Supports son Andrew; Says He Can Make a Difference
By: Jared Evan
Sparks flew at the New York Republican Party’s convention on Long Island on Tuesday as former New York City Mayor and Trump legal advisor Rudy Giuliani showed up to lend support for his son Andrew’s bid at the gubernatorial nomination.
According to a report in the Post, “Giuliani claimed the Republican Party needs an outsider in order to win in deep-blue New York in the fall, claiming the New York GOP leaders had erred in putting their thumb on the scale for Rep. Lee Zeldin.”
Rep Zeldin represents Long Island in Congress and is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Signing a petition in support of his son Andrew’s campaign for New York governor, Giuliani told a gaggle of reporters in the lobby of the hotel in Garden City where the convention was held, “I think I’m saying this not just as a father, but as a person. I’ve been in public life, public office for 50 years. I think I know when people have what it takes to overcome getting weak. He’s got it,” as was reported by the Post.
Giuliani added: “If Andrew weren’t running, I’d be looking for a candidate from outside politics to beat Hochul. I don’t think a professional politician can beat her. And I think what they’re doing with this dictated convention is very damaging, very damaging to the party nationally as well,” according to the Post report.
Delivering a fiery speech before the assemblage at the convention, Andrew Giuliani, 36, said, “ It is an honor today to address the convention of the party of Lincoln, of the party of Teddy Roosevelt, of the party of Reagan, of the party of George Pataki, the party of Donald J. Trump.”
The younger Giuliani served as an aide to former President Donald Trump in the White House. The Post reported that he was the only candidate to publicly stand by the former president at the state convention — or even mention his name.
He also was the only Republican speaker to champion school choice, particularly vowing to double the number of charter schools in New York if he is elected governor, according to the Post report.
Also given a prime speaking slot at the New York GOP convention was the sole Ukrainian-born politician on the New York City Council. Inna Vernikov, who represents constituents in Brooklyn had plenty to say about Putin. During her campaign for city council, she received the full-throated support of former Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind and a number of prestigious rabbinical leaders.
“What a dark, dark moment in our history. The people in Ukraine are suffering at the hands of a terrorist. And growing up in the region, I know that President Putin has always been a tyrant, but now he has officially lost his mind,” an emotional Vernikov (R-Southern Brooklyn) said in an address at the New York GOP convention in Long Island’s Garden City.
“I think that all this is about is more power. I think he wants to destroy democracy. And I think he wants to bring the Soviet Union back. The Ukrainian people and the Russian people do not want this war,” she told the crowd gathered at the second day of the convention, according to the NY Post.
