Jacobs, facing Republican backlash over gun control support, won’t run for Congress in new 23rd District
Chris Jacobs
BUFFALO – A week ago Congressman Chris Jacobs said he would vote to raise the minimum age to buy an AR-15 rifle from 18 to 21, restrict high-capacity magazines to 10 rounds, and limit access to body armor.
Jacobs quickly faced backlash from many Republican Party leaders, and lost their support in his campaign for a newly drawn 23rd Congressional District. Those lines pushed him out of Orleans and the GLOW counties to part of Erie County and the Southern Tier.
Today, Jacobs announced he wouldn’t seek election to the 23rd District and would finish out his term through Dec. 31.
Jacobs said he believes he would have been elected if he stayed in the race “but it would be an incredibly divisive election for the Republican Party and the people of the 23rd District, many of whom I have not ever never represented,” he said at a news conference today. “The last thing we need is an incredibly negative, half-truth filled, media attack funded by millions of dollars in special interest money coming into our community around this issue of guns and gun violence and gun control.”
Livingston County Conservative Party Chairman Jason J. McGuire issued this statement after the announcement from Jacobs that he will decline the party’s nomination and not seek re-election:
“I believe Mr. Jacobs to be a man of character who has taken principled positions, but his recent announcement was not reflective of the district he currently represents or of the one he intended to next year.
“Today’s announcement is a welcome one as it will offer the people of NY-23 the opportunity for a representative more closely aligned with their values. I commend the Congressman for listening to both his heart and his constituents in this matter.”
