SD-59: Paladino Snubs DiPietro?

Carl Paladino has come out endorsing former Erie County Republican Chairman Jim Domagalski for the 59th State Senate District, much to the shock and dismay of Domagalski’s primary candidate, David DiPietro.

According to DiPietro, Paladino is the one who urged him to run for the position.

DiPietro, the endorsed Tea Party candidate in the race, stood outside Erie County Republican Party headquarters during the news conference. He told reporters that Paladino had shown up at his house late last night to apologize for endorsing Domagalski after lending DiPietro his support for months.

“I said, ‘Carl, tell me this isn’t true,’” DiPietro recalled.

DiPietro said Paladino told him he owed the Erie County Republican Party for endorsing his candidacy, despite the fact Paladino has contributed to DiPietro’s campaign and the two men have been friends for several years.

He added that Paladino was the one who personally convinced him to run for the Senate seat and encouraged him to stay in the race even though DiPietro offered to withdraw if it would harm Paladino’s run for governor.

At the news conference, Paladino said he strongly endorsed Domagalski to replace retiring Sen. Dale Volker in a district that stretches across parts of four counties.

“He’s an attorney; he’s a talented man,” Paladino stated. “I need a guy like that by my side.”

This was a dumb move on Paladino’s part, for a lot of reasons. Assuming DiPietro’s account is true, what does it say about Carl Paladino to urge one guy to run then endorse another? I can’t imagine that there was any pressure involved or dealmaking here. Paladino has already been endorsed by the Erie County GOP for his gubernatorial bid, they jumped on the Paladino ship rather early. So if there had been a deal or pressure, I suspect that this endorsement would have happend a while back, to get more mileage out of it. Paladino was best to make no endorsement in this race if he had split loyalties. This endorsement, based on the information we have, says more bad things about Paladino’s character than good things about Domagalski’s candidacy.

Siena Poll: Delano and Volker Lead in Senate Races

A Siena poll released today shows good news for Dennis Delano (SD-61) and Dale Volker (SD-59).

First, here’s what the poll says about the 61st Senate District race:

In a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than two-to-one, Delano holds a 49-36 percent lead over Stachowski. While Stachowski has the support of only about half of Democrats, Delano gets nearly two-thirds of Republicans and more than two-thirds of independent voters. Delano leads with men and women, with every age group and religion, and in every region of the district.

Stachowski is viewed favorably by 39 percent of voters and unfavorably by 14 percent, with 47 percent having no opinion. Delano has a 63-15 percent favorable rating, with only 23 percent having no opinion. Delano‟s favorable rating is 59 percent with Democrats – significantly higher than Stachowski‟s 44 percent – and at least 61 percent in every region of the district.

And here’s what Siena says about the 59th Senate District race:

Volker has a significant 17-point, 50-33 percent, lead over Konst. Volker has the support of two-thirds of Republicans, leading 67-25 percent, while Konst only wins among Democrats 51-33 percent. Volker leads 43-28 percent among independent voters. Volker has an eight-point lead in the Erie County portion of the district and a commanding 29-point lead in the Livingston/Ontario/Wyoming Counties portion of the district.

Volker is viewed favorably by 49 percent of voters and unfavorably by 32 percent. Democrats are nearly evenly divided on Volker. Konst has a 26-16 percent favorable rating, with 58 percent of voters having no opinion.

Voters support keeping Republicans in control of the Senate by a 49-35 percent margin, with independent voters voicing two-to-one support for Republican control. McCain has a 54-36 percent lead over Obama.

The Delano/Stachowski poll shocks many, as the Buffalo News notes “Stachowski had originally been viewed as a “sure thing” for the Democrats in their effort to tip the balance.” Konst, as we know hasn’t had a very easy couple weeks, with her failure to file to disclosure forms on time, and the revelation she voted twice back in 1996. A website called IVotedTwice.com has emerged featuring various documents and stories supporting the allegations made against her.

SD-59: Even More Trouble For Kathy Konst

Kathy Konst has already been having problems in the past week… but it seems like she’s her own worst enemy…

State Senate candidate Kathy Konst on Friday missed her third deadline in a row for filing financial disclosure reports with the State Board of Elections, injecting another element of controversy into an increasingly troubled campaign.

Board records indicate Democrat Konst did not file the required report that lists contributions and expenditures, while Republican opponent Sen. Dale M. Volker of Lancaster and hundreds of others around the state submitted theirs on time as required by law.

Erie County Republican Chairman James P. Domagalski, who has been leading the charge against Konst over the past several days, called it a “flagrant violation” that makes it seem as if she is “above the law.”

“What’s she hiding? Why won’t she let the citizens and taxpayers know from where she’s getting her money and what she’s spending it on?” he said. “If she is unwilling to file, she really ought to step down from this campaign.”

Konst did not return a call seeking comment.

How long before the lefty blogs of WNY blame the ECGOP for Konst’s failure to file?

SD-59: A Bad Week For Kathy Konst

Yesterday, a judge ruled that Kathy Konst cannot run on a second, minor party line this November.

Kathy Konst’s minority party candidacy in her race against State Sen. Dale M. Volker was invalidated Tuesday by State Supreme Court Justice Timothy J. Drury, who upheld Volker’s challenge to Konst’s nominating petitions.

The judge found that Konst’s Integrity Party petitions had 2,838 valid signatures, short of the required 3,000.

This isn’t going to influence the race one way or another, but I think this proves that electoral fusion is largely a distraction to political races.

A more serious problem for Konst is the revelation of evidence that she voted in Florida and in New York back in 1998.

Kathy Konst, the Democratic county legislator from Lancaster challenging incumbent Republican Dale M. Volker for the State Senate, voted on Election Day in Florida and New York in 1998, according to documents obtained by the Republican Senate Campaign Committee.

Federal prosecutors confirm that falsely reporting the place and period of residence for voting in a federal election violates federal law and constitutes a felony. But they also say the statute of limitations for any offense committed in 1998 expired five years ago.

Konst, however, vehemently denies the charges. She said she did not live in Florida in 1998 and claims the documents are “doctored.”

“It’s absolutely impossible,” she said. “I moved from there in 1992. It’s absurd. I swear on a stack of Bibles.”

While Konst may not be prosecuted, the charge is likely to become a major issue in the hotly contested election.

Officials of the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office confirmed for The Buffalo News that Konst voted at the polls in the Nov. 3, 1998, general election at polling place 407 in West Palm Beach.

Erie County records, meanwhile, also show her voting at the polls on the same day in Lancaster.

This potentially could be a big problem for her, but then again, if Sam Hoyt can win a primary despite his exposed affairs with interns I doubt that Konst committing a felony will severely hurt her standing among Democrats in the general election.

Could Konst have been the victim of fraud? Perhaps… but depending on much this is pursued, it certainly makes me concerned about the integrity of voting down in Florida — a battleground state — when a Democrat who is no longer a resident somehow manages to cast a vote. If Konst did not vote herself in both Florida and New York, then the real issue is how was a vote cast for her, and what other non-resident Democrats have managed somehow to cast illegal votes in the Sunshine State.

I think a federal investigation is in order here. Konst may be innocent, but the Democratic Party in Florida may be guilty of massive voter fraud.

SD-59: Volker Challenges Konst’s Integrity Party

This is why I don’t like electoral fusion.

State Sen. Dale M. Volker, a Depew Republican, is suing Erie County Legislator Kathy Konst, a candidate in Tuesday’s primary for the Democratic nomination to oppose him, over the creation of a minor party designed to ensure Konst a place on the ballot in November’s general election.

Volker’s campaign is challenging the signatures on petitions of Konst’s Integrity Party, which was established specifically for the 59th State Senate District race. Craig Miller, spokesman for the senator’s campaign, said organizers believe that more than 2,000 of the 5,000 signatures gathered to create the minor party are invalid.

The signers, he noted, included “George W. Bush,” whose address was given as “White House.”

“They’re making a mockery of the election laws,” Miller said.

Konst, of Lancaster, needs 3,000 valid signatures for the party to be listed on the November ballot.