The endorsement of Donald Trump was a key ingredient in the political comeback of ex-Rep. Vito Fossella in the race for Staten Island Borough President.
All absentee ballots were counted Tuesday and Fossella, who was expelled from Congress 13 years earlier by scandal, won the Republican nomination as Borough President with 290 votes out 18,000 cast.
New York GOP sources agreed that Trump’s endorsement was crucial to Fossella’s win over Steven Matteo, especially considering that Fossella only entered the race after Matteo had drawn up much of the Staten Island GOP.
Fossella stated to the New York Post that President Trump was kind enough to support him.
Fossella was a young congressman to look out for in 2008 when he was charged with drunken driving in Northern Virginia. His second family was located in Washington D.C. suburbs. This led to Fossella’s resignation from Congress.
Fossella, now 56 years old, has reconciled with Mary Pat. Fossella was also active in GOP politics, and he finally returned to the fold when the borough presidency opened this year.
The New York Conservative Party, which holds Row C on the Empire State ballot, always backed Fossella in his races for Congress. In large part because of his late entry into the borough president race, however, the Conservative endorsement went instead to self-help author and former Richmond County (Staten Island) GOP Chairman Leticia Remauro, who placed third in the Republican primary behind Fossella and Matteo.
Democrats have a strong contender in attorney-businessman Mark Murphy, son of the late Democrat Rep. (1962-80) Jack Murphy. In 2012, the young Murphy drew 46% of the vote against then-GOP Rep. Michael Grimm.
