Democrats in New York’s 29 Congressional District, formerly held by ex-Rep. Eric Massa (D), have announced that they have a candidate to succeed him — but they’re not saying who it is just yet. (Late Update: Democrats have selected Matthew Zeller, a 28-year old Rochester native and veteran of Afghanistan.)
The local Democratic chairs put out a statement that they had arrived at a “consensus candidate” for the race, “and that candidate will announce his/her candidacy next week.” Republicans have already rallied around Corning Mayor Tom Reed in the race to succeed Massa, who resigned last month in the midst of an alleged sexual harassment scandal.
Adding to the mystery game-show quality of this election is that the date itself has not been determined. Gov. David Paterson’s (D) office has floated the idea that the election could be delayed all the way until this September’s regularly-scheduled primary, due to financial issues. In their statement, the Dem chairs also voiced these concerns: “It’s clear that a special election would prove to be very expensive, particularly considering so many counties in the 29th district are already struggling financially.”
Here is the full statement:
29th District Democratic County Chairs Statement on District’s Vacant Congressional Seat
Hornell, NY - The Democratic County Chairs from across the 29th district issued the following statement this evening on the district’s vacant Congressional seat:
“In recent weeks we’ve been fortunate to have many qualified candidates express interest in serving Southern Tier/Finger Lakes New York in Congress. All the candidates we interviewed would serve Western New York well with a strong commitment to creating jobs and getting our economy back on track.
“It’s clear that a special election would prove to be very expensive, particularly considering so many counties in the 29th district are already struggling financially. Similarly, we cannot disenfranchise military voters who are currently serving overseas; we must take appropriate steps to make sure their votes are counted. Governor Paterson is rightfully taking these concerns into consideration and we believe he will make a decision that reflects what’s best for Southern Tier/Finger Lakes New York.
“We will continue to work with local leaders to lay the groundwork for what will be a hard fought campaign against Republican Tom Reed, and we are confident that we’ll hold on to this seat this year.”
With all this being said we have reached a decision on a consensus candidate and that candidate will announce his/her candidacy next week.
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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