Fossella mum on re-election run

WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Vito Fossella, R-N.Y., has not said if he will run for re-election, raising questions about his political future as he faces a drunk driving charge.

Fossella, who represents New York's Staten Island, was arrested in Virginia May 1. He has admitted he had been having an affair with the woman who posted his bail, Laura Fay, and that he and Fay have a 3-year-old daughter.

Fossella and his wife, Mary Pat, have three children.

The five-term representative's political future could be altered if he is convicted of the drunken driving charge since he would have to serve a mandatory five-day jail sentence, The New York Times reported Monday.

Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio has contacted Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan Jr. to discuss the possibility of his running should Fossella's seat become open.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has been a reliable source of campaign cash for Fossella, said he was uncertain whether he would support the congressman in a re-election campaign.

Stephen Harrison, a Brooklyn lawyer who was Fossella's Democratic challenger in 2006, said he hopes to run against him this year.

"If he decides to run, the people will decide in November if his recent behavior and revelations should disqualify him from continuing in office," Harrison said.