U.S. House, New York - 13th District
Staten Island; part of southwest Brooklyn
Race Forecast: Democrat Favored
2008: Robert Straniere (R) vs. Mike McMahon (D)
2006:
The convoluted soap opera surrounding the Staten Island-based district began with the explosion of Republican Rep.
Race Information
- Incumbent: Michael E. McMahon, D
- First Elected: 2008 (1st term)
- Last Elected: (%)
- Incumbent Status: Running for re-election
- Race Forecast: Democrat Favored
District Information
Politics in America District Profile
New York City’s only Republican district, the 13th includes all of Staten Island (Richmond County) and a small portion of southwestern Brooklyn across the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Nearly three-fourths of the district’s population lives on Staten Island.
A large Italian-American, predominately Catholic population on both sides of the Verrazano gives the 13th a socially conservative edge, and its large retired population and white, upper-middle-class suburban residents have sent Republicans to the House since 1982. The 13th gave George W. Bush 55 percent of its 2004 presidential vote, making it the only New York City district Bush carried.
One of the district’s largest employers is Staten Island University Hospital, and retail and construction jobs also provide work for residents. Once New York City’s primary landfill, the now-closed Fresh Kills landfill temporarily reopened following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to receive and process most of the debris. Staten Island lost more than 250 residents in the attacks, and a memorial to the local victims is on the north waterfront near the Staten Island Ferry terminal, where the ferry departs to bring Island residents into lower Manhattan.
The least diverse borough, Staten Island is the only one in which whites make up a majority of the residents (71 percent). Hispanic and black populations live mostly in the borough’s northeast. There is an Asian presence in some of the borough’s north-central neighborhoods, and the 13th has the second-most residents of Arab descent in the nation.
The Brooklyn portion of the district extends from the Verrazano into Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and part of Bensonhurst, before buttonhooking south of Cropsey Avenue and moving east to Ocean Parkway, taking in the Gravesend neighborhood.
Major Industry
Health care, retail, communications, construction
Military Bases
Fort Hamilton (Army), 970 military, 925 civilian (2007)
Cities
New York (pt.), 654,631
Notable
The 1977 disco movie “Saturday Night Fever” was set in Bay Ridge.
- Demographics (2000 census)
- Population: 654,361
- Under 18: 23.7%
- Over 65: 13.3%
- Married: 54.1%
- Non-Hispanic White: 71%
- Black: 6%
- Hispanic: 11%
- Asian: 9%
- Foreign Born: 23.9%
- Language other than English: 35%
- Median Household Income: 50,092
- Owner Occupied Housing: 54.0%
- Income above $200k: 2.3
- Workforce/Education (2000 census)
- White Collar: 65.0%
- Blue Collar: 18%
- Services: 16.6%
- Bachelor's Degree: 24%
- Graduate Education: 9.2%
- Civilian Veterans: 45,046
| Year | Election | Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | general | Michael McMahon (D) | 105,128 | 60.8% |
| Robert Straniere (R) | 57,530 | 33.3% | ||
| Timothy Cochrane (C) | 5,525 | 3.2% | ||
| Carmine Morano (INDC) | 4,762 | 2.8% | ||
| 2006 | general | Vito Fossella (R, C, INDC) | 59,334 | 56.8% |
| Stephen Harrison (D, WFM) | 45,131 | 43.2% | ||
| 2004 | general | Vito Fossella (R, C) | 112,934 | 59% |
| Frank Barbaro (D, INDC, WFM) | 78,500 | 41% | ||
| 2002 | general | Vito Fossella (R, C, RTL) | 72,204 | 69.6% |
| Arne Mattsson (D, L, WFM) | 29,366 | 28.3% | ||
| Anita Lerman (INDC) | 1,427 | 1.4% | ||
| Henry Bardel (GREEN) | 696 | 0.7% | ||
| Year | Democrat | Republican | Independent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | John Kerry: 45% | George W. Bush: 55% | |
| 2000 | Al Gore: 53% | George W. Bush: 44% |
Campaign Finance Details for the 2008 Race
| Filers | Through | Total Receipts | Total Disbursements | Total From PACs | Total From Individuals | Ending Cash | Debts Owed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOSSELLA, VITO (R) | September 30, 2008 | $1,023,326.00 | $816,400.00 | $85,500.00 | $590,575.00 | $220,326.00 | |
| HARRISON, STEPHEN A. MR. (D) | September 30, 2008 | $219,702.00 | $201,159.00 | $207,813.00 | $25,040.00 | $2,745.00 | |
| MORANO, CARMINE A (I) | November 24, 2008 | $51,075.00 | $50,291.00 | $9,950.00 | $831.00 | $41,000.00 | |
| MCMAHON, MICHAEL E. MR. (D) | November 24, 2008 | $1,473,748.00 | $1,232,475.00 | $102,000.00 | $795,551.00 | $241,273.00 | |
| STRANIERE, ROBERT A (R) | November 24, 2008 | $165,164.00 | $160,727.00 | $149,414.00 | $4,435.00 | ||
| WYNE, JAMSHAD (R) | September 30, 2008 | $341,900.00 | $311,477.00 | $16,835.00 | $24,287.00 | $300,000.00 | |
| RECCHIA, DOMENIC M JR (D) | September 30, 2008 | $353,340.00 | $191,351.00 | $2,000.00 | $326,690.00 | $161,986.00 | |
