SD-61: Bruno Begs Rath To Stay, Rath Declines

by: phillip anderson

Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 08:41:43 AM EST

The prospect of a Democratic takeover prompted Republicans to publicly close ranks around embattled Republican Senate Leader Joseph Bruno and privately pressure current members to run again in November.

Even veteran Sen. Mary Lou Rath, R-Amherst, was asked to reconsider her decision to retire at year's end, some officials said. She still plans to retire, a spokesman said.

Sorry, Joe.

UPDATE: More on this from the Buffalo News:

But Rath said later Wednesday those efforts should cease. "It's flattering, of course," she said of the outreach by Republicans. "But it's time for me to take up some other challenges."

Rath said she was concerned about Democrats taking over the Senate - and, thereby, every level of state government - but would not run again to represent the district that spreads eastward from the Town of Tonawanda into Genesee County.

Her decision will generate even more pressure on Assemblyman James P. Hayes, R-Amherst, who recently said he will not seek the seat even though he has been eyeing it for years. Republicans say party leaders across the state will try to persuade Hayes to run because he is the one Republican with strong name recognition across a large part of the district.

But Hayes showed no signs of rethinking his plans.

"Nothing's changed in my mind - I'm looking forward to running for re-election," he said.

No thanks and no thanks. Ouch.

SD-60 & SD-61: More on Mesi and the race to replace Rath; Thompson to face primary challenge

by: robert.harding

Mon Feb 18, 2008 at 19:52:28 PM EST

As a result, the Rath retirement means "there will be blood."

"It will be unlike anything we've ever seen here," said Erie County Republican Chairman Jim Domagalski. "Some of the [money] numbers I'm hearing are breathtaking."

And last week, just to make the situation even more interesting, Baby Joe Mesi leaps into the political ring in his most spectacular entrance since those flaming special effects at HSBC Arena. If Mesi makes the move, he brings instant name recognition and the network of former Erie County Democratic Chairman Steve Pigeon, his political godfather.

Mesi will be meeting with the Genesee County Democrats this week. The significance of that is unknown. He is still in the exploratory steps of the campaign. Meanwhile, Dan Ward and Michele Iannello are the two official candidates on the Democratic side.

The Republican side will be very interesting, especially since the district is a Republican stronghold. Assemblyman Jim Hayes is out of the race, which took away the top Republican contender in this race. Possible contenders include Barry Weinstein, Nick Sinatra and Mike Ranzenhofer.

Also, in SD-60, Sen. Antoine Thompson will face a primary challenger in Buffalo attorney Mark Grisanti.

Both races will be intriguing. Should be fun for Western New Yorkers to watch.  

SD-61: Since Rath retirement, several candidates are possible replacements

by: robert.harding

Tue Jan 29, 2008 at 16:58:33 PM EST

The succession race was already on Monday. Most Republicans give the early edge to Assemblyman James Hayes of Amherst, who has long eyed the Rath seat. But he said Monday his "total focus" right now is his current job as the ranking Republican on the Assembly Ways and Means Committee - which makes him the point person for Assembly Republicans in deciphering and critiquing Spitzer's 2008 budget proposal.

A couple of years ago, it would have been a slam dunk decision for Hayes. But with the Democrats threatening to take over the Senate, will it make sense for him to leave a senior position he has in the Assembly GOP to try for a Senate seat he could lose and for a legislative chamber that could turn Democratic?

"He'll be a very strong contender; I am hopeful he'll be our candidate," Bruno said.

Other Republicans mentioned include Michael Ranzenhofer, a county legislator from Amherst, and Dr. Barry Weinstein, a former minority leader in the County Legislature and now an Amherst Town Board member.

On the Democratic side, Dan Ward, a former county legislator and former Amherst supervisor who also unsuccessfully ran for county executive, quickly announced his candidacy Monday.

In a possibly interesting family twist, Ward's sister-in-law, Erie County Legislator Michelle Iannello said she also is possibly interested.

So, too, is former Amherst Supervisor Susan Grelick, who answered a question about her possible candidacy by checking off her childhood in Kenmore, her involvement in the issues and a long listing of her involvement with local civic and cultural groups. "I definitely will look at it," she said.

One person who won't be running, Rath said, is her son, Edward Rath III, who was recently elected to the County Legislature.

It's interesting to note that Rath's son is out of the running. He was seen, at one point, as the heir to that State Senate seat. Now, it seems the GOP will be looking elsewhere.

Two candidates on the Democratic side that I know of who are considering a run are Iannello and Ward. Iannello, according to my Genesee County Democratic sources, is a very strong candidate and seems well prepared about a possible run in the 61st. Ward also hopes to meet with the Genesee County Dems to talk about a possible run as well.

The early favorite on the Republican side seems to be Hayes. There's also speculation that Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-C-I, Batavia) may also be eyeing the seat.

This will be interesting. I'll have more of an analysis later.  

SD-61: Bruno On Rath's Retirement

by: phillip anderson

Tue Jan 29, 2008 at 08:44:47 AM EST

Republican Senator to Retire

State Senator Mary Lou Rath, a Republican from Erie County, plans to retire, her staff said on Monday. It is the latest blow to the party's efforts to hold its two-seat majority.

Senator James W. Wright, another upstate Republican, resigned this month. His seat will be filled through a special election on Feb. 26.

"I am sorry to see Senator Rath leave. She is one of the best senators in the state," said the majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno. "That's a Republican seat; we'll be O.K. We have a depth of people behind her."

Mr. Bruno said that Assemblyman James Hayes, a Republican from Amherst, would be "a very strong contender" to replace Ms. Rath. Lynn M. Marinelli, the chairwoman of the Erie County Legislature, is considered a leading Democratic contender.

The DSCC's Doug Forand had this to say:

Doug Forand, a political strategist for the Senate Democrats, said of Ms. Rath's district: "The numbers are Republican, though the margin has been narrowing in recent years. This would be a tough race, but probably not unwinnable."

Sounds about right to me.

SD-61: Buffalo News article on Rath's retirement

by: robert.harding

Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 14:29:07 PM EST

State Sen. Mary Lou Rath of Williamsville says she will not seek re-election this year to represent her Republican-leaning 61st District for another two years.

Her decision makes the 61st District election one to watch this year. Republicans control the Senate 33-29. With a swing of only two seats, Democrats will be able to take the house with the tie-breaking votes cast by the lieutenant governor.

Rath in 1993 became the first woman elected to her Senate district, which includes part of the City of Tonawanda, the towns of Tonawanda, Amherst, Clarence and Newstead in Erie County, and all of Genesee County.

As the deputy majority leader for state and federal relations, she is the first woman to serve in a leadership post in the Senate majority. She was elected in 1979 to the Erie County Legislature, where she served as minority leader from 1989 until 1993.

A full report on Rath's announcement will appear in Tuesday's News.

And of course, by Tuesday when the News publishes this story, it will be "old" news.  

SD-61: Liz on Rath's retirement

by: robert.harding

Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 09:57:29 AM EST

Retirement In The 61st SD:

GOP sources have confirmed a report that Sen. Mary Lou Rath is poised to announce she won't run for re-election in November, touching off what's likely to be yet another battle for an open Senate seat.

The fact that Rath is going to depart the Senate comes as no big surprise - she has reportedly wanted to leave for some time.

What has raised some eyebrows, however, is the fact that she will choose to serve out her term and not step down immediately to force a special election in which the GOP would have the upper hand at keeping her seat.

Rath started making calls to Erie County GOP leaders yesterday to inform them of her decision. One told me that while she wants to serve out her full term, nothing is "set in stone," and she could perhaps be talked into leaving earlier.

This is just my opinion, but I think the only way you'll see this go to the general election in November is if Rath's son is going to run. If he isn't, there might be a possibility that Rath retires early and sets up a special election. But that's just speculation. It definitely sounds like she wants to keep the seat warm for her son, but that might not be the GOP's top choice for the seat.  

ALSO: All of this would explain why at least two Erie County Democrats have come forward and wanted to meet with the Genesee County Dems in the last few days. I have a number of great sources down in Genesee County and they've had one meeting with one person who shall remain nameless because he/she is still in the exploratory process. But it all makes sense. Why else would a number of Democratic candidates start looking at running for a seat that has been virtually untouchable with Rath in it?  

SD-61: Sources say Rath will retire at the end of term

by: robert.harding

Sun Jan 27, 2008 at 20:36:59 PM EST

The 61st Senate District encompasses all of Genesee County and the northern part of Erie County.

This is significant since Rath's seat has been hard to contend with in the past in a district with only 8,000 more Republicans than Democrats. There aren't any confirmed candidates on either side, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out. There are a lot of Democrats in that area who are excited about this announcement tonight. SD-61 might become, if not a top-tier seat, at least a target on the Democratic radar in November.