The Prosecutor At The Center Of The Eric Garner Case Is Considering A Congressional Bid
Grimm pleaded guilty to a felony tax evasion charge last week and subsequently announced his intent to resign on Monday night. Donovan, a Republican, said his phone "has been ringing off the hook" since then.
"I am deeply flattered by the enthusiastic expressions of support I have received over the last 12 hours, and I am very seriously considering the race. I will make an announcement after the due deliberation such an important decision deserves," Donovan said Tuesday morning in a statement from his office.
Donovan made national headlines after a local grand jury dismissed his office's charges against the white police officer who was videotaped placing Eric Garner, an unarmed African-American man, in an apparent chokehold last summer. Garner died during the arrest and the grand jury's decision in early December touched off intense protests in New York and across the country.
Both parties are expected to mount special election campaigns for Grimm's district, which is traditionally Republican but was won by President Barack Obama in 2012. Other potential candidates include former Rep. Vito Fossella (R-New York), GOP Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, Democratic Assemblyman Mike Cusick, and former Rep. Mike McMahon (D-New York), whom Grimm unseated in 2010.
In New York, special elections do not have party primaries and a local group of party insiders select their nominees. A source previously told Business Insider that Donovan would have "the immediate support" of the Staten Island GOP and, according to a New York Observer report Monday night, Donovan has been laying the groundwork for a bid.
"Dan is almost certainly in and is lining up his support," a source close to the Staten Island Republican Party told the Observer. "He will probably emerge as the clear front-runner for the party's support."
Grimm's resignation takes effect Jan. 5.
Updated (10:56 a.m.): With additional context for the race.