Mayoral candidate Tim Rudd may soon become a man without a party.
The Republican party will be holding a hearing Wednesday night on whether Rudd, his wife and his father are actually Republicans, a process allowed for under New York State election law.
Rudd, who is currently on paid leave as the city of Syracuse’s budget director, announced his candidacy for mayor on Jan. 16 as a “Republican In Name Only.” Some Republicans use the pejorative term to brand others within their party as liberal sympathizers.
He has said he switched parties to get on the ballot. In a recent podcast posted to Rudd’s YouTube, Rudd promised to enroll again as a Democrat if he were to win the race for mayor.
Rudd is a lifelong Democrat but registered as a Republican while announcing his candidacy.
“Changing my political affiliation does not change anything about me,” Rudd said as he publicly switched his voter registration.
Rudd trumpeting his intentions to run as a RINO drew the ire of the local GOP, triggering a hearing about Rudd’s un-Republican activities.
At the end of January, Republican James DiBlasi asked for the party to hold a hearing to determine whether Rudd, Rudd’s wife and his father are really Republicans. Such hearings are allowed for under New York state election law.
“Tim Rudd’s comments in his announcement make it clear his lifelong and continuing affinity to the Democratic Party and its values,” DiBlasi wrote. “Moreover, and even more egregious, Tim Rudd actually states that in registering as a Republican, he was doing so as a RINO, or a Republican In Name Only. The fact that he would affirmatively admit that he is a RINO means that he is not sympathetic to our party’s values and should not be allowed to enroll in our party simply to run for office.”
County party chair Joe Carni will hold the hearing Wednesday in front of the party’s executive committee. The process is rarely invoked and could begin the process of ousting Rudd from the party, Carni said.
Three ranking Republicans will evaluate if Rudd is, in Ryan’s words, “in sympathy with the party’s values,” or if his party affiliation is truly in name only.
Onondaga County Republican Committee chair Joe Carni and committee Vice Chairs Mike Todd and Joe Bick will hear Rudd plead his case for his Republican bona fides – but the budget director is facing an uphill battle.
“It’s hard to understand how he could make the statements that he’s made,” Carni said, “and possibly think that people on the committee would make the decision to support him.”
Rudd has said he supports positions held by Republicans like their stance against “good cause” eviction protections.
On Tuesday, the party rejected his bid for mayor, forcing Rudd to collect petition signatures to get on the party’s ballot
Kevin Ryan, the chair of the Republican party’s city committee, said it is “unlikely” Rudd will become the party’s nominee, citing what he viewed as Rudd’s anti-Republican statements, which Ryan said insulted many within the local party.
“What’s most damning is his own words,” Ryan said. “He brags about becoming a Republican simply to run for mayor, and (says) there’s not a thing we can do to stop him.”
Rudd remains optimistic about his chances to remain in the party.
“I think in the end, he will trust me enough to get over any feelings he has at the moment about not having the full conversation,” Rudd said at his campaign announcement.
In the weeks since that announcement, Rudd has not garnered that trust.
“If he wanted to earnestly be a Republican,” Ryan said. “He wouldn’t be bragging about switching back to become a Democrat after winning the election.”
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