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Vito Fossella is the political comeback kid, easily winning the race for Staten Island borough president Tuesday — more than a decade after scandal derailed his career.
The seven-term Republican congressman opted not to seek re-election for his House seat in 2008 after a drunk-driving bust in Virginia revealed he was quietly keeping a second family.
But that’s apparently all in the past. Fossella reconciled with his wife, Mary Pat, and voters in the city’s most conservative borough gave him a second chance, too.
Aided with the help of a crucial endorsement from former President Donald Trump, Fossella narrowly defeated Councilman Steve Matteo in June’s Republican primary.
Fossella defeated Democrat lawyer Mark Murphy and Leticia Remauro, the Conservative Party candidate.
With more than 80 percent of the vote in, Fossella romped nearly two-to-one, with 60 percent or 17,268 votes to 31 percent or 8,993 votes for Murphy. Remauro received 2,239 votes or 7 percent.
Murphy is the son of ex-Rep. John Murphy, who was convicted in the infamous Abscam sting operation in the 1970s.
Remauro is a former chairwoman of the island Republican Party and analysts wondered if she would siphon enough votes from the well-known Fossella to play spoiler and tilt the race to Murphy.
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