From the Post-Standard (Syracuse):
[F]ormer state fair Director Peter Cappuccilli declared himself a candidate Sunday for the seat in Congress being vacated by Rep. James Walsh.
Cappuccilli, whose potential candidacy has been talked about in Republican circles since Walsh, R-Onondaga, announced his intention to retire, made it official at a late afternoon news conference at his Westvale home.
State fair director? Okay…. Well, Cappuccilli isn’t the only one looking to get in:
Randy Wolken, president of the Manufacturers Association of Central New York; former state Sen. Nancy Larraine Hoffmann; East Syracuse Mayor Dan Liedka; and state Assembly Deputy Minority Leader Robert Oaks, of Wayne County, also are weighing runs.
The article also notes that Dem Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll is still considering a bid – which seems like an unpopular, if not near-suicidal, thing to do. Almost all the powers that be, including the DCCC, have rallied around Maffei, an excellent candidate and strong progressive. Does Driscoll really want to be the next Tom Suozzi?
Let’s hope not. Remember, NY has a late primary (September), so a clear shot for Maffei vs. a bloody GOP war could be ideal for us.
(Hat-tip to Willyr.)
Hoffmann was a Democrat who ran for the Senate as a reformer and switched to the majority party after a few years of irrelevance. This would seem to argue against her running for Congress as a Republican except as a way to avoid challenging Maffei in the primary and then serving as a moderate who could switch to the Dems. Unlikely.