The sitting Congressman voiced his support for gun control in the wake of Buffalo and Uvalde
NY State Republicans firmly objected, threatened primary battles
Businessman and ex-Gubenatorial candidate Carl Paladino may seek the seat in Congress
By Andrew Harris
The press conference held today by Congressman Chris Jacobs was the end of a eleven day campaign. In a show of how fragile political power can be, Jacobs went to the party favorite to an outcast in just six days. That started when Jacobs, clearly shaken by the two recent shootings(one of which was in his district,) announced that he would support a federal ban on assault weapons.
In a matter of minutes that policy change might have been the end of Jacobs political career. State GOP leaders demanded he abandon his pursuit of the US 23rd seat in Congress and threatened to run primary elections if necessary. As we reported this morning, NY State Senator George Borrello officially withdrew his support for Jacobs candidacy.
Before Jacobs had even officially exited the race, Buffalo businessman and Republican political activist Carl Paladino said he would throw his hat in the race if Jacobs bowed out.
Paladino, who has strong ties to Wellsville in business and family, has run twice for NYS Governor and recently won election to the Buffalo City School Board. That public service was brief. NYS removed Paladino from the school board for misconduct and the public was outraged by this comment about then First Lady Michelle Obama. Read more here from the Times Union.
NY State Senator George Borrello, who had expressed interest in the seat in Congress before endorsing, the removing the endorsement of Jacobs. Steuben County GOP chief Sempolinski has also voice his potential candidacy in recent months, promising to run in the upcoming special election which would complete the term of former Congressman Tom Reed.
NYS Election officials released the upcoming calendar for state primary elections and we expect plenty of news next week about the every changing political landscape of the newly formed 23rd Congressional district.