Congressional hopeful Tracy Mitrano appears set to avoid any serious primary challenge in her second bid to unseat Rep. Tom Reed in 2020, at least for now.

Officials and former officials from across New York's 23rd Congressional District have expressed early support for the cyber-security expert turned candidate. Mitrano announced her intentions to challenge Reed again after the incumbent Republican won his fourth full term in last year's general election.

"The Yates County Democratic Committee can only speak for itself, and it’s hard to know how things may turn out," said Yates County Democratic Committee co-chair Valerie Brechko. "What we do know is that Tracy has already spent countless hours talking with NY-23 constituents, building a comprehensive view of the challenges and opportunities that face Southern Tier and Finger Lakes families."

Endorsements from a committee do not preclude Mitrano from a primary challenge, but the Chautauqua County Democratic Committee chair, Norman Green, is already moving to dissuade potential Democratic challengers.

"I would and have already discouraged any Democratic candidate from entering the race," Green said. "Tracy Mitrano has shown she has the ability to raise the funds and to attract the volunteers needed to win. She is the Democratic Party's best chance to flip the NY-23 Congressional District in 2020."

Yates and Chautauqua Democrats have already formally backed Mitrano as their candidate. While some committees have stopped short of a full endorsement, other chairs share Brechko's zeal for Mitrano.

"In my personal opinion, Democrats in the 23rd would do well to select Tracy again as their candidate, and I have spoken to many who share my view," said Diane Lechner, former chair of Tioga County Democratic Committee. Lechner said it is Tioga Democratic Committee policy not to make an endorsement in the primary.

Lechner did, however, express that there was some frustration among members at that policy during the last election cycle. She also pointed to a potential challenger within the Tioga committee further complicating things as they weigh up a congressional run themselves.

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"Her performance against Tom Reed in the last cycle was stellar," Lechner said. "She proved to be a prolific fundraiser, having raised more than a million and a half dollars in a short two and half months. She developed a dedicated group of 1,300 volunteers who have already hit the ground running, and she has broad appeal.”

In a phone interview Thursday, Mitrano stressed how important skipping the primary could be, but pointed out that that thinking is not exactly new.

"It makes all the difference in the world, given the demographics of this district and the reality that a non-presidential election with [Governor Andrew] Cuomo on the ballot," Mitrano said. "It would have been nearly impossible to compete in this one cycle."

Mitrano said she pointed out, when the field of Democrats in NY-23 was at 11 during the 2018 primary, that if an aggressive primary was held, flipping Reed's seat would take two cycles. As she now stares down that prospect, she believes her campaign has the platform and support to make that a reality.

"The western part of the district is where we need to get with voters the most to overcome the misconceptions that Mr. Reed's campaign peddled about me personally and my platform," Mitrano said. "To be aligned with them and help them get the representation in line with what they need."

Mitrano also pointed to the circumstances in the last election. Without President Donald Trump on the ballot to mobilize Democrats in more red parts of the district, and with Cuomo on the ballot, anti-Democratic sentiments made the district's conservative tilt more difficult to overcome.

"Tom Reed beat me 2 to 1 in Chautauqua County. They deplore Governor Cuomo," Mitrano said. "Republicans and Democrats and unaffiliated — there is a habit among many, including Democrats, to vote straight Republican down the ticket in protest of Cuomo."

Tompkins County, which has the highest concentration of Democrats in the district, has not endorsed a candidate, and a primary challenge is still possible, according to former county Democratic Committee Chairwoman Irene Stein. But so far, Mitrano appears to be the only candidate in the field.

The 2018 Democratic primary left the Mitrano campaign strapped for cash as she moved into the general election. She also pointed to a potential challenger within the committee further complicating things as they weigh up a Congressional run. Party officials from across the district expressed a preference for avoiding a costly primary.

"Tracy Mitrano is up and running with considerable support and with energetic determination," Stein said. "That does not preclude the possibility of a primary challenge, but i do not know of any at this time."

Mitrano, who carried Tompkins County with just over 75 percent of the vote, will have to make significant inroads in the rest of the district. But the Penn Yan resident has already done significant work in that regard, illustrated by her relatively narrow defeat at the hands of Reed this past November.

Mitrano, while losing by just over 8 percent, is the most serious challenge Reed has faced since defeating Nate Shinagawa by 3.6 percentage points in 2012. If Mitrano can build on that in some of western New York's larger media markets, 2020 could see NY-23 go down to the wire.

Correction: Diane Lechner is the former chair of Tioga County Democratic Committee and Irene Stein is the former Tompkins County Democratic Committee Chairwoman. Their titles were incorrect in a previous version of this story.

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