Chris Day Announces Candidacy, Releases First Campaign Video

He was his father’s secret weapon during his successful run for Rockland County executive.

He was the top ROTC grad in Connecticut before he led fighting men into battle during the War in Afghanistan.

He gave the commencement speech at RCC while still in his early 20s, imploring new graduates that the American dream was still alive and to believe in it.

New City’s Chris Day, son of County Executive Ed Day, has done a lot for someone who has not yet turned 30, and he’s hoping that experience translates into a successful bid for Congress against longtime incumbent Democrat Nita Lowey.

Day announced his candidacy to the public today via video, after announcing it to GOP committee members earlier in the week.

Day told the Rockland County Times that as campaign manager for his father’s campaign he learned the ins and outs of the issues that matter to Rocklanders and how to connect to voters on those issues.

Day claims the incumbent is disconnected from the issues that impact her constituents and often nothing more than a rubber stamp for the party line. The candidate promises to hit D.C. with a head full of steam to tackle issues important to the district such as the controversial RLUIPA religious land use law, Common Core, health care and what he calls HUD overreach. The latter point Westchester County Executive and NY gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino has made a hallmark of his administration.

Chris Day’s name recognition and good will from the recent campaign are sure to give him a boost west of the Hudson, but the 17th Congressional District is 58 percent comprised of Westchester County residents, so he must cover new ground in his quest to reach D.C.

Lowey beat Republican Joe Carvin by a comfortable margin in 2012 and has been in office since 1989, in three different districts (districts are rearranged every 10 years). Since the election of 2012, the district covers all of Rockland and most of western Westchester (see the graphic below). Prior to 2012, three separate Congressional districts covered Rockland County.

Lowey is also one of the wealthiest members of Congress and is pushing 80-years-old, two points that might give the young Republican some traction in the race.

On top of that, 2014 may be a good year for Republicans due to backlash from the Obamacare rollout and the president’s sagging approval ratings. Astorino’s gubernatorial candidacy may also push some Westchester voters toward the Republican side.

Though the district is close to two-to-one Democrat, both counties have Republican executives and Day said, “I think the voters will be open to an independent Republican instead of a party-line politician.”

If he does win, it will scuttle the long expected succession of Lowey’s seat to a young Democrat such as David Carlucci or David Fried.

Following the county executive campaign, Day announced he was becoming a political consultant. Now he will be busy with his own campaign.

He also works in private equity and is a father.

His father, County Executive Ed Day, released a statement via social media, which read in part: “…if you look at his resume, he is more qualified for office than any other elected official in the area, myself included. He has served his country with distinction, he is a family man, and he brings a fresh perspective to government. I am confident he will serve this district with the same dedication with which he served his country – and those qualities have nothing to do with what his last name is. I wish him best of luck in his tremendous endeavor.”

Barring something unforeseen, the 2014 election is hereby set. Day is not expected to receive any primary competition from within the GOP.

You can watch Chris Day’s first campaign video here:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3G5Jdu_TEUg&feature=youtu.be1

  chris day, ed day, election 2014, nita lowey, ny district-17