Report: Grimm set to announce run for old Congress seat

September 22, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Are things looking up for Michael Grimm? The former U.S. representative is planning to announce that he intends to run for his old seat, according to a TV news report. Eagle file photo by Paula Katinas

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Former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, who left office in disgrace two years ago after pleading guilty to tax fraud, is plotting a dramatic political comeback, according to NY1.

NY1 reported that Grimm, a Republican who represented New York’s 11th Congressional District (Bay Ridge-Southwest Brooklyn-Staten Island) from 2010 until early 2015, will officially announce that he is running for his old seat at a rally on Staten Island on Oct. 1.

The rally will take place in New Dorp, NY1 reported.

Grimm, a former FBI agent, served seven months in a federal prison. He was released from prison six months ago and has been steadily raising his profile ever since, opening up a Twitter account to share his views and making several appearances on television.

The congressional seat Grimm seeks to regain is currently held by Republican Dan Donovan, the former Staten Island district attorney who ran for the seat after Grimm resigned.

Donovan defeated Bay Ridge City Councilmember Vincent Gentile, a Democrat, in a special election held in May of 2015 to fill Grimm’s seat. Grimm had resigned from Congress in January of that year.

Donovan easily won re-election in November 2016.

Once considered a rising star in the Republican Party, Grimm fell from grace when he was indicted on a tax fraud charge related to a health food restaurant he owned on Manhattan’s Upper East Side prior to running for Congress.

In order to win back his old seat, Grimm would first have to beat Donovan in a GOP primary, a tall order, according to some sources within the Republican Party.

“Dan has firmly established himself. And he’s well respected both here and in Washington,” one Republican told the Brooklyn Eagle.

Donovan, the only Republican in New York City’s congressional delegation, is a member of two key committees in the House, Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs.

But Grimm would find a great deal of support if he ran, according to another GOP source.

“People still like Mike. Yes, he went to jail. But you’d be surprised at how many people still think highly of him and the job he did in Congress,” the source told the Eagle.

Jessica Proud, Donovan’s campaign spokeswoman, said the former member of Congress isn’t a bit worried about a possible challenge from fellow Republican Grimm.

“We’re not really concerned about a challenge from a felon who was one of the most liberal members of Congress. Voters won’t be duped by him again,” Proud said.

Meanwhile, five Democrats have announced intentions to run against Donovan in 2018.