Mark Assini hints at another congressional run against Louise Slaughter

Mark Assini may be preparing for another congressional run.

In a tweet Monday morning, the Gates town supervisor said he would be making a formal announcement next week. While he stopped short of revealing his intentions, he did offer a hint at which way he was leaning.

"If you want specifics on how to change our region's struggles you won't be disappointed," he wrote.

Assini would be seeking the Republican nomination to face Democratic incumbent Louise Slaughter.

Assini lost a tight contest against Slaughter four years ago. The race was too close to call on Election Night, and Assini conceded the race eight days later after absentee ballots had been counted. The final margin was less than 1,000 votes, or 0.5 percent of the total votes.

He challenged Slaughter again in 2016, losing that race by 12 percentage points amid a much larger turnout.

Assini said he will make his announcement next Wednesday evening, Jan. 24, at the Italian American Community Center on Frank DiMino Way.

In a statement, Assini said that the town of Gates has benefited from his leadership over the past eight years. His accomplishments include the lowest town taxes in a decade, elimination of all town debt, a multimillion-dollar reserve without cutting a single service, a new library and a new recreation center.

Last week, neurosurgeon James Maxwell announced his intentions to seek the Republican nomination, setting up a primary challenge if Assini does run.

The 25th Congressional District encompasses most of Monroe County. Slaughter, 88, was first elected to represent the Rochester region in 1986 when she defeated incumbent Fred Eckert. She has won re-election 15 times.

SLAHMAN@Gannett,com