Sen. Joe Robach won't run for Louise Slaughter's congressional seat

ALBANY - State Sen. Joseph Robach will not run for the congressional seat once held by late Rep. Louise Slaughter, the Republican announced Saturday.

Robach, R-Greece, confirmed earlier this week he was weighing a run for the seat, which was left open by Slaughter's death last week.

But in a statement Saturday, Robach said he intends to remain in the state Senate, where the GOP has a tenuous one-vote hold on power.

"At this time, I know that the greatest impact that I can have is to continue to serve in the state Senate," Robach said in the statement.

Previously: Joseph Morelle, Joseph Robach weighing run for Rep. Louise Slaughter's seat

Rep. Louise Slaughter: How will her successor be chosen?

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Slaughter, a Democrat, served for more than 30 years in Congress. She was 88.

On the Republican side, neurosurgeon James Maxwell had already garnered support from GOP and Conservative Party leaders prior to Slaughter's death.

Among the Democrats considering a run for the seat are Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle and Rochester Deputy Mayor Cedric Alexander, who are expected to announce their intentions as early as Monday.

Former mayoral candidate Rachel Barnhart and political newcomer Andrew Gilchrist have also been circulating petitions for the Democratic nomination.

In an email, Barnhart said she is collecting petition signatures to reserve her right to run but hasn't made a final decision on whether she will enter the race.

The deadline for candidates to file the needed 1,250 signatures to get on the ballot is April 12.

"We believe we are honoring Louise Slaughter and her advocacy for ballot access, democracy and women by engaging in this process," Barnhart said.

The 25th congressional district is situated entirely within Monroe County, including the whole city of Rochester. It has about 58,000 more enrolled Democrats than Republicans.

Two-year terms in all congressional districts will be up for election in November, with New York's federal primary set for June 26.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, however, will have to call a special election to fill the remainder of Slaughter's term, which runs through the end of the year.

He has not signaled when he will do so, though he has the option of setting the special election for the same day as the general election in November.