Candidate for governor Rob Astorino delivers his campaign pitch to Republicans in Howard Beach. Photos by Phil Corso
If he wants to win the state, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said voters in Howard Beach needed to rally behind his run for governor.
The Republican candidate paid a visit to Lenny’s Clam Bar on Cross Bay Boulevard Monday night in the company of other party leaders, including former mayoral candidate Joe Lhota and City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) to pitch his agenda to likeminded voters.
“We need your help,” Astorino said to the Ronald Reagan Republican Club inside of Lenny’s. “We need you to be knocking on doors and spreading our message.”
Astorino pushed some of his biggest campaign platforms while bashing the policies of Democratic Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, often times referring to him as a quintessential running mate to Mayor Bill de Blasio with reckless agendas. His campaign doled out literature as to why he sought the governor’s seat, while others were seen flashing special Lhota bumper stickers that read, “Don’t blame me – I voted for Joe Lhota.”
In his pitch, Astorino argued that Cuomo’s policies helped drive the state into 50th place in areas like taxes, business climate, corruption, electricity costs and population loss. He cited success stories from his time serving Westchester County over the past several years – a post he had won in a largely Democratic voter climate.
“The timing was right in 2009 in Westchester because people knew we were going in the wrong direction,” Astorino said. “I’ll take my chances in this race.”
Joe Iaboni, president of the Ronald Reagan club, said he did not believe the naysayers who might argue that Democrats have a stronghold over the state electorate because of Astorino’s record and composure.
“He has a good chance to win as long as people come out and vote,” he said. “Nobody thought Ronald Reagan could win and he turned out to be one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history.”
City Councilman Eric Ulrich throws his support behind Astorino in his run for governor. Photos by Phil Corso
Ulrich threw his support behind Astorino’s run for governor with strong language, calling the present a crucial time not only for the club or for Queens Republicans, but also for the entire party in general. He spoke back to the late ‘90s, when Governor George Pataki was the last Republican to hold the title of governor in New York.
“The governor wants to wipe Republicans off the map,” Ulrich said. “It’s more important now than ever before that we elect a Republican governor again.”
Ulrich spoke of key issues he felt Cuomo had failed on, including delivering hurricane relief in the wake of Superstorm Sandy and battling corruption in the state Legislature. He bashed the city and state governments for failing to show bipartisanship, which he said translated into out-of-control taxes and policies.
“The Democrats are going to tax us into oblivion,” Ulrich warned. “We have a candidate for governor now that is so fundamentally different from the one there now. Cuomo is all fluff and no substance.”
Astorino launched his bid for governor March 5 and promised things like charter school support, the end of the Common Core education policy implemented under Cuomo and lower spending and taxes throughout the state.
By Phil Corso
