New York Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle Is Running To Replace Louise Slaughter

NY-25 is completely within Monroe County. It includes Rochester, the Rochester suburbs and the towns of Penfield, Henrietta, Brighton, Brockport, Greece and Irondequot. The PVI is D+8. Obama won the district by around 20 points both times he ran and Hillary beat Trumpanzee 55.5% to 39,1%, Trump's second worst performance, by one point, in upstate New York. Louise Slaughter had represented the district for 3 decades when she died last week.

The immediate frontrunner for the seat is the majority leader of the state Assembly, Joe Morelle, who officially announced his campaign yesterday. It looks like he'll be in a primary contest with Brighton Town Board Member Robin Wilt, Rochester School Board President Van White, former TV reporter Rachel Barnhart and Rochester businessman Andrew Gilchrist. Candidates have until April 12 to get 1,250 signatures from party members.

When Morelle announced Monday morning at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Meeting Hall, he said "I'm a progressive Democrat," which is borne out by his record. "I care about working men and women. I care about healthcare, making it affordable and accessible for everyone. Those are the kinds of things I've always believed in and I'm willing to go out and talk to people."

Governor Andrew Cuomo has to call a special election to fill the remainder of Slaughter's term, although he can set the special election for the same day as the November general election. The New York primary is June 26. Morelle can proudly step forward with an "F" rating from the NRA and an "A" rating from the AFL-CIO. Neurosurgeon Jim Maxwell is the only Republican in the race.