Malliotakis drops out of race for congress

January 13, 2015 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis announced her support for Daniel Donovan for congress. Eagle file photo by Paula Katinas

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Ending speculation about her political future, Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis announced that has brought her campaign to run for the congressional seat vacated by Michael Grimm to a halt.

Malliotakis (R-C-Bay Ridge-Staten Island) issued a statement to the media on Jan. 12 announcing that she has thrown her support behind Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan, who was chosen over her by the Staten Island Republican Party to be the candidate in an upcoming special election to fill Grimm’s seat.

Grimm, who represented the 11th Congressional District (parts of southwest Brooklyn-Staten Island) for two terms, resigned Jan. 5. In late December, Grimm pleaded guilty to a charge of income tax fraud.

Last week, Staten Island Republican Chairman John Antoniello announced the party’s selection of Donovan, the district attorney in the Eric Garner case, to run for the congressional seat

Governor Andrew Cuomo will set a date for a special election. At press time, the Democratic Party candidate had not yet been chosen.

There had been rumors that after being rejected by the Republicans, Malliotakis would seek the Conservative Party line or the Independence Party line and run as a third party candidate. Monday’s announcement put an end to those rumors.

Saying that she respected Antoniello’s decision to give the nod to Donovan, Malliotakis added that she believes “it is important that we unite behind Dan Donovan’s candidacy to ensure we maintain New York City’s only Republican seat.”

Still, Malliotakis expressed disappointment at the closed-door process by which Donovan was picked, saying that “conventions including all members of the Brooklyn and Staten Island county committees would have provided an open nomination process.”

In her statement, Malliotakis thanked former governor George Pataki, who had endorsed her, as well as Brooklyn Republican Party GOP Chairman Craig Eaton and Brooklyn Conservative Party Chairman Jerry Kassar, who had also been in her corner, and constituents who had urged her to run.

“I am truly humbled and appreciative of the grassroots effort made on my behalf by those I currently represent in the State Assembly,” she stated.

Malliotakis was first elected to the assembly in 2010 and was re-elected in 2012 and 2014, both times by wide margins.