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By Max Jaeger
Brooklyn Daily
MICHAEL GRIMM VS. DOMENIC RECCHIA
Embattled Rep. Michael Grimm is defending his seat against former Councilman Domenic Recchia in this tight race. The congressman is facing a 20-count federal fraud indictment alleging an array of fraudulent practices at a restaurant he owned prior to taking office. Despite the ongoing investigation, just four points separate the candidates according to a September Sienna poll of voters in the Staten Island-Bay Ridge district.
Michael Grimm
REPUBLICAN, former Marine and Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, accountant, and lawyer. First elected to Congress in 2010.
44, single, no children.
Domenic Recchia
DEMOCRAT, attorney and former councilman. Recchia has served on Community Board 13 and the District 21 school board.
55, married, three children.
The campaign
Grimm has slammed Recchia for not showing up to two debates organized by local civic groups. Recchia has charged that Grimm held federal Hurricane Sandy aid hostage while brokering a deal with House Speaker John Boehner over his continued leadership of House Republicans. Grimm famously threatened to throw an NY1 reporter off a balcony after being asked about his pending federal prosecution. Recchia put his foot in his mouth when reporters asked him about his foreign affairs experience and he could not explain what the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement is.— Max Jaeger