One of the Democratic Party’s top women visited Syracuse to stump for Rep. Dan Maffei, who is running for re-election to Congress.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat, is chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. She spoke a Laci’s Tapas Bar Monday, a women-owned restaurant in the city's Hawley Green neighborhood.
Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, Common Councilor Helen Hudson, and former Palmyra Mayor Vicky Daly all showered their praise as well.
Wasserman Schultz told the two-dozen women in the dining room that Maffei can work with them and for them.
"That’s the kind of leader that women want in their elected leaders," she said. "They don’t want women who swing from the chandeliers and who treat their opposition like the enemy. That’s what the Tea Party does; that’s what Dan’s opposition is getting ready to do if, God forbid, he’s elected to Congress."
Maffei defeated a woman, Republican Ann Marie Buerkle, to reclaim his seat in Congress two years ago. This year, he’s being challenged by John Katko, a former federal prosecutor.
Wasserman Schultz said Maffei is not a leader who thinks it’s his way or the highway.
"We have to reach across the aisle and that’s the kind of leader Dan Maffei has been," she said.
Wasserman Shultz said central New Yorkers should also appreciate that Maffei and his family are long-time natives of the region.
