GOP Candidate Dickson to Run in Democratic-Controlled District on Tuesday

Voters in an upstate New York congressional district have a choice between a Democrat seen as the successor to a longtime congressman who resigned earlier this year and a Republican with appeal across party lines in a special election on Tuesday.

Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., who entered Congress in 2005, stepped down in February to become president of Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo. With Republicans holding a slim majority in the House, even a race for a seat expected to remain Democratic has attracted attention.

The contest in the 26th District features state Sen. Timothy Kennedy, a Democrat who considers Higgins a mentor, and Gary Dickson, the first Republican elected as a town supervisor in the Buffalo suburb of West Seneca in 50 years.

The district includes Erie and Niagara counties, encompassing the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 2-to-1, making it a safe Democratic seat.

Kennedy, a state lawmaker since 2011, hails from a strong South Buffalo base like Higgins. He aims to focus on reproductive rights, immigration, and stricter gun laws in Congress, inspired by legislation passed in New York after a 2022 mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket.

“New York has stood against Donald Trump’s extremist MAGA agenda that has infiltrated our politics and our nation’s capital,” he stated. “The MAGA extremists have turned the House of Representatives into a joke.”

Kennedy holds a significant financial advantage entering the race, having raised $1.7 million by April 10, compared to Dickson’s total of $35,430. Kennedy has spent over $1 million in the election campaign so far, as both candidates urge voters to participate in the polls.

Dickson, a retired FBI special agent, acknowledged the challenges he faces when he declared his candidacy in February, emphasizing that he wants to provide voters with a choice. While he supports Trump as the Republican presidential nominee, Dickson describes his own political stance as more centrist.

With experience at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow during his FBI career, Dickson expressed support for the $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine passed by Congress, condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “vicious, brutal dictator.”

“If he is allowed to continue unchecked, he will only get worse,” Dickson remarked during a late-campaign debate.

Earlier this year, the GOP’s slim House majority was reduced in a closely contested special election on Long Island following the expulsion of New York Republican George Santos from Congress. The outcome, won by Democrat Tom Suozzi, served as a test of the parties’ strategies on immigration and abortion in the upcoming general election.

Even a narrower-than-expected victory for Democrats in the 26th District would reflect the public sentiment, according to Jacob Neiheisel, an associate professor of political science at the University at Buffalo. Low turnout might signal a lack of enthusiasm.

“If Dickson manages to make the race closer than anticipated, Republicans are likely to tout this as evidence of their party’s growth,” Neiheisel noted.

The election coincides with Trump’s trial in New York City, marking the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president and the initial of four Trump prosecutions to reach a jury.

The winner of the special election on Tuesday will complete the remainder of the year in office.

Kennedy is also on the ballot for the November general election and faces a primary challenge in June from former town supervisor Nate McMurray, a two-time congressional candidate. Attorney Anthony Marecki is the sole Republican candidate who submitted petitions to run. Dickson did not file for the general election.