WASHINGTON -- Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner says she's reconsidering whether to run for Congress next year and challenge Rep. John Katko, a month after she had ruled out the possibility.

Miner said she changed her mind after Katko voted for a Republican overhaul of the tax code that she fears will disproportionately harm working poor and middle-class residents of Syracuse and Central New York.

"I'm appalled at the tax bill and I'm particularly appalled that Congressman Katko voted for it," Miner told syracuse.com in an interview Wednesday. "It's a death sentence for Americans and all of the things that we care about."

Katko, R-Camillus, a second-term congressman, was among four Republican House members in New York to vote for the GOP's tax bill.

Five other New York House Republicans split with their party, citing concerns over the plan to scrap some deductions for state and local income tax, the single most popular tax deduction taken by New Yorkers.

Miner said she's among a number of Democrats nationwide who have reconsidered their political plans over the GOP's tax overhaul.

"There are a lot of people reconsidering," Miner said. "And given the destruction that this would cause to the very fabric of our community, I would have to reconsider. My phone has been ringing off the hook from people in Syracuse and elsewhere."

Miner, who has been heavily recruited by top Democrats to challenge Katko, said she was more influenced by angry Syracuse residents who showed up after Friday's holiday tree-lighting ceremony at an open house in City Hall.

"There were a number of people in line who thanked me for my service and urged me to run for public office and to reconsider running against John Katko," Miner said. "Those are the people who matter to me."

Miner said her concerns extend beyond the loss of the deductions for state and local income tax, and a $10,000 cap that the House bill would place on property tax deductions.

She said the tax change would stymie economic development in cities like Syracuse, which have made frequent use of historic tax credits and credits for public housing and nonprofit developments that would be scrapped under the GOP's plan.

Students at Syracuse University and local colleges would no longer be able to deduct the interest they pay on student loans, and graduate students would have to begin paying tax on the tuition that is waived for them while they work on campus as researchers and teaching assistants.

"It is simply a giveaway to rich contributors and I am appalled that anyone who represents people from Upstate New York and Syracuse would support this vote, much less defend it," Miner said.

Katko has said he's convinced the GOP plan will benefit most taxpayers in Central New York by providing a net tax cut, and will help businesses across the state thrive under a lower corporate tax rate of 20 percent.

Miner, whose second term as mayor will expire at the end of December, said her decision to reconsider a bid for Congress has no immediate impact on her courting of Democrats in a potential primary bid for governor.

Until now, Miner had been considering whether to challenge New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a Democratic primary next year. Miner has been encouraged to seek the state's highest office by progressive leaders and other Democrats frustrated with Cuomo's style of leadership.

Miner, 47, declined to disclose what prominent Democrats have spoken with her about either potential campaign.

Miner met privately last month at the Capitol with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. Miner would not comment about the meeting held during an unrelated business trip she took to Washington, D.C.

Top Democrats in Washington and New York state have been trying for the past year to recruit a big-name Democrat who is well known in Central New York to challenge Katko in the 2018 mid-term election.

So far, two political newcomers - Dana Balter and Anne Messenger -- have launched their campaigns for the Democratic nomination and a chance to challenge Katko next November.

Balter, 41, of Syracuse, is a visiting assistant teaching professor at Syracuse University who has been active with the CNY Solidarity Coalition, a group that formed in response to President Donald Trump's election last year. Messenger, 70, of Manlius, is an executive coach and consultant.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington considers Katko's 24th Congressional District seat one of its top pickup opportunities in the nation.

Katko represents a moderate four-county district that swung between Republicans and Democrats in four consecutive elections until last year, when Katko was re-elected over Democrat Colleen Deacon by a margin of more than 20 percentage points.

The DCCC has targeted New York state as a key battleground in 2018 as part of a broader plan to regain majority control of the House. Katko is among at least five New York Republicans viewed as vulnerable.

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