Republican mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis, is not wasting time to appeal to the general public, in a bid to boost his name recognition and business credentials as an investment 8 months ahead of the general elections.
I am told that Catsimatidis has hired a Jewish liaison, who's name will be announced in the near future. As part of the planned Jewish outreach, Mr. Catsimatidis has bought ad space in every Jewish publication, Orthodox, Yiddish and English newspapers, wishing Jewish New Yorkers a Happy Purim, which is celebrated on the 14th of Adar next Sunday.
While Joe Lhota, who is believed to be the favorite hopeful in the Republican primary, is investing time among Republican donors and voters, Mr. Catsimatidis is looking ahead to the general election. Acknowledging his scooffed up campaign chest and the extra time given, the Catsimatidis campaign's belief is, that while the Democratic candidates are busy fighting over the hearts of the labor unions and hardcore Democratic voters, and while the Republican candidates struggle to gain traction, fundraise and appeal to the GOP base who are likely to go out and vote, Mr. Catsimatidis is able to invest and time, energy and money to reach out to certain communities who feel neglected in the primary process.
While Joe Lhota, who is believed to be the favorite hopeful in the Republican primary, is investing time among Republican donors and voters, Mr. Catsimatidis is looking ahead to the general election. Acknowledging his scooffed up campaign chest and the extra time given, the Catsimatidis campaign's belief is, that while the Democratic candidates are busy fighting over the hearts of the labor unions and hardcore Democratic voters, and while the Republican candidates struggle to gain traction, fundraise and appeal to the GOP base who are likely to go out and vote, Mr. Catsimatidis is able to invest and time, energy and money to reach out to certain communities who feel neglected in the primary process.
According to some operatives involved in the campaign, if Mr. Catsimatidis manages to make inroads among Democratic Jewish voters while he's not obligated to do so, the effort will pay off once the primary season gears up, and he emerges as the Republican nominee for mayor. Mr. Catsimatidis hopes that by then he will already be sold as a viable candidate with an appeal to key voting blocs who are willing to give another republican a chance, especially after a bruising Democratic primary. After all, over 80 percent of Orthodox/Hasidic voters in NYC voted for Mitt Romney in the past presidential election.
Mr. Catsimatidis, at a press conference in Queens two weeks ago, told Azi Paybarah from Capital New York (and TwitterWorld) that he is planning to appoint liaisons to every ethnic group in the city who will report to him directly. Looks like Mr. Catsimatidis is not wasting time executing his promises.
It's important to note that in the Orthodox community newspaper ads are the most significant and effective outreach, and after 12 years of Bloomberg, the idea that a Republican candidate, who's not Jewish, is granting such a substantial amount of attention to the growing community, will have a great impact, a Democratic observer told me.
Attached is the 'Happy Purim' ad by John Catsimatidis that will feature in every publication over the weekend, from Hebrew, Yiddish, English and Yinglish.
