Staten Island is the most Mafia-friendly place in America. And the other portion of NY-11, south Brooklyn-- just happens to be the most Russian Mafia-friendly place in America. Put them together and you have a new poll the DCCC just released showing that Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm, a Mafioso himself, is way ahead of incumbent Republican Dan Donovan in the Republican primary. "Things," wrote New York Daily News reporter Jillian Jorgensen over the weekend, "are looking Grimm for Rep. Daniel Donovan. Ex-congressman-- and ex-con-- Michael Grimm leads Donovan by 10 percentage points in the Republican primary in the district that covers Staten Island and part of southern Brooklyn, says a new poll." The Mafia wants Grimm back in Congress to protect their interests.That makes the DCCC very happy. They feel their handpicked-- screw the primary-- Blue Dog candidate, Max Rose, will have a much easier time beating the ex-con than the incumbent.
Grimm is at 49% and Donovan at 39% among GOP voters, according to a poll by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which hopes to flip the seat.Grimm’s ex-GOP constituents on Staten Island are especially willing to overlook his criminal record-- they favor him over Donovan by 11 points, the Democrats’ poll says.The poll is “consistent with our own internal analysis,” Grimm said.Donovan’s camp ripped the results. “Of course the DCCC is desperate for Michael Grimm because they know he has zero shot of winning in November,” said campaign spokeswoman Jessica Proud.Grimm, an ex-FBI agent, cruised to reelection in 2014 even as he faced a 20-count federal indictment for mail, wire and health care fraud, among other charges.He ended up serving seven months on tax fraud charges related to his operation of a Manhattan health food restaurant.
The Feds let him off easy in return for him not spilling the beans on FBI wrong-doing. Now Grimm, who's mainstream conservtaive voting record, is basically identical with Donovan's mainstream conservative voting record. Both are tacking right and trying to identify with Trump, although Grimm is doing better with attaching himself to Trump core voters. Trump beat Hillary in only one NYC congressional district-- NY-11. He beat Hillary 53.6% to 43.8%. Grimm wants those voters and sought, and received an endorsement from Steve Bannon. Donovan is stuck with an endorsement from unpopular lame duck Paul Ryan. Jorgensen reported that Grimm "rips Donovan as not enough of a conservative or friend to President Trump."
Republican voters like his message, the Democrats’ poll shows. A whopping 67% of voters approve of Grimm’s job performance as congressman, and just 18% disapprove, the poll found.That’s better than Donovan, of whom 47% of Republican voters approve and 27% disapprove.The DCCC is pushing candidate Max Rose, who like Grimm is a combat veteran.Despite Grimm’s popularity with GOP voters, Democrats would rather run against him and his felony record in the November election.The poll surveyed 404 likely 2018 Republican primary voters from April 9 to April 11. The margin of error is 4.9%.
Remember when the Democratic Establishment really, really, really wanted Hillary to run against Trump rather than Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio? How that worked out for them? And us?
