says she now regrets not pursuing that option, but explained, "I was afraid I would become 'that girl' who made a mess of things for a member, and that no one would ever want to associate with me."

The Post contacted Reed, who had been mulling a bid for governor of New York, with a list of questions for the story, to which he responded, "This account of my actions is not accurate." On Sunday, though, Reed published a statement apologizing to Davis and announcing that he would not be on the ballot for anything next year.

Why Would George Pataki Run For President?

Former New York Governor George Pataki may choose to enter the race for the Republican presidential nomination in the near future, and the popular reaction to the news can be summed up in one word: why?

The 66-year-old Pataki has not held elected office in five years, and he has not played a public role in national politics since leaving Albany. He has little to no campaign infrastructure, and will be at a financial disadvantage to candidates who have spent years planning their presidential bids. Furthermore, Pataki’s record as Governor of New York — which includes an expansion of Medicaid, generous deals for municipal unions, and support for marriage equality and abortion rights — is completely out of step with the ultra-conservative rhetoric that has dominated the presidential race so far. As one GOP insider told the New York Daily News, “Among a lot of New York Republicans the general sense is that [Pataki running for President] doesn’t make sense.” There’s no question that Pataki would be the longest of longshots to capture the nomination.

Why, then, would he bother to run at all? Longshot candidates often hope to bring attention to an important issue that they feel is being overlooked, and that may be Pataki’s motivation; last month he told AOL that he wanted to be “actively involved in the race” so that he could start a meaningful debate on America’s energy policy. Pataki hopes to give states greater freedom to set their own policies on natural gas hydraulic fracturing (also known as “fracking”). It will be difficult, however, for Pataki to steer attention towards fracking and away from more explosive issues such as the war in Afghanistan, a potential repeal of the healthcare law, and the looming battle over what to do with the Bush tax cuts.

Pataki may be trying to drum up business for Chadbourne & Parke LLP, the powerful New York City law firm at which Pataki currently practices energy, environmental and corporate law. Debating America’s energy policy on the national stage promises to raise Pataki’s public profile and increase the credibility of his private law practice.

It is also possible that Pataki genuinely thinks he can win. Recent statements by Mitt Romney and Jon Hunstman reflect a growing sense that the controversial views of Tea Party favorites Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry may leave an opening for a moderate Republican to surprise everyone and steal the nomination.

In any case, the most important question surrounding Pataki’s potential candidacy might not be the one that pundits are asking — “why?” — but rather the one that voters will be asking: “who?”