BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — No Republican has won statewide office in New York State since 2002.
And Democrats outnumber Republicans in the Empire State by some 3.5 million voters.
But none of that is deterring Josh Eisen, a Westchester County entrepreneur who today declared his U.S. Senate candidacy against incumbent Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand in front of Buffalo City Hall. Though Democrats were quick to highlight lots of controversy in his past sure to provide plenty of baggage, Eisen said his campaign to eliminate "government intrusion and over-regulation" can succeed even in deep blue turf like New York.
"I think Republicans will eventually win statewide," he told reporters during an afternoon news conference. "(Democrats) can't defend some of the policies they've put in place. We're not a socialist country; we're not a communist country."
He then highlighted as top targets Albany programs for state-imposed zoning (since withdrawn by Gov. Kathy Hochul) or to eventually eliminate natural gas-powered appliances.
Eisen, 51, who earned a doctorate in religious studies and built his fortune in several companies that specialize in background checks, said he has already committed $500,000 of his own money to the campaign with "more to come." He said he would not spend $10 million of his funds, but has no hesitation to ask for the approximately $30 million most observers say is necessary to run a statewide campaign in New York.
In his first visit to Western New York since news of his candidacy broke a few days ago, Eisen is challenging Gillibrand as a "do nothing" senator. He is resurrecting familiar GOP themes he says New Yorkers are ready to accept, insisting that Democrats have failed in managing key problems such as the influx of migrants from Latin America in New York and other cities.
"Government has to incentivize and empower communities to be stronger," he said.
But Eisen is already forced to defend himself against a host of controversies in his past, including legal problems first unearthed during a short-lived GOP candidacy in 2020 for the House seat of retiring Democrat Nita Lowey. A slew of emails he exchanged with former business partners, published in extensive coverage by City and State magazine, continue to complicate his political ambitions.
The candidate withdrew after the emails revealed crude and racial references, which he never denied. Already, Democrats are unearthing his "troubling" past comments.
"MAGA-Republican Josh Eisen's long and documented history of stalking, harassment, misogyny and racism are utterly disqualifying for the office he seeks," said Gillibrand campaign spokesman Even Lukaske. "Every Republican member of Congress in New York State should and will have to answer for Eisen's candidacy."
Today, the new candidate dismissed his past as inconsequential during questions posed by Buffalo reporters. He called his disputes with former business partners that generated the controversial remarks as "legal challenges" that "got a little out of hand."
"My partners and the people who were in that fight are my friends today," he said. "It's a great story of reconciliation to be the type of guy who can have a fight, and then after that fight, can go back and be business partners with them."
Eisen harbors some reasons for optimism as he attempts to become the first Republican since Alfonse D'Amato in 1992 to win a Senate seat in New York. He can point to former Rep. Lee Zeldin's 6-point loss to Hochul in last year's contest for governor in which crime loomed as a major issue.
But while many observers say Zeldin's candidacy ultimately failed because of his association and support for former President Donald Trump, Eisen said today he has not yet made up his mind about the 2024 presidential contest.
"I want to see how it plays out," he said. "I want to see who has the real ideas."
However, Eisen is closely associated with former Gov. George Pataki, a moderate and the last Republican to win statewide. Today he wore a hat emblazoned with a "Governor Pataki Foundation" emblem and was accompanied by Rob Cole, a one-time top Pataki staffer.
The GOP has also registered major gains for offices in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and last year picked up four House seats from the Hudson Valley and Long Island that helped flip the House from Democrats.
But Gillibrand has never faced a well-financed opponent with name recognition since succeeding Hillary Clinton in 2009, and Eisen will have to work hard to overcome the major advantages of incumbency, money and voter registration enjoyed by the incumbent.
