Freshman Assemblyman Greg Ball has announced that he will not challenge Freshman Rep. John Hall in next year's race for the 19th Congressional seat. At this point, it looks as if the GOP may be stuck with Kieran Michael Lalor's long shot run at the seat. Will the race for NY-19 be a snooze? It's sure starting to look that way.
Freshman state Assemblyman Greg Ball will run for re-election in 2008 and not for Congress, as he had speculated during the past few weeks.
Ball, who defeated longtime Republican Assemblyman Willis Stephens in a primary last year and then went on to best Democrat Ken Harper in the November election, wants another two-year term in Albany.
"A little over a year ago I was elected in a grassroots upset that sent a clear message to the good old boys in Albany and back home. Since my election victory, we have made extraordinary progress by elevating the debate on tough issues like taxes, illegal immigration and dysfunction in Albany. On all of these fronts, and more, we are making a substantial difference and I absolutely love being the assemblyman," said Ball, R-Carmel, in a statement.
Ball had considered running for New York's 19th Congressional District seat, which is currently held by U.S. Rep. John Hall, D-Dover Plains. He even traveled to Washington shortly before Christmas to meet with the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Ball didn't immediately return a telephone call seeking further comment.
So far, Kieran Michael Lalor of Peekskill is the only Republican to announce a bid against Hall.
I've always thought that Hall holds this seat no matter who the GOP decided to run. Now his seat looks like a pretty solid keeper.
