The Board of Governors of the New York Young Republican Club takes no pleasure in announcing that it has voted to censure Council District 43 candidate Vito LaBella. LaBella lost the Republican primary, but he remains on the ballot under the Conservative Party. Rather than accept his loss like a man, LaBella has engaged in a spirited gaslighting campaign that aims to have his victor, Ying Tan, drop out. That cannot and will not happen.
LaBella’s behavior is dishonest, disingenuous, and disrespectful, and it must be roundly condemned. We take this decisive action despite the New York State Republican Party, the Brooklyn Republican Party, and their respective surrogates maintaining cowardly silence. Voters deserve better.
Earlier in the primary contest, both LaBella and Tan vied for the Club’s endorsement, and we interviewed both candidates as part of our endorsement protocol. LaBella committed during his interview to endorse Tan if she were to be victorious in the Republican primary. Evidently, he has reneged on that promise.
Ultimately, our Board voted not to endorse pre-primary since both LaBella and Tan are members of the Club. On Election Day, we encouraged all eligible registered voters to vote and issued a call for post-primary party unity. LaBella’s actions demonstrate total scorn for that noble value.
LaBella, as a member of the Club, is undermining the potential for a Republican candidate to win. He even issued a public ultimatum to Tan, tweeting: “If Ying cares about adding another GOP councilmember, she has until tomorrow to decline the line and give it to me.”
Mafia-like tactics in politics must be condemned. That is an action we undertake today, and it is one around which our Club’s mission has been centered since our incorporation in 1912.
A reminder to Chairs and party officials, including Ed Cox and Gerry Kassar: Competitive party primaries are welcome, especially for potential pick-up seats, but they should be conducted with the best interests of the party and community in mind, with sound principle and public spirit. Allowing two candidates to split the vote is unacceptable in a general election, especially in a potential pick-up district. Do your jobs.