|
Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated in Alexandria, Va., on Wednesday.
Fossella expressed regret and apologized Thursday to his constituents.
“Last night I made an error in judgment,” he said. “As a parent, I know that taking even one drink of alcohol before getting behind the wheel of a car is wrong. I apologize to my family and the constituents of the 13th congressional district for embarrassing them, as well as myself.”
Fossella represents Staten Island and faces a potentially difficult reelection bid this year, which could be made more difficult by his arrest.
He would face either Brooklyn City Councilman Domenic Recchia or 2006 nominee Steve Harrison.
The seat is a lower-tier target for Democrats and leans toward the GOP, but Harrison took 43 percent of the vote two years ago, and the party feels Recchia could potentially give Fossella a tough run.
Fossella, 43, was first elected at the age of 32 in a 1997 special election and is in his fifth full term.
New York has one of the latest primaries in the country, in September, leaving the GOP plenty of time to seek a replacement candidate if Fossella does not run for reelection.
|
