Two years ago, the embattled State Senator Mark Grisanti falsely claimed to have the endorsements of several groups that never endorsed him, including the First Amendment Club (which endorsed him only in 2010).
He was even so bold as to claim the endorsement of the Seneca Nation of Indians — even after his alcohol induced bar fight at the Seneca Niagara Casino with a prominent Seneca businessman and his wife. Time Warner Cable News did a story, with journalist Ryan Whelan investigating.
This election cycle, Grisanti is doing the same thing: continuing to fraudulently claim the endorsements of organizations that — not only haven’t endorsed the Senator — but are furious with him.
Yesterday, the Shooters Committee on Public Education (SCOPE) and the Erie County Republican Committee forced Grisanti to remove his fraudulent claim that they either endorsed him or gave him an “A” rating.
SCOPE members in particular are infuriated given Grisanti’s support of the NYSAFE Act, which severely infringes on the second amendment. The group has been mobilizing feverishly to oust Grisanti from office. They are supporting Kevin Stocker, a former Town Prosecutor and card carrying member of the National Rifle Association.
Along with SCOPE and the ECGOP, at least 15 other groups were listed on a 2014 election website that he maintains to “educate” voters.
“This kind of behavior by Grisanti is a repeated behavior and is the reason he has been rejected by most groups and no longer is able to attend Republican events – he has been ostracized due to his lies,” explains Mike Madigan, a prominent local Republican who was the party’s nominee for Congress in 2012. “Such behavior will be soundly rejected by a strong majority of Republicans in the September primary. Grisanti’s actions are driven by polls showing him sinking.”
While Grisanti enjoys considerable anti-gun special interest contributions from New York City based supporters (including billionaire Mike Bloomberg himself), he has very little support within the 60th Senate district, where he remains more deeply unpopular than he was two years ago.
“Expect him to lie profusely about his opponent and about his positions in a repeat of his 2012 election lie campaign where his commitments to voters were worthless,” Madigan says. “Grisanti is a liar and should not be allowed to deceive his voters in this manner. We should not allow such dishonest individuals in office.”
Grisanti, like Cuomo, has to go. I don;t care where they go. Just leave.