Republican county chairs in New York's 26th District have chosen Assemblywoman Jane Corwin as their nominee in a yet-to-be-set special election to succeed former Rep. Chris Lee.
The married congressman resigned Feb. 9 after a report that he had replied to a Craigslist personal ad with a shirtless muscle photo.
The married congressman resigned Feb. 9 after a report that he had replied to a Craigslist personal ad with a shirtless muscle photo.
Corwin, who quickly racked up support from other would-be candidates after Lee's resignation, was picked from eight potential candidates that county chairs interviewed over the past week. A wealthy businesswoman, Corwin has indicated she's willing to spend as much as necessary in what could be a costly race.
"I am humbled to receive the support of Western New York's Republican leadership and I thank them for conducting this process in an open, fair and comprehensive manner considering the time constraints," Corwin said in a statement.
Corwin made sure to highlight her conservative bona fides in the statement, a signal that she's anticipating support from the Conservative Party. A split between the Republican and Conservative parties cost the GOP a seat in a 2009 special election in New York's 23rd District. Corwin won the Conservative party line in her state Assembly campaign.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, in a statement, called her a "strong conservative candidate."
"As the 2nd most conservative member of the New York State Assembly in rankings by the New York State Conservative Party and the #1 Legislator in scoring by Unshackle Upstate, a New York reform organization, I know we need to slash federal spending, balance the budget, end the bailouts, take leftover money from the Obama stimulus package to pay down the deficit and support repealing Obamacare," said Corwin. But there is evidence some on the right may not be as quick to embrace Corwin. Local Tea Party groups were critical of the GOP chairs' swift moves to choose a nominee, preferring Iraq war veteran and author David Bellavia, who also lost to Lee in 2008 for the Republican nomination. Another past point that could prove problematic in a special election--in a 2008 Project Vote Smart survey, Corwin indicated support for the statement that "Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy." While the Western New York district leans Republican, Democrats aren't staying on the sidelines, and a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee staffer visited the district last week to meet with county chairs and potential candidates. Local Democrats haven't yet set out a timetable to select their nominee. Once Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) officially recognizes the vacancy, a special election must be held within 30 and 45 days.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/hotlineoncall/2011/02/corwin-wins-gop-nod-in-ny-26-special-21
"I am humbled to receive the support of Western New York's Republican leadership and I thank them for conducting this process in an open, fair and comprehensive manner considering the time constraints," Corwin said in a statement.
Corwin made sure to highlight her conservative bona fides in the statement, a signal that she's anticipating support from the Conservative Party. A split between the Republican and Conservative parties cost the GOP a seat in a 2009 special election in New York's 23rd District. Corwin won the Conservative party line in her state Assembly campaign.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, in a statement, called her a "strong conservative candidate."
"As the 2nd most conservative member of the New York State Assembly in rankings by the New York State Conservative Party and the #1 Legislator in scoring by Unshackle Upstate, a New York reform organization, I know we need to slash federal spending, balance the budget, end the bailouts, take leftover money from the Obama stimulus package to pay down the deficit and support repealing Obamacare," said Corwin. But there is evidence some on the right may not be as quick to embrace Corwin. Local Tea Party groups were critical of the GOP chairs' swift moves to choose a nominee, preferring Iraq war veteran and author David Bellavia, who also lost to Lee in 2008 for the Republican nomination. Another past point that could prove problematic in a special election--in a 2008 Project Vote Smart survey, Corwin indicated support for the statement that "Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy." While the Western New York district leans Republican, Democrats aren't staying on the sidelines, and a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee staffer visited the district last week to meet with county chairs and potential candidates. Local Democrats haven't yet set out a timetable to select their nominee. Once Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) officially recognizes the vacancy, a special election must be held within 30 and 45 days.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/hotlineoncall/2011/02/corwin-wins-gop-nod-in-ny-26-special-21