Vito Fossella

1994: City Council special election (won)

Fossella's first campaign was a special election held on April 26, 1994, for a vacant Staten Island seat on the New York City Council. Running as a Republican, he defeated Democrat Jerome O'Donovan with about 58 percent of the vote, amid low turnout of roughly 15 percent 1. The win launched his elected career in a borough trending Republican.

1997: Congressional special election (won)

When Representative Susan Molinari resigned her Staten Island congressional seat, Fossella won the special election to fill the vacancy. His official service began on November 4, 1997 2. The victory sent him to Washington as the representative for New York's 13th Congressional District.

1998 to 2006: congressional re-elections (won)

Fossella was re-elected to five successive Congresses, serving six terms in total 3. For most of these races, he won comfortably in a district that leaned Republican, though he faced a more competitive contest in 2006 as national Democratic gains and a targeted challenge made his seat a focus 4. He remained the only Republican member of Congress from New York City throughout his tenure 2.

2008: The race that did not happen

Fossella had shown some signs of preparing to run for another term in 2008, including appearances at Staten Island political events 5. But following his May 1, 2008, DUI arrest and the subsequent revelation of his second family, he announced on May 20, 2008, that he would not seek re-election 6. His exit opened the seat, which Democrat Michael McMahon won that November, ending the Republican hold on the district 2.

2009 to 2020: out of electoral politics

Fossella did not run for office for more than a decade after leaving Congress, working in the private sector and maintaining a low political profile while staying connected to Staten Island Republican circles 7.

2021: The borough president comeback

Fossella announced his candidacy for Staten Island Borough President in March 2021, entering a competitive Republican primary to succeed term-limited incumbent James Oddo 8.

The primary. The June 22, 2021, Republican primary used ranked-choice voting and featured a strong field, including Council Member Steven Matteo, who had the backing of the borough's Republican organization and police unions, and former Staten Island GOP chair Leticia Remauro 9. Fossella initially trailed but advanced through the ranked-choice rounds, ultimately winning the final round by a narrow margin over Matteo, just a few hundred votes 10. A late endorsement from former President Donald Trump on June 19, 2021, was widely credited with boosting his campaign at a decisive moment 11.

The general election. In the November 2, 2021 general election, Fossella defeated Democrat Mark Murphy, along with Leticia Remauro (running on the Conservative line) and Michael Maffeo, winning the borough presidency 12. The contest was decided by ranked-choice voting, with Murphy as the final-round runner-up 12. Fossella's win, despite the lingering shadow of the 2008 scandal, was powered by Staten Island's Republican lean, Trump's endorsement, and additional backing, including from the borough's daily newspaper and Rudy Giuliani 11. He took office on January 1, 2022, completing a comeback more than a decade in the making.

2025: Re-election (won)

Fossella sought a second term as Borough President in 2025. He won the November 4, 2025, general election, defeating Democrat Michael Colombo 13. The race was not closely competitive in Republican-leaning Staten Island, and Fossella's victory was part of a cycle in which all four other incumbent borough presidents who sought re-election also won 14. His win maintained the Republican hold on the office that the party has kept for four decades. His current term runs through January 1, 2030 13.

Fundraising and campaign profile

Detailed fundraising figures for Fossella's campaigns were not available in the research underlying this piece, and his 2021 campaign drew some local scrutiny over spending and financial disclosures (addressed in the controversies section).

His campaigns have generally run on his record, his Staten Island roots, and, in 2021, the Trump endorsement, in a borough where Republican turnout and identity are decisive.

Electoral pattern and analysis

Fossella's electoral record divides cleanly into two eras. In the first, he climbed steadily, a City Council special election, a congressional special election, and five re-elections, as a Republican in a Republican-friendly district, with his only serious threat coming in 2006. That era ended not at the ballot box but through scandal in 2008. In the second era, his 2021 comeback demonstrated both the strength of Staten Island's Republican machine and the decisive power of a Trump endorsement, carrying him past a well-organized primary rival and the lingering scandal to reclaim elected office. His uncompetitive 2025 re-election confirmed his consolidation of the borough presidency.

The throughline is that Fossella has been a consistent winner in Staten Island's Republican-leaning environment, with the singular interruption of the 2008 scandal. His career illustrates both the durability of the borough's GOP and the capacity of a personal scandal to be overcome in a sufficiently favorable partisan setting.

Summary of electoral results

1994 City Council (51st District) special election: won (over Jerome O'Donovan).

1997 U.S. House (NY-13) special election: won (succeeding Susan Molinari).

1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 U.S. House: won (re-elections; 2006 competitive).

2008: did not seek re-election following the DUI arrest and scandal.

2021 Staten Island Borough President: won (GOP primary over Steven Matteo and others; general over Mark Murphy and others).

2025 Staten Island Borough President: won (re-election over Michael Colombo); term through January 1, 2030.