Congressional District NY-26

NY-26 Congressional DistrictWith the retirement of Republican Congressman Tom Reynolds, New York’s 26th Congressional District has become one of the top open seats in the country. Over the last 10 years or so the region has lost much of its manufacturing base and suffered high unemployment. Though the district is conservative, voters are looking for a change.

Bush won the district handily in 2004 and Reynolds won the seat in 2002 with a large majority. It was considered safe Republican until Jack Davis gave incumbent Reynolds a scare in 2004 and then narrowed the gap to 52% to 48% in a 2006 rematch. This year, the district is on everybody’s watch list.

The district encompasses part or all of seven primarily rural and suburban counties in the Western end of the state. The district’s eastern edge lies on the outskirts of Buffalo, and it runs into Monroe and Livingston counties in the west. Its northern border is less than 20 miles from Lake Ontario.

The voter registration is 31.9% Democrat, 40.4% Republican. These numbers are a bit misleading as 6.5% of voters are scattered across the Conservative, Working Families, Green, and Libertarian parties. In addition, 21.2% of registered voters are not affiliated with any party.

Reynolds announced in March 2008 that he would be retiring from office and would not seek an additional term. Scandal has swirled around Reynolds for his handling of the Mark Foley/page incident as well as revelations that a former accountant for the National Republican Congressional Committee allegedly embezzled almost $1 million while Reynolds was the head of the organization.

Davis, who is the founder and owner of the largest U.S. manufacturer of silicon carbide heating elements, has thrown his hat in the ring again. His lawsuit contesting the so-called “millionaires amendment” resulted in the Supreme Court overturning the law. However, Davis has a reputation for eccentricity and will have a difficult time winning the Democratic nomination despite his deep pockets.

This year, he has stiff primary challengers. In particular, Jon Powers, an Iraqi war vet, has put together an impressive campaign. Powers is the choice of the DCCC, most of the local Democratic parties and the blogosphere, where he is part of DailyKos Orange-to-Blue program. He currently has raised over $870,000 and has almost $500,000 cash on hand.

In addition to Powers and Davis, Alice Kryzan a Buffalo attorney and Kathy Konst, a state legislator and CEO of the Lancaster Area Chamber of Commerce, are also seeking the nomination. Multi-millionaire Christopher Lee is the only Republican still in the race.

The primary is set for Tuesday, September 9.