Dan O'Connor
Dan O'Connor was a 2012 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 12th Congressional District of New York.
Biography
O'Connor was an economist by training and has worked in the renewable energy industry.[1]
Elections
2012
O'Connor ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent New York's 7th District. He sought the nomination on the Democratic ticket.[2]
Due to redistricting in New York, 12th District incumbent Nydia Velazquez ran in the 7th District, which included most of District 12 and added some of the Lower East Side.[3] Velazquez faced three primary challengers: Erik Dilan, George Martinez, and Dan O'Connor.
Dilan and Velazquez were seen as the frontrunners, as reported by Capital New York. The paper also wrote that Dilan was encouraged to run by Vito Lopez, who was chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party and a member of the New York Assembly.[4] “I’ve never been supportive of [Velazquez],” Lopez told the New York Times, “based on the fact that she’s not willing to sit down and have a dialogue on community issues.” Dilan stated that his decision to enter the race was due to redistricting, not by Lopez's support.[5]
When asked about Lopez's statements, Velazquez told the New York Times, "I advocate for cleaner politics, and he appoints cronies as judges." She added, "So be it. I will face the music and so will he."[6]
Capital New York reported that by June 18, 2012, Dilan had received $70,000 and Velazquez had received $1,000 from members of the New York real estate industry. The paper wrote that it was out of the ordinary for members of the real estate industry to show financial support to the incumbent's challenger in a congressional primary. It also reported that Velazquez's spokesman said the real estate industry supported Dilan because of his relationship with Lopez and because he was chair of the Buildings Committee and thus could influence the Real Estate Board of New York and the Rent Stabilization Association. Dilan's spokesman responded by saying the donations Dilan received were "roughly $930,000 less than what Velazquez took from banks."[7]
An additional issue in the race centered on the Lower East Side’s large Jewish community.[3] During the primary campaign, one of Dilan's campaign handouts said that Velazquez had "the worst voting record on Israel in the New York congressional delegation." After the campaign material was circulated, Velazquez was endorsed by three prominent Jewish Democrats: U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, and New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.[3]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
 Nydia Velazquez Incumbent |
58% | 16,011 |
| Erik Dilan | 31.1% | 8,589 |
| Daniel O'Connor | 8.2% | 2,264 |
| George Martinez | 2.7% | 752 |
| Total Votes | 27,616 | |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Dan O'Connor campaign website, "Biography," accessed June 19, 2012
- ↑ Queens Chronicle, "Maloney runs unopposed," April 26, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Jewish Press, "Schumer, Silver, Nadler to Endorse Velázquez, Rebuffing Anti-Zionist Charges," June 3, 2012
- ↑ Capital New York, "Obama endorses Nydia Velazquez," June 15, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "The Biggest Rival for a Congresswoman From Brooklyn Isn’t Even on the Ballot," June 20, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "With Three Spirited Primaries, Competitive Democracy Is Breaking Out," June 18, 2012
- ↑ Capital New York, "The congressional challenger from New York real estate," June 18, 2012
