Maloney Applies – Briefly – for State A.G. Job (Updated)

Among 16 initial candidates to succeed Schneiderman

By Liz Schevtchuk Armstrong

U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who represents the Highlands in Congress, toyed with pursuing the interim post as New York State attorney general, a position left vacant by the sudden resignation of Eric Schneiderman after allegations of sexual misconduct in his private life.

Maloney dropped out of the running on Monday (May 14), saying he thought the acting A.G., Barbara Underwood, who has applied to continue in the job through Dec. 31 but says she will not run for the post, was the best choice.

“She is a tremendously qualified candidate who could serve out the remainder of this term free of any political considerations,” he said in a statement.

After interviewing candidates in public hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday, a bipartisan committee sent its recommendation to the full Legislature.

The Candidates

01. Assemblyman Thomas J. Abinanti (Westchester County)
02. Lloyd Constantine (former advisor to Attorney General Eliot Spitzer)
03. Michael D. Diederich Jr. (attorney)
04. Jose W. Fernandez (former assistant Secretary of State)
05. Nicole Gueron (deputy trial counsel under Andrew Cuomo)
06. Elizabeth Holtzman (former U.S. representative)
07. Thomas Humbach (Rockland County Attorney, Republican candidate for job)
08. State Supreme Court Judge Doris Ling-Cohan
09. Assemblyman Daniel J. O’Donnell (Manhattan)
10. U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney
11. Mina Quinto Malik (former director of NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board)
12. Leecia Roberta Eve (Verizon executive, ran in 2006 for lieutenant governor)
13. Jennifer P. Stergion (attorney)
14. Barbara D. Underwood (acting attorney general; state solicitor general)
15. David Yassky (dean of Pace University School of Law)
16. Alex Zapesochny (attorney and CEO of iCardiac Technologies)

The attorney general position is one of the offices on the ballot in November. The New York State legislature could select an interim to fill the position or wait until November and appoint the election winner, who will serve a four-year term.

Maloney, a Democrat, said on May 14 he is “considering whether to run for the office.”

The congressman was among the 16 initial applicants for the job, according to a list released by the Legislature. He ran for state attorney general in 2006 but was third in the Democratic primary behind Mark Green and Andrew Cuomo, who won the general election and is now governor. Maloney was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012.

The attorney general’s office became vacant on May 7, when Schneiderman, also a Democrat, resigned. Underwood, the solicitor general, is handling the attorney general’s responsibilities.

Maloney has filed paperwork indicating he is running this year for his fourth term in the House. Earlier in his career, he served on the White House staff under President Bill Clinton and worked for two New York governors. He has an undergraduate degree in international relations and a law degree, both from the University of Virginia.

After Schneiderman’s resignation, Maloney said in a statement: “These allegations are horrific and inconsistent with the increasingly important job of New York Attorney General. New Yorkers should be able to count on the fact that the highest law enforcement official in our state does not engage in this type of conduct. Survivors of abuse are telling their stories, and it’s time for us to listen.”