Current BOL Chairman Funds Congressional Campaign to Challenge Rep. Bowman in the 16th District;
Is County Executive George Latimer a Stalking Horse?
Dan Branda, the Republican candidate for Westchester County Legislator in District 4, today challenged his opponent, Board of Legislators Chairman Vedat Gashi, to clarify his Congressional ambitions. Branda noted that FEC reporting shows that Gashi invested $30,500 of his own money into his congressional campaign on September 30, 2023, on top of $65,000 in personal funds that he invested last fall after his failed election.
“If Vedat Gashi has $95,000 laying around that he can lock away into a Congressional campaign with no intent of using it, bully for him!” Branda said. “But that’s a luxury most people do not have and cannot understand. Common sense says that Gashi intends to use that money, probably in a second primary challenge to Rep. Jamaal Bowman outside our district. Before early voting opens tomorrow, the voters deserve an answer from Vedat Gashi about his intentions to either fulfill his full term or immediately leave to run a down-county race for Congress.”
Branda says that Gashi’s secret intentions could be why County Executive George Latimer, who is being aggressively recruited to primary Rep. Bowman, remains non-committal.
Branda added, “If he wants to run for Congress in Southern Westchester, that explains why Vedat Gashi is not fighting for more county investment in our district. Whether it’s affordable housing, flood mitigation grants, NYSEG rate increases, or economic development projects, Gashi seems to forget that we exist.”