WASHINGTON – Rep. Chris Jacobs, an Orchard Park Republican, said Friday that he was withdrawing as the GOP and Conservative candidate for Congress in the newly redrawn 23rd District, acknowledging that his newfound views on gun control place him at odds with the parties that endorsed him.
"This obviously arises out of last Friday, my remarks, statements on being receptive to gun controls," Jacobs said in an interview. "And since that time, every Republican elected (official) that had endorsed me withdrew their endorsement. Party officials that supported me withdrew, most of them, and those that were going to said they would not. And so obviously, this was not well received by the Republican base."
What's more, both the Republican and Conservative parties were circulating petitions for candidates to run against Jacobs in the Aug. 23 congressional primaries.
"I truly believe that I could win this, but it would be an incredibly divisive race for our party, for the district," Jacobs said. "There's a high likelihood that there would be a lot of outside money coming in, so it would make this gun issue the issue. And that divisiveness not good in any effort to move this discussion forward in a productive way."
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Jacobs, who was first elected in a special election in June 2020, said he would serve out the remainder of the term, which expires at the end of the year.
His decision comes a week after he announced at a press conference that, in the wake of the May 14 slaughter of 10 people at the Tops Markets on Jefferson Avenue, that he now supports an assault weapons ban.
"I hope I've been compassionate when I read and heard about previous incidents like this that have happened over the years, but I guess there's just something markedly different when it happens in your city, to people you know," Jacobs, who launched his political career as a longtime member of the Buffalo Board of Education, said at the time. "This has been a profoundly impactful event for me."
Jacobs has been under intense pressure to withdraw from the race ever since he made those comments, and not just from party leaders.
"Somebody obviously gave out my cell phone (number) and I've gotten an immense amount of calls and texts urging me to leave the race, and not one of them had any intimation of a threat," Jacobs said. "There was nothing along those lines."
Jacobs' decision to withdraw from the race creates the likelihood of a wild Republican primary for his seat on Aug. 23.
At the urging of Republican and Conservative leaders in the district, State Republican Chairman Nick Langworthy has been seeking signatures on petitions for a possible race. And while Langworthy could collect signatures simply as a stand-in for another candidate, Republican sources indicated Friday that he is likely to run.
Fredonia native Marc Cenedella, a New York businessman who had planned on challenging Jacobs, said Friday that he plans to continue his campaign.
Meanwhile, former Republican gubernatorial nominee Carl P. Paladino said Friday that he would run in the primary if Jacobs were to drop out.
For his part, Jacobs said he plans to remain active on gun control issues during his remaining time in Congress and then after he leaves office.
In addition to backing an assault weapons ban, he said he plans to vote for Democrat-backed gun control legislation next week. That bill would raise the minimum age for buying semiautomatic weapons from 18 to 21, ban high-capacity magazines and other ways to increase the capacity of assault rifles, force gun owners to safely store their weapons and allow local governments to set up gun buyback programs.
Jacobs also said he is working with Rep. Grace Meng, a Queens Democrat, and Rep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat, on legislation banning civilians from purchasing body armor. The man accused of murdering 10 people in Buffalo came dressed in body armor.
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Rep. Chris Jacobs withdraws from re-election bid amid gun control outcry - Buffalo News
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