For the second time, former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner has said she will not challenge Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) for his 24th Congressional District seat this fall.
Speaking to the New York Times, Miner said while she won't challenge Katko, she is still seriously considering a primary challenge to Gov. Andrew Cuomo this year.
“If I were to decide to run for governor, I would be a huge underdog,” Miner said in an interview in September. “I’m not going to run a race in order to match (campaign) contributions. So I think you have to do it based on ideas.”
Miner first announced in October that she would not run for Congress, but in early December said she was reconsidering a run against Katko. At the time, she said a number of people had approached her to run after Katko's initial support for the GOP tax bill.
Miner is currently teaching a course at New York University. In a statement released early Friday, Miner said “Our community is lucky to have a strong bench of excellent candidates ready to fight for the issues of importance to Central New York. I look forward to a productive semester teaching at New York University and examining new opportunities to continue my public service, addressing the critical issues facing New Yorkers.”
Four Democrats are seeking the party's nomination to run against Katko. Anne Messenger, Dana Balter, William Bass and Scott Comegys all met with voters for the first time earlier this week.
