Barend and Barbaro Aim for Washington

By ZP Heller, AlterNet. Posted October 23, 2004.

Less than two weeks until Election Day, and New York remains something of a political anomaly. The state, along with its 31 electoral votes, will go to John Kerry with a majority of votes by a margin reaching into the millions. So why then, does a three-term Republican governor currently hold office? Why is New York City – a strong contender for the most pro-Democratic Party stronghold in the country – run by a Republican mayor? For that matter, why did the city play host to the Republican National Convention this past summer? In many respects, the state clearly is not the bastion of liberalism that many would guess by looking at current statewide polls for the presidential election. There are several races in New York state, however, that have been much more heated coming down the stretch.

Two Democratic Congressional hopefuls, Samara Barend and Frank Barbaro, face the difficult task of running in heavily Republican districts. Both candidates have made unemployment and promoting economic growth primary concerns in this election. Both share political ideals that more or less follow the party line. And each candidate is quickly becoming a champion of the working-class as well as an outspoken voice on foreign affairs. The only question remains whether they will be able to convince enough voters that a change in their districts' politics is long overdue.

For Samara Barend, the road to Washington is one that she helped build. Since 1996, when she was still an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, Barend has been fighting vigorously to convert New York's Route17 into Interstate 86, in an effort to stimulate economic growth in New York's Southern Tier region. Growing up in Western New York, Barend witnessed her district's economic turmoil firsthand. Unlike much of the rest of the country, Western New York endured industrial hardships in the mid-1990s, when IBM and other major corporations pulled out of the area, taking with them thousands of jobs; many residents were forced to seek employment elsewhere. Barend's own father was forced to close his business the same year IBM left. As a concerned community member and an aspiring political activist, Barend worked for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who helped her get started on converting I-86, a road that cuts westward along the New York/Pennsylvania border - in the U.S. House of Representatives, this is called the 29th district. Before long, she had reached out to people in her community and politicians from all over the state (on both sides of the aisle), who wholeheartedly backed her crusade to restore industry to the region.

In an interview with AlterNet, Barend said that I-86 is the centerpiece of her campaign, "because this interstate isn't just asphalt and concrete, it's an opportunity to open the gates to economic development and tourism." According to Barend, during the Bush administration, her region lost approximately 30,000 jobs, partly because of outsourcing, and partly due to an over-reliance on the manufacturing industry. "There is a lack of initiative and innovation from leaders who are willing... to get things moving, to uncap potential," Barend said. Even worse, roughly 50,000 people have left the area because of the lack of available employment, 30% of whom are young adults. However, Barend's I-86 initiative is turning the tide. Already, her project has created thousands of new jobs (with thousands more on the way), tourism has increased by 20%, and the venture is expected to generate over three billion dollars in economic development. As member of Congress, Barend's first initiative would be to oversee the completion of I-86, which will enable more industry and tourism to develop in her district. No wonder her website, www.samaraforcongress.com, is peppered with little interstate signs which proudly read "Sam!"

Barend's website and its perky icons encapsulate her fresh voice and youthful energy. At 27, she would be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Even at that young age, though, Barend has vast political experience. She graduated from the Kennedy School of Government and worked on Al Gore's presidential campaign. Her own campaign has gained a lot of attention recently; Barend was endorsed by Senator Hillary Clinton, and Governor Howard Dean named her one of his "Dean's Dozen" candidates. Yet Barend may need all the help she can get from influential Democrats since she is facing a long-established Republican constituency. The seat that Barend is vying for has been held by nine-term Republican Representative Amo Houghton, who is leaving the seat after this legislative session. This area, the 29th district, gave George Bush 53% of the vote in 2000 - the highest for any district in the state. But Barend remains undaunted in her Congressional run, especially as her opponent, John Kuhl, Jr., has come under fire recently. On Tuesday, The Associated Press reported that Kuhl's wife asked for a divorce "on grounds of cruel and inhuman treatment" that included Kuhl threatening her with two shotguns during a 1994 dinner party.

Liked this story? Get top stories in your inbox each week from AlterNet! Sign up now »