BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — We now have the first official candidate to replace Brian Higgins in Congress.
Two days after Congressman Higgins announced he would resign next year, State Senator Tim Kennedy announced he intends to run for the soon-to-be vacant seat.
"I’m running for Congress because I want my children, and all of our children, to have the opportunity to stay here and build a future for themselves and their families. I’ll fight every day in Washington for our shared values and against the extremist Republican agenda that seeks to take away our rights," said Kennedy in a statement.
Kennedy took office in the State Senate in in 2011.
This comes two days after Higgins officially announced he would leave office in February 2024. He's expected to become the president of Shea's Performing Arts Center.
Hours after announcing his run Kennedy met with 7 News Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley for an interview.
"I'm going to fight like a dog for our community and make sure that we do everything we can to deliver for our community and Western New York and we hit our highest potential here," remarked Kennedy.
If you're not familiar with Kennedy, he is a south Buffalo resident who jumped into politics after volunteering for Brian Higgins during his campaign for state Assembly.
Kennedy was first appointed to serve in the Erie County Legislature in 2004 at the age of 28 to fill a vacant seat. He was later elected to the state Senate.
Kennedy could have some competition in this race for Higgins' seat, other front runners include Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, and State Senator Sean Ryan.
"What makes you more qualified than them for this?" Buckley asked. "Well, anytime you see like a congressional seat, it draws a lot of attention, a lot of big names. I have a track record of delivering for our community already as a member of the New York State Senate and I delved into all of the issues that are so important to Western New York and I have a track record of delivering for our community,” replied Kennedy.
But I pressed him on what specifically he meant by his "track record".
“We've codified a woman's right to choose into the state laws. we've created. the right to marry who you love by ensuring and enshrining marriage equality here in New York State. We have ensured that we are creating investment and opportunity to grow jobs from the public sector in Western New York and across New York to levels that we haven't seen before. I fought for universal health care that I’ll fight for, at the federal level,” responded Kennedy.
Erie County Democratic Committee Chairman Jeremy Zellner now has the tough task of nominating a candidate. He tells me both Poloncarz and Brown have reached out to him to be considered.
"I want to make sure that the person who takes over is going to be able to lead the community, but also be able to deliver federal resources that we are sorely in need of in our community," Zellner noted.
Zellner says his executive committee will hold a meeting a week from Tuesday to start the process for interviews. But he emphasized anyone who is interested will have a chance to talk to the party.
“I’m not going to let this party be divided over something like this. We're as united as we've ever been, and we are stronger. The strongest party in the state of New York, I believe,” declared Zellner.
There will be a special election within three months of his notice of recognition, most likely around April. Zellner could not say when he would announce a nomination.
