There are four Rudolphs in the Giuliani family, two of whom went into politics.
Rudolph W. L. “Rudy” Giuliani served as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, and has been nicknamed “America’s Mayor.”
Rudolph S. Giuliani, a second cousin, is cutting out a life in politics for himself, currently serving as chief-of-staff for Councilmember Eric Ulrich.
Ulrich is set to face off on September 13 in a primary against Juan Reyes, to see who will run as the Republican candidate for the 15th State Senate district. The twist: Reyes is a former staffer for Rudy Giuliani.
Reyes served several positions in Mayor Giuliani’s second administration. He was a deputy general counsel for the Department of Youth Services, then a counsel in the Office of the Mayor and lastly, a general counsel at the Board of Standards and Appeals.
The younger Giuliani, who is working for Ulrich, said that neither he, nor his mother, who worked in the mayor’s office, had ever even heard of Reyes until he announced his candidacy.
He went on to say that Reyes’ highlighting his tenure in the administration made it seem as if he had the support of former Mayor Giuliani, who now works in the private sector. He added that few people he knew had heard of Reyes before announcing he was running.
“It gives this illusion that he might have Rudy’s support,” he said.
At the same time, Reyes said he was unaware that his former boss’ cousin was on Ulrich’s staff.
Reyes said he idolized his former boss, and worked for Mayor Giuliani because he believed in him.
“I’m very loyal to him,” he said, “and I’m proud that I worked for him.”
The former counselor to the mayor said that Giuliani had always been supportive of him and that he wanted to run with the inspiration he received from his boss.
“He was always very supportive,” Reyes said. “I’m just better for what he did.”
Former Mayor Giuliani has currently stayed out of endorsing either candidate, both sides have said.
The race has already received notoriety for being a rare Republican primary, and has included harsh words on each side. A Reyes mailer alleged that Ulrich had been a handpicked selection by Republican party bosses. A few weeks later, the Ulrich campaign said Reyes had not even voted for Giuliani for re-election in 1997.
