In less than a week, Congressman Vito Fossella has gone from being a crippled political ship – to an overnight political anti-hero.

Fossella, who was spurned by his GOP leadership after a DUI arrest revealed his double life with an Alexandria, Virgina, mistress with whom he fathered a 3-year-old daughter – was greeted with roars of cheers and applause at a Staten Island Conservative Party gala just last night.

Fossella reportedly walked into the room, worked the tables at the Staten Island banquet hall for roughly 20 minutes, then left – reports the New York Post.

One Democrat reportedly saying: ‘this guy’s got balls.‘

This all comes on the heels of Vito publicly denying speculation he would resign – despite calls from his hometown paper, the Staten Island Advance.

The only two potential Democratic primary rivals for the 13th district seat were Bay Ridge attorney Steven Harrison, and NYC Councilman Domenic Recchia – until now.

With Democrats seeing blood for the first time since Fossella’s series of scandalous confessions, local and national Democrats see an opportunity to take the only remaining republican district in NYC since 1975, and will likely be running everyone, including your grandmother, in a primary election for this fall’s contest.

A recent endorsement vote by Brooklyn Democrats for change was 25-25 Harrison/Recchia, many party members still aren’t confident Harrision has enough money (or enough Italian in him) to win the seat for democrats this fall; even tho Harrison gave democrats one of the closest challenges to the district seat in ‘06 when he came within 14 points of the Republican incumbent.

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