Republican leaders pick Jacobs over Ortt, 3 others for 27th seat
Chris Jacobs
The eight Republican county chairmen in the 27th Congressional District have picked Chris Jacobs, a state senator from Buffalo, to run in an upcoming special election.
The eight chairmen, including Skip Draper from Orleans County, met today at Bryncliff Golf Club in Varysburg, Wyoming County.
They chose Jacobs among a field of five candidates. The Buffalo News is reporting that State Sen. Rob Ortt was also given strong consideration and finished in a close second to Jacobs, who previously was Erie County clerk and a member of the Buffalo Board of Education.
The special election date officially hasn’t been set but is expected to be on April 28, the same date of the presidential primary. The Democratic Party is again backing Nate McMurray, who lost a very close election to Chris Collins in November 2018. Collins resigned from Congress on Sept. 30 and has been sentenced to 26 months in prison for insider trading and lying to the FBI.
Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw Jr., White House aide Jeff Freeland and former Darien Town Justice Beth Parlato also sought support from the eight chairmen.
There could be a Republican Primary on June 23, with a general election again in November for a full two-year term for the position.
