STATEN ISLAND — The Staten Island Democratic Party has chosen retired city employee Richard Reichard to run against Rep. Dan Donovan in the November congressional election.
The party endorsed Reichard Thursday to run for Donovan's Congressional seat, which covers Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn.
He is retired from the Department of Finance and was the former president of the Staten Island Democratic Association.
"I believe that America’s better days are in front of us, not behind us," Reichard said at the meeting, according to a video of the speech posted online.
"To have a better future we must be able to work for a better future."
In his speech, Reichard said he would work to invest in infrastructure, create a fairer tax system and preserve programs like social security and Medicaid if elected.
Reichard will face off against Donovan, the former District Attorney who took over the seat in a special election, in the general election in November.
According to a poll released last month, Donovan's is considered a safe seat and the freshman congressman had a 49 percent approval rating from the 400 voters polled, the Staten Island Advance reported.
In his introduction to Reichard, Democratic Party chair John Gulino pointed towards the recent win of Michael McMahon for District Attorney and said they could take incumbent Donovan's seat in November.
"Forget the critics, forget the newspaper," Gulino said. "Dan Donovan's seat is not a safe seat."
