Embattled Rep. Michael Grimm hangs onto slim lead in poll
Even as he scrambles to defend himself against an indictment on criminal 20 charges, embattled Rep. Michael Grimm is leading by a razor-thin margin in his fight to hang on as New York City's lone Republican congressman, according to new poll numbers.
The Siena College/NY1/Capital New York survey results released Tuesday show Grimm edging his Democratic challenger Domenic Recchia 44 to 40. Even so, 49 percent of voters in the Staten Island district say they view Grimm unfavorably, compared to just 23 percent who say the same about Recchia, a former New York City Councilman.
Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg says more than half of voters are less keen on backing Grimm since learning about his charges, which include tax fraud and employing undocumented immigrants. But Recchia has an Achilles' heel of his own: a Brooklyn address.
"One-quarter of Staten Island voters - 20 percent of all voters - say Recchia's Brooklyn residence makes them less likely to support him," Greenberg noted, despite that the constituency includes a section of South Brooklyn.
Grimm, whose campaign coffers have all but desiccated, did see a silver lining earlier this month when it was announced that he would not face trial until after the November midterm. He's pleaded not guilty to all charges, which center on the management of a Manhattan health food restaurant he owned before entering Congress.
His attorney William McGinley has dismissed the charges as nothing more than "a politically driven vendetta" against Grimm.
Still, Grimm's ride to reelection loomed tumultuous even ahead of the indictment. In January, he was caught on tape threatening to throw a reporter off a balcony for inquiring about campaign finance allegations. And over the summer, Democratic powerhouse organizations trying to unseat the vulnerable incumbent funneled millions into TV ad buys to run through the fall.
But Recchia for months has contended that Grimm's political obituary isn't a foregone conclusion: "This race is not over, alright?" he said back in June. "[Grimm] is still on the ballot, and we have a race to run."
