Ortt will announce plans on Saturday about intentions to run for Congress
Photo by Tom Rivers: State Sen. Rob Ortt (center), R-North Tonawanda, and State Sen. Tom O’Mara, R-Big Flats, share a light moment during a roundtable discussion on May 2 at Batavia City Hall about proposed legislation that would give overtime and collective bargaining to farmworkers. Ortt opposed the legislation and has concerns it will harm the state’s agricultural industry.
LOCKPORT – State Sen. Rob Ortt will make an announcement on Saturday about the 27thCongressional District.
Ortt has been considering a campaign for the position, which is currently held by Chris Collins.
Ortt currently represents the 62ndState Senate District, which includes all of Orleans and Niagara counties, and the towns of Sweden and Ogden in Monroe County. He has been in the State Senate since Jan. 1, 2015, and succeeded George Maziarz.
The State Senate was long in Republican control but Democrats took a big majority after last November’s election. Ortt has expressed frustration with a state government now dominated by Democrats.
If Ortt announces he’s running for Congress, he would join State Sen. Chris Jacobs and former Darien Town Justice Beth Parlato as Republican candidates. Nate McMurray, a Democrat who narrowly lost to Collins in November, also has announced he is seeking the position again in 2020.
Ortt will make an announcement on Saturday at the Lockport VFW and then at the Batavia City Hall.
Prior to joining the State Senate, Ortt was the North Tonawanda mayor for five years.
He enlisted in NY Army National Guard in October 2001 in response to the attacks on September 11, 2001. He served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan for nine months in 2008. He is the recipient of the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal, the Afghan Campaign Medal and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge in recognition of his service.
In the Senate, he is the ranking Republican on two State Senate committees – Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security & Military Affairs as well as the Senate Committee on Agriculture.
When the Republicans had the majority in the Senate, Ortt was chairman of the Senate Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. In that role he prioritized direct care and worked with families, advocates, and legislators as part of the bFair2DirectCare campaign.
