The Fighting 29th

All about New York's 29th Congressional District

Today's Corning Leader front page [pdf] (and jump [pdf]) has a story about the NRCC soliciting donations for Corning Mayor Tom Reed. Reed has not formally announced but it sounds like he's in.

Eric Massa will have a press conference tomorrow to announce the new Massa broadband bill. I might not be able to attend, but the ever-capable Stop the Cap founder Phillip Dampier will be one of the speakers at the conference, and I'm sure he'll have some coverage.

I took a look through Tom Reed's YouTube channel and his campaign website to get an idea of what kind of challenge he'd provide Eric Massa if he decides to run.

Reed seems like a reasonable, affable guy, and he's probably well-liked in Corning. Though he was running against a fairly divisive blowhard, Frank Coccho, Reed wisely chose to show, not tell, to get the point across that he'd be a better Mayor. The statements I could find were generally positive and forward-looking.

Even though he makes a good impression, Reed is neither photogenic nor charismatic. Massa isn't either, and political contests aren't beauty pageants. But Reed is going to have to catch the attention of 29th district voters who don't know him, and he'll have to do it through TV and other media.

A fair amount of Reed's appeal in Corning was that he has deep roots in the community. Amo Houghton's endorsement [video], for example, made this point. (That video, by the way, is worth watching just to see Amo in action.) Reed's family history will probably attract some Corning votes, but Steuben County is already a lock for any Republican. His roots won't take him far in the Rochester suburbs.

What's most important about Reed is what he isn't and what he might be. He clearly isn't a hack Assembly or Senate member who's been marinating in the Albany sewer so long that he will bobble a campaign before it gets started. Jim Tedisco, who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in NY-20, is a good example of that kind of politician.

Reed might be willing to buck the rump of the Republican party, which is currently running purity tests and expelling anyone with even a hint of centrism. If he's going to win, Reed needs to be able to throw away the John Boehner gameplan, which only works in Red states, and explain to voters how he'll be more like Amo and less like Rush. Since Reed has made no statements on any Federal or State issue, his positions on the topics that will shape the 2010 campaign are unknown.

The New York Republican Party needs more young, reasonable politicians. Reed might be one of them, and though he faces an uphill climb in NY-29, he might be the Republican's best shot in 2010.

Eric Massa has a post at Rochesterturning about a Cancer Summit that he'll be co-hosting along with Camp Good Days on June 22 in Branchport.

This morning's Corning Leader carries the news that Mayor Tom Reed will not seek re-election. Reed's statement said that he is "exploring an opportunity for public service that many have been encouraging me to pursue." Reed will make his decision on a run by July 1.