PISS POOR SHOWING
Controversial Youtuber ends his bid for congress
Internet prankster Joey Saladino — known as Joey Salads — dropped out of the District 11 Congressional race on Dec. 13.
Photo courtesy of Joey Salads
COURIER LIFE, DECEMBER 20-26, 2019 5
BY ROSE ADAMS
Joey Saladino — a controversial
Youtuber known for urinating into
his own mouth — has ended his bid
for southern Brooklyn’s congressional
seat to back a fellow Republican
candidate, he announced on Thursday.
“Six months ago, there were no
true Conservative / Pro-Trump candidates
running in NY-11. Gun grabber,
Never-Trump Nicole Malliotakis
was the only option- and that was just
unacceptable to me,” Saladino wrote
in a Facebook post. “But in the last
month, that has changed. A new candidate
decided to join the race, Joe
Caldarera.”
The 26-year-old internet personality
announced his bid for the congressional
seat — which encompasses
part of southern Brooklyn and Staten
Island — in May, and spent the last
several months drawing heated opinions
for his outrageous social media
stunts.
For example, the Youtube prankster
— who goes by the name “Joey
Salads” online — staged a viral video
in October when he attended a Bernie
Sanders rally in Queens, and
confronting attendees about whether
they would house an undocumented
immigrant.
Saladino has also been recorded
donning a Nazi outfi t — complete with
numerous swastikas — for a “prank.”
But most infamously, Saladino
went viral for peeing into his mouth
for a provocative internet video —
although he claims he “never swallowed.”
But his political fun came to an end
on Dec. 13, when Saladino announced
that he’d drop out of the race to back
former Brooklyn prosecutor Joe Caldarera
— a fellow Staten Islander
whose values align closely with Saladino’s,
according to Saladino’s campaign
manager.
“Both of them are young south
shore guys. They’re both Italian Catholics,”
said Adam Kordeniwski. “Just
looking at it, it would’ve split the vote
too much.”
Caldarera — a staunch Republican
and Trump supporter — didn’t respond
to comment on whether or not
he welcomed Saladino’s endorsement,
but Saladino’s aide said the internet
star’s infamy is undoubtedly an asset
for any campaign.
“There’s this attitude in politics
that controversies are bad, but
he’s used it to his advantage,” said
Kordeniwski. “You have to have a
little bit of an edge on you in order to
stay in the news.”
Saladino’s exit from the June 2020
Republican primary campaign leaves
Caldarera to face Assemblywoman
Nicole Malliotakis for the party nod
to run in the 11th District’s general
election.
The District is currently represented
by Congressman Max Rose, a
Democrat who won the seat in 2018
during a wave election for the leftleaning
party. Prior to that election,
the area was solidly Republican —
having voted heavily for Donald
Trump in the 2016 Presidential election.
As a whole, Staten Island has only
sent two Democrats to congress in the
last 30 years — including Rose.
Whoever wins the Republican
nomination will face-off against Rose
in Nov. 3, 2020 — on the same day that
Americans vote for President.
The District 11 race continued
to heat up on Friday, when Rose announced
his support for the impeachment
of President Trump — after
initially hesitating to support the impeachment
inquiry.
“A President coercing a foreign
government into targeting American
citizens is not just another example
of scorched earth politics, it serves
as an invitation to the enemies of the
United States to come after any citizen,
so long as they disagree with the
President,” Rose said in a statement.
The position caused a new wave of
outrage among the district’s Republicans,
who used the stance to align
Rose with Democratic-Socialist candidates
like Vermont Senator Bernie
Sanders and fellow New York City
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“His words send a clear message to
Staten Island and southern Brooklyn
& next November we’ll send a clear
message back by voting for Donald
Trump & sending Rose packing,”
tweeted Malliotakis.