Grimm vs. Donovan race sets up political Civil War

October 2, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Michael Grimm greets a voter following a debate at Holy Angels Academy in Bay Ridge in 2014. Eagle file photo by Paula Katinas

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Former Congressmember Michael Grimm’s announcement on Sunday that he is mounting a political comeback to try and regain his House seat in 2018 represented the first shot fired in a Civil War in local Republican Party politics and set up the intriguing specter of a convicted felon running against an ex-district attorney.

At a rally on Staten Island on Oct. 1, Grimm announced that he will run to take back the seat he once held representing the 11th Congressional District (Bay Ridge-Southwest Brooklyn-Staten Island).

The seat is currently held by Republican Dan Donovan, the former Staten Island district attorney.

Grimm served in Congress from 2010 until 2015, when he abruptly resigned after pleading guilty to a federal charge of tax fraud, a charge that landed him in a federal prison for seven months. The criminal charge stemmed from underreporting wages at a health restaurant he owned and for filing false tax documents. He was released from jail earlier this year.

Donovan won the congressional seat in a special election held in May 2015, a few months after Grimm resigned. Donovan easily won re-election in November 2016.

Grimm did refer to his legal troubles in his speech on Sunday, according to several media reports.

“I have matured. I’m tempered. I’m wiser. But I’m still the same guy you know yearning to serve you every chance I get,” The Hill quoted Grimm as saying. “I’ve had a lot of time to reflect and for introspection. I’m truly sorry if I let any of you down. I feel like I let your voice be abruptly taken away from you when I resigned. From the very bottom of my heart, I am sorry and I do love you.”

Grimm, a former FBI agent, is also a military veteran, having served in the U.S. Marines during the first Gulf War in the 1990s.

Donovan isn’t worried about Grimm, according to Jessica Proud, his campaign spokeswoman.

“We’re not really concerned about a challenge from a felon who was one of the most liberal members of congress,” Proud said.

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.

Donovan announced that he will be hosting a series of “Coffee with Your Congressman” events to give constituents the chance to have candid conversations with him.

There are two coffees scheduled for the Brooklyn end of the district. One will be held on Nov. 12 in Gravesend with a location to be announced, and another on Nov. 18 at the Dyker Heights Library, 8202 13th Ave. from 2 to 4 p.m.

“There is nothing more important to me than hearing directly from the people of Staten Island and South Brooklyn about issues impacting individuals, families and businesses in our community. This coffee tour is a great opportunity for me to answer your questions, listen to your ideas, and hear directly about issues that matter to you,” Donovan said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the thought of an all-out Republican war between Grimm’s allies and forces close to Donovan has Democrats salivating over the possibility of taking back the congressional seat.

The last Democrat to hold the seat was Michael McMahon, the current Staten Island district attorney.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is taking a close look at the race.

“The fact that convicted felon Michael Grimm has a credible chance to beat Representative Donovan demonstrates the serious harm that this do-nothing Congress is inflicting on vulnerable Republican incumbents. Voters of all political persuasions are disgusted with Donovan’s failure to get anything done in Washington,” DCCC spokesman Evan Lukaske said in a statement.

To date, five Democrats have announced their intentions to run for the seat.