GOP Rep. John Katko, who voted to question Trump, being recruited to run for NY governor
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The lawmaker, Rep. John Katko, has not dominated out working, stated these folks, who declined to be named as a result of personal nature of the conversations.
The event comes as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, is underneath hearth for a number of scandals. A number of girls have accused him of sexual harassment, which he denies, whereas his administration is underneath investigation for its dealing with of Covid-19 loss of life knowledge. Cuomo has refused calls to resign and has been on observe to run for a fourth time period.
Katko, who has referred to as for Cuomo’s resignation, is a distinguished member of the Home Republican caucus. He’s the rating member of the Home Committee on Homeland Safety, probably placing him in line to be chairman if the GOP Republicans retake the Home throughout 2022’s midterm elections.
However Katko may face hindrances working for Congress once more: There’s the potential for backlash inside his personal social gathering for his impeachment vote, and he represents a swing district. Katko’s marketing campaign raised over $400,000 within the first quarter, and has over $580,000 readily available going into April, based on new Federal Election Fee information.
The race in his district, New York’s twenty fourth, is pegged as a toss up subsequent yr, based on the analysts at Cook dinner Political Report. The district, which incorporates Syracuse, is one in every of at the very least 17 Home Republican races deemed aggressive. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, received Katko’s district over former President Donald Trump by near 9 factors.
Republicans made positive aspects within the Home throughout final yr’s election and are solely a handful of seats away from changing into the bulk.
Press representatives for each Katko’s congressional workplace and 2022 reelection marketing campaign didn’t return repeated requests for remark.
The recruitment push for Katko exhibits that members of the GOP are searching for a extra reasonable contender for the best workplace in a historically Democratic state. Fellow New York GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin has already declared his candidacy for governor. Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, has stated he would possibly run on the Republican ticket.
Zeldin, Giuliani and others are set to talk at Monday’s New York Republican assembly in Albany for statewide contenders, based on an individual briefed on the matter. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who has publicly not dominated out working for governor in 2022, can also be on the audio system checklist. Katko just isn’t anticipated to attend, this particular person added.
Katko is the chair of the reasonable Republican Governance Group. His voting document signifies he is not essentially a hardliner, both. Whereas Katko has pushed again on sure items of the Inexpensive Care Act, he voted no on repealing it in its entirety in 2015. Katko later voted in opposition to the Inexpensive Well being Care Act, the Republican’s substitute for the ACA that handed the Home however didn’t get via the Senate.
Cuomo, in the meantime, has stated he desires to run for a fourth time period regardless of being underneath scrutiny.
Polling is combined for Cuomo. A Morning Seek the advice of ballot from March exhibits that 53% of New York voters approve of Cuomo. But a Quinnipiac ballot taken final month says that over 60% of the registered New York voters surveyed would favor for Cuomo to not run once more in 2022.
