New York state Republican Chris Gibson, part of the opening-day rebellion against House Speaker John Boehner, says he will not run for re-election in 2016 so he can consider running for statewide office in 2018. Gibson announced his decision to leave the House after three terms in the penultimate paragraph of a statement listing his priorities for the next two years in Congress. A retired U.S. Army colonel, he is a member of the Agriculture and Armed Services committees. Rather than vote for Boehner for speaker, Gibson voted for Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
The Glens Falls, NY, Post-Star cited gossip in political circles that Gibson might run for governor. It also noted that Sen Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat and member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, will be up for re-election in 2018.
“This open seat should be one of the most attractive Democratic pickup opportunities in the country,” says Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a political newsletter. President Obama won the district by 6 points in 2012 and “a good Democratic House nominee should win it too…If Democrats are to make significant inroads in the House in 2016 – let alone flip the 30 seats required to retake the chamber – this is a must-win seat.”