ny_sen_DÂ'AMATO
SEN. ALFONSE DÂ'AMATO
Age: 61 Born: August 1, 1937 in Brooklyn, New York Education: Syracuse University, J.D. (1961), B.S. (1959) Military: none Family: Divorced; 4 children Hometown: Island Park, NY Religion: Catholic Career: Junior U.S. Senator (1980-present); Vice Chairman., Nassau County Board of Supervisors (1977-80); Hempstead Supervisor (1971-77); Hempstead Town Receiver of Taxes (1969); Nassau County Public Admin. (1965-68); attorney (1962-65) |
· Incumbent Senator Alfonse DÂ'Amato was an unknown when he was elected in 1980. He defeated the incumbent Sen. Jacob Javits in the primary with 56% of the vote, after questioning the 76 year oldÂ's health. DÂ'Amato went on to defeat his challenger, Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Holzman by little more than 1%.
· The 1992 campaign for re-election was perhaps the toughest of his career. Even though he was better-financed than NY Attorney General Robert Abrams, DÂ'Amato worked to remind New Yorkers of his accomplishments. To drive home the point of his "GettinÂ' it done. MakinÂ' waves. TakinÂ' Â'em on" ad campaign, DÂ'Amato staged a 14-hour filabuster on the Senate floor to save 875 jobs at an Upstate Smith-Corona plant. Adams sealed his fate when he called his opponent, a fascist; DÂ'Amato won by just 1%.
· In both of these campaign, his consultant Arthur Finkelstein crafted the DÂ'Amato campaign as a crusade against "embarrassingly liberal" Democrats.
· DÂ'Amato is considered a loud and brash - he is arguably the most powerful politician in New York. In 1994, he opposed his enemy, Mayor Rudolph Guiliani, in endorsing Gubernatorial candidate, George Pataki. He is known by many as "Senator Pothole", but DÂ'Amato takes that as a compliment, he hasnÂ't forgotten his constituents.
· He is a fervent advocate fo Israel and the Jewish people - taking on the Swiss banks, who held onto property of Jewish victims of the Holocaust, as somewhat of a personal crusade.
· During the 1996 election, DÂ'Amato helped deliver the NY GOPÂ's support to Bob DoleÂ's Presidential campaign and was the Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
· DÂ'Amato is Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. He presided over the controversial Senate Whitewater Hearings.
· The Senator has not been free of scandal. In 1991, the Senate Ethics Committee penalized him for allowing his brother to use his office to lobby for a defense contract. In 1995, he mocked the Japanese ancestry of O.J. Simpson Trial Judge, Lance Ito, on the Don Imus radio show.
· In February 1995, DÂ'Amato called a press conference to make his relationship with gossip columnist, Claudia Cohen, public. Cohen is the ex-wife of Revlon billionaire, Ron Perelman. DÂ'Amato and Cohen relationship ended in early 1996 - they never married.
· He wrote, Power, Pasta, and Politics - his political memior.