Dem's views echo Dede's

Brian S. McGrath doesn't think much of labels and he doesn't care much for generalizations, but he knows that if he is to be successful as a Democrat in the 122nd Assembly District race, he'll have to convince the voters to set aside pre-conceived notions about his candidacy and hear his message.

Provided residents give him a fair look, the Lowville native is confident he can convince voters to pick him as Assemblywoman Dierdre K. Scozzafava's replacement.

"Voters will see that they would get, in me, somebody who was very similar to the somebody who they've put their faith in for the last 12 years," he said. "They'll get somebody who, if elected, would be in the majority party in the Assembly, which makes a difference. They'll get somebody who's had different life experiences. But philosophically and on the issues, they'll get somebody who's not a carbon copy but who's pretty comfortable with the same set of views as somebody they're comfortable with."

The Democratic hopeful, an attorney, is running on a fiscally conservative, socially moderate platform — lowering taxes on business, consolidating government and spending only what can be afforded, but also favoring gay marriage and supporting abortion rights.

Mr. McGrath also opposes Assembly Democrats' efforts to pass myriad bills that further restrict gun rights.

"Too many people in Albany see guns as a problem," he said. "Having grown up here, I've never seen guns as a problem. I've seen guns as a way to get food."

Having spent some of his formative years on a farm, Mr. McGrath is also troubled by a state bill that aims to expand farmworker's rights by providing overtime pay, a day of rest and collective bargaining — saying it would have a "crushing effect" on the farmer footing the bill.

With so much in common with Ms. Scozzafava and the GOP ideology, it's no surprise that Mr. McGrath was, until recently, a registered Republican. The attorney left the party in 2006, in part, over disagreements about the way fiscal matters were being handled on the federal level.

"We were fighting wars that we weren't paying for. We were extending tax breaks to multi-millionaires that didn't need them," he said. "The Republicans under President Bush passed Medicare Part D — one of the single largest expansions of the federal government since FDR. Not a dime of Medicare Part D was paid for. And as a fiscal conservative — which is what I was, that's what tied me to the Republican Party — I threw my hands up. And I said, 'this is not the party I signed up for.'"

The candidate is battling the demographics of the 122nd Assembly District, where there are three Republicans registered for every two Democrats.

"I'm going to make the case that the party labels are really somewhat artificial," said Mr. McGrath. "When you're running to represent a district, you're running to represent the specific needs of the district — and those needs don't change if you're a Republican or Democrat."

Mr. McGrath said he may have to spend up to $500,000 to spread his message, but he doesn't expect the money to guarantee a win over Republican Kenneth D. Blankenbush, the chairman of the Jefferson County Legislature.

"I'm going to need to do what I have done my whole life, which is to work harder than my opponent to introduce myself to the voters," said Mr. McGrath. "I will be out as often as I physically can meeting voters in every way I can, knocking on doors, greeting them at fairs, inviting them to dinners (and) going to events."

The candidate, who sought the Democratic nomination for the 23rd Congressional District seat here last year, expects some residents see him as an opportunist, a "big New York City lawyer (who) made a lot of money and now is coming back to take advantage" of a soon-to-be-open seat.

"People that will take the time to sit down and listen to me, they'll learn that's not true," he said. "Yes, I'm an opportunist in the sense that what I'm in this for is to try and bring reform to the area, to our government and to help people. That's why I got interested in the race last year. It wasn't about the title. It was about the fact that my family and friends were struggling economically."

Mr. McGrath said he wants to be a leader, a politician who can explain the flaws of the milk pricing system, make a case for the state prison at Ogdensburg to stay open, or market the area's educational system, skilled work force and infrastructure to lure a company here. He wants to advocate for the development of nuclear power and for the state to take greater oversight in the siting of wind farms.

What Mr. McGrath, who is gay, doesn't want is for his sexual orientation to be the issue that people focus on the most.

"I consider that issue irrelevant to the issues that matter," he said. "If this campaign ends and I was the gay candidate, I failed because I'm not the gay candidate. I'm the candidate who is fiscally conservative, moderately social, a staunch defender of gun rights who happens to be gay."

Mr. McGrath will formally kick off his campaign with an event from noon to 2 p.m. June 26 at the Elks Lodge, 5600 Shady Ave., Lowville.

THE MCGRATH FILE

Brian S. McGrath

■ Age: 34

■ Residence: Arthur Road, Martinsburg

■ Occupation: partner/of counsel, Oved & Oved LLP, New York City, April 2009-present; senior associate in litigation department, Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, New York City, 2000-2009

■ Family: partner, Mark; father, Patrick M., and stepmother, Jean A., both of Martinsburg; mother, Ann M., and stepfather, Wayne E. Haggerty, both of Conover, N.C.; three brothers: Michael J., Martinsburg; John P., Greig, and Thomas A., Lowville; and one sister: Valerie M. Proulx, Croghan

■ Education: Lowville Academy and Central School, 1993; bachelor's degree in political science from SUNY Geneseo, 1996; juris doctorate from SUNY Buffalo Law School, 2000

■ About the 122nd Assembly District: Southern and eastern Jefferson County, southern St. Lawrence County, all of Lewis County and three towns in northern Oswego County