A chip off the old Stish?
Here's a political teaser: is Judith Stish Guiliani, wife of former New York mayor and Republican presidential hopeful Rudolph Guiliani, a relative of former Pennsylvania state Rep. Tom Stish? The one whose switch from Democrat to Republican after the 1994 elections gave the Republicans control of the Pennsylvania House by one vote? The one whose name became a political noun, as in, do a Stish? Who is execrated by the Democratic leadership even today?
Judi Guiliani grew up Judi Stish in an Italian-American family in Hazleton, Pa., also the hometown and political base of Tom Stish. Her father is Donald Stish, Sr., one of three Stish brothers in Hazleton, the others being Richard and John Stish. A fourth brother, Frank, now deceased, lived in South Carolina, and a fifth, Robert, lives in New Jersey. All are sons of the late Frank Stish, Sr., of Hazleton. As the New York Times notes in its article about Mrs. Guiliani today, Stish is an Americanized version of Sticia. It's hard to imagine that Tom Stish isn't related to Judi Stish Guiliani.
Stish didn't last long as a Republican. His hometown voters threw him out pretty quickly, and he has said to have left the state. But the damage was done and the Democrats didn't regain control of the House until 2006.
It's not like the Pennsyvlania Democrats will need any motivation to oppose the Republican presidential nominee in 2008, whether it's Guiliani or Mitt Romney, or Fred Thompson. But when the Democratic nominee stops in Hazleton, Pa., to condemn the Republican mayor and city council's misguided and costly attempt this year to ban rentals of housing to illegal immigrants (the ordinance was just thrown out by a federal judge), it will certainly add a little zing.
Can anyone out there add any more details on the family ties? I'll update as I learn more.