Political Update
February 15th, 2018
Senator John DeFrancisco Announces Run for Governor
State Senator John DeFrancisco (R-DeWitt) announced that he will run for Governor this fall. He said that he will make the state’s economy the centerpiece of his campaign, highlighting what he views as the poor record of two-term incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo.
DeFrancisco has served in the State Senate since 1993. A practicing attorney, he previously served on the Syracuse School Board and the Syracuse Common Council. He has about $1.4 million in his campaign account.
Governor Calls Special Elections for April 24th
Gov. Cuomo has set April 24th as the date for special elections to fill nine vacant Assembly seats and two vacant Senate seats.
Most of these races are expected to be won easily by a candidate from the party that previously held the seat. But the race for the 37th State Senate District, which includes parts of Yonkers, White Plains, the Sound Shore communities, North Castle and Bedford, is expected to be competitive and high profile.
Killian Enters Race for 37th State Senate Seat
On Wednesday, Westchester Republicans nominated former Rye city councilwoman Julie Killian to run for the vacant 37th State Senate seat.
Killian has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Notre Dame and an MBA in finance from NYU. She spent six years on the Rye City Council and had a career in the financial industry. She ran for the seat in 2016, but was defeated by George Latimer, who has since become Westchester County Executive.
Kolb Drops Bid for Governor
On Friday, Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb (R-Canandaigua) announced that he is dropping out of the race for Governor. His decision leaves State Senator John DeFrancisco and former Erie County Executive Joel Giambra as the only two declared candidates in the race.
Republican Challenger for US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Last week, state GOP fundraiser Chele Chiavacci Farley announced that she will challenge Democratic U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. A veteran of the financial services industry, she has never run for public office before. (Watch her launch video here.)
She said that her top priority will be recapturing the more than $40 billion more in taxes that New Yorkers send to Washington than they receive back in services each year, and reinvest any additional federal money the state receives in roads, bridges and the New York City transit system.