How dare she challenge a hand-picked candidate!

Gail Goode filed petitions containing over 45,000 signatures at the State Board of Elections in Albany Monday, making her an official candidate for the United States Senate. In an interview afterwards on Politics Tonight with Liz Benjamin, the candidate shared her outlook on the race ahead:




“New Yorkers have a right to a Democratic primary,” said U.S. Senate Candidate Gail Goode. Goode built an organization of citizens to collect over 45,000 signatures from registered Democrats, who agreed with her mission to give voters of the Empire State a choice for Senator in this year’s Democratic Primary. Goode has been a tough lawyer and advocate for the people of the City of New York. As a Deputy Borough Chief in New York City's Tort Unit, Gail has tried and supervised hundreds of cases defending hardworking people and saving New York taxpayers millions in litigation costs. As a former Assistant District Attorney, Gail prosecuted career criminals who committed violent crimes against New Yorkers. Noting that Gillibrand was appointed by Gov. David Paterson, Goode said, “I agree with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer who said before he took himself out of the race that “voters have an expectation for a Senate seat held by Kennedy and Moynihan, that there will be a discussion of these issues through the electoral process.”

“It is clear that all kinds of pressure was brought to bear on several potential candidates to make sure that Governor Paterson’s appointee, Senator Gillibrand, did not have a serious opponent this year,” said Gail Goode. Even Robert Kennedy and Hillary Clinton who came from outside the State to run here in New York, had opposition. Goode thinks New Yorkers are paying a very heavy price for the field being cleared for the Senator simply because those working for her do not believe she can defend her very weak and inconsistent voting record in a competitive election.

Goode said: “The backroom pressure to push out potential challengers has robbed the ability of New Yorkers to put pressure on their Senate candidates to address their needs rather than the special interests and lobbyists that run congress and contribute to the Gillibrand campaign.”

Goode believes that the American Democratic process and a real discussion on issues and ideas will defeat the millions that Gillibrand will spend on her campaign, donated by lobbyists and special interests that control what happens in Washington. Goode’s concern for the danger facing our nation in electing yet another candidate who is controlled by Washington special interests runs so deep that she has spent her life savings on petitioning to gain ballet access. “Senators who say anything to get elected but do the bidding of the lobbyists have caused the BP oil spill, the Wall Street crash and many of the other serious problems facing our country,” Goode charges.

Video from Capital Tonight.