Michael Grimm and Dan Donovan take up a lot of oxygen, but six other men are looking to become Staten Island's next congressman: Zach Emig, Radhakrishna Mohan, Paul Sperling, Max Rose, Omar Vaid, and Michael DeVito.

The six candidates took the stage at Wagner College on Wednesday night, touting their backgrounds and platforms. Most observers might say there is not much daylight between them in terms of policy:

"That's what a 'sanctuary city' is, and I stand with them," Emig said on the stage.



"I really like 'sanctuary cities'," Mohan said.



"I am committed to 'sanctuary cities,'" said Sperling.

But it's Max Rose who's drawn the most attention. He has raised more money than anyone else, and he has the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

A sign he may be ahead, Rose drew attention from the other challengers on stage.

"Max Rose has signed a fundraising agreement with Joe Crowley," DeVito said. "That's where the money comes from."

"If you want to talk about fundraising, let's talk about how I have raised more in this district than every other person on this stage combined," Rose said.

Rose, like some of the others on the stage, is new to the district and Staten Island. He moved there in 2015.

"There are candidates on this stage, like Max and Omar, they weren't even living on Staten Island when [Hurricane] Sandy happened," said Sperling. "If you haven't been living on Staten Island that long, I don't know if you're qualified to be in this race."

"I'm sorry I wasn't here; I was training to get ready to go to Afghanistan," Rose responded.

Over the past few years, Democrats have had a difficult time finding a viable candidate for New York's 11th Congressional district. All of the candidates hope this year will be different.