As he campaigns to retake a seat in Congress, Democratic challenger Dan Maffei casts himself as a champion of the middle-class.
“Growing up on the Eastside, he saw the struggle first-hand, working at his family’s small business, trying to make it. And though he wasn’t there long, he saw what’s wrong with Washington,” says one of Maffei’s TV commercial ads for his campaign.
In a commentary on Syracuse.com by Maffei on Aug. 19, Maffei put his position this way: “Here in Central New York we need a strong middle class, a first-rate education for our children and secure retirements for our seniors.” He criticized Republicans – including his opponent U.S. Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle – for policies in which “fewer resources are available to educate our children, the middle class pays higher taxes and can’t rely on Medicare, and women don’t have access to lifesaving health care.”
Maffei, 44, is trying to regain the seat for the 24th Congressional District. He is running against incumbent Buerkle, R-Onondaga Hill, and Green Party candidate Ursula Rozum of Syracuse. The election is Nov. 6.
In 2008, Maffei became the first Democrat to win the then-25th Congressional District seat. But in 2010, he lost it by 648 votes to Buerkle. In 2012, under redistricting, the 25th Congressional District became the 24th Congressional District. The newly drawn 24th Congressional District includes Cayuga, Onondaga and Wayne counties, and western Oswego County.
The Buerkle-Maffei rematch is one of the closest races in the United States. It is gaining national attention because of its potential to help Democrats regain control of the House. The race is intense and tight. As of mid-September, Buerkle and Maffei were tied at 43 percent each of voters saying they would cast their ballot for either one, according to a Sept. 13 Siena Research Institute poll . The poll’s margin of error is 3.9 percent.
In the 24th Congressional District, voter registration is almost evenly split between the two major parties. Of 409,462 registered voters, 34 percent are Democrats, 35 percent are Republicans, 23 percent are unaffiliated with a political party and 2 percent are Green Party voters.
The Maffei campaign canceled a scheduled interview for this story. But in interviews with Democracywise in his earlier campaigns, Maffei described himself as a nerd, citing his DVD collection of old television shows like “Star Trek,” “MASH” and “The Rockford Files.” In this campaign, his ads and other interviews play up his ability to relate to the middle-class, his push to expand health care coverage to the uninsured and his support for public education. And those who know him well praise his political experience, knowledge and passion.
“He’s just very articulate and very knowledgeable about why he supports the position he supports,” said Sylvia Matousek, the DeWitt town chair for the Onondaga County Democratic Committee, who worked with his earlier campaigns and remains a strong supporter.
Maffei’s background includes a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and master’s degrees from both Columbia University and Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Between earning his master’s degrees, Maffei worked as a reporter and producer for WSYR-TV in Syracuse and then as a part-time reporter in Watertown, N.Y.
He has worked as a press secretary for Democratic Sens. Bill Bradley of New Jersey and Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York. He has also been the communications director of the Ways and Means Committee for U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York City. During his one term in Congress, Maffei was on the financial services and judiciary committees.
In his bid to regain the seat, Maffei calls for strengthening the middle class through tax relief, maintaining Medicare and Social Security as public entitlements for all Americans and increasing federal financial aid for college.
In an Oct. 8 article by The Post-Standard, Maffei said he believes the government should maintain tax relief for middle-class families, while those making more than $1 million a year should “be going back to the Clinton levels.” During the administration of President Bill Clinton, the tax rate for people making more than $250,000 a year was raised from 31 percent to 39.6 percent.
In a recent controversy, Maffei’s campaign featured an ad that criticizes Buerkle’s co-sponsorship of a bill that called for a ban on federal subsidies for abortion. The original version of the bill used the term “forcible rape,” which opponents said would redefine rape and prevent federal funding for abortions for victims of statutory rape or date rape. The ad has sparked an intense dispute between Maffei and Buerkle. In dueling press conferences, each accused the other of dishonesty over the bill. Buerkle says her office insisted on dropping the phrase “forcible rape” from the final bill. Maffei argues that doesn’t erase her earlier support.
Matousek, the DeWitt town chair for the Onondaga County Democratic Committee, has worked with Maffei on efforts such as the Get-Out-the-Vote campaigns. She praises Maffei as having a “policy mind.” She cited as an example Maffei’s vote in support of the Obama administration’s overhaul of the health care system.
“He knows how to write policy and knows how it will work and how it will serve his constituents,” Matousek said.
In 2010, Maffei voted to pass the Affordable Care Act, first derided by Republicans with the nickname of “Obamacare” that’s now embraced by the president. Many Republicans, including Buerkle, have attacked that vote and the law.
Outside of politics, Matousek said, Maffei is known for being a little shy. “So it’s not as easy for him to market himself as it might be for somebody who is less shy,” she said.
In a 2010 interview with Democracywise, Maffei described his entry into politics as almost accidental. He downplayed his double master’s degrees. He credited his birthday — the Fourth of July — with fueling part of his interest in public affairs and politics.
Maffei lives in DeWitt with his wife Abby Davidson Maffei, whom he met while working for Rep. Rangel. Requests for an interview with Maffei’s family members were not granted by the campaign.
In a 2008 interview with Democracywise, Abby Davidson Maffei described her husband as having a good sense of humor. “And he always makes me laugh,” she said. Even after six years together in 2008, she said, “He still will crack me up on a daily basis.”
After losing the congressional seat, Maffei worked for think tank Third Way, a left-leaning group that specializes in proposing and advocating for alternative progressive policies. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. He also became a visiting professor at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
ESF professor Sharon Moran frequently had Maffei as a guest lecturer in her class. As a teacher, Maffei is affable, approachable and captivating, Moran said. “When he was not reelected, it was bad for people in the district. But it was good for ESF,” she joked.
Maffei’s real-world experience makes him a great addition to the classroom, Moran said. One time, she recalled, Maffei gave a lecture to her American politics class about campaign finance that sparked a lot of student interest.
“When the class ended, another class needed the room,” Moran said. “We had to stand in the hallway and finish the discussion for people who hung around 15 or 20 minutes.”
In his campaign for this election, Maffei did a live Question-and-Answer session on Oct. 1 with Syracuse.com. He defended his short record in Congress, citing bipartisan work with some Republican members. He called for investing in local infrastructure and education. He supports a balanced federal budget, he said, but opposes cuts that would deprive the elderly of Medicare.
Said Maffei in the Syracuse.com session: “If we balance the budget in the right way and make investments in key areas that we know will show a return, we can put Central New York back on the map.”
(Stephanie Bouvia is a senior newspaper journalism major.)
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