JUST IN: Race To Fill Crucial House Seat Heats Up As New Candidate Emerges
The race to fill the soon to be vacant U.S. House seat currently occupied by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) — who has been nominated to serve as President-elect Trump’s U.N. ambassador — is starting to take shape.
New York State Senator Dan Stec, a Republican and Navy veteran, formally announced his candidacy to fill the seat that will have major implications on the balance of power in the House. A special election to replace Stefanik in the New York’s 21st Congressional District — which the Cook Partisan Voting Index currently grades as R+9 — will be held within 90 days after the congresswoman formally leaves office.
While Republicans are projected to hold the seat, it could be close as opposition parties tend to be galvanized for special elections.
Stec discusses district issues during an appearance on a local PBS affiliate
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On Christmas Eve, Stec formally announced his candidacy and argued that he is the right candidate to hold on in the potentially challenging race. “At the end of the day, it’s about representing the district, and for the last 12 years in Albany, I know what it means to represent the district and if I can do that in Albany I am certain I can do that in Washington,” Stec said in an interview with WWNY.
The North Country native, whose state senate district lies within Stefanik’s congressional district, argued that he is the best candidate for the job due to his name recognition in the area. “My argument is that I am the most electable. If we are concerned about holding this seat and the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, you want to put your most likely-to-win candidate forward and no one can compare the numbers like I do with how much of the district I already represent,” he said.
The Republican lawmaker also pointed to his his own election last month, when he secured north of 104,000 votes, in making his argument. This amounts to be about half of the total votes that Stefanik received in her own race, however.
“I am proud of my track record, my resume, and my principles. I don’t have any votes that I am embarrassed that I would have to explain like maybe someone from the other side of the aisle I have worked with would have to explain,” the Republican lawmaker added.
Stec is the latest candidate to enter a somewhat crowded field after Stefanik’s nomination. He joins Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino, a political outsider who build a 100 ft. “vote for Trump” sign in upstate New York ahead of the election. Constantino also announced that he will be self-funding his campaign and has pledged at least $2.6 million to the effort.
Additional candidates who have been rumored to be in consideration included state Assemblymen Robert Smullen and Christopher Tague; and Rensselaer County Executive Steven McLaughlin, according to a report from Fox News. Possible Democratic Party candidates include Assemblyman Billy Jones, whose state district falls just east of St. Lawrence County, as well as past unsuccessful challengers to Stefanik such as Matt Castelli and Paula Collins
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