Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Maury Thompson, Special to The Chronicle
Glens Falls native Liz Lemery Joy has opted out of a possible run for the 21st Congressional District seat next year.
Contacted, Mrs. Joy said, “I won’t be running. I’m going to stay focused on Schenectady County,” where she was recently elected Schenectady County Republican Chairwoman.
Mrs. Joy had eyed pursuit of the Republican nomination in the expected 21st District special election that did not materialize after Rep. Elise Stefanik stayed in the House rather than becoming United Nations ambassador. President Trump withdrew the nomination because the Republicans’ House majority was at risk.
Rep. Stefanik has been laying groundwork to run for governor. She has said she will not announce a decision until after this November’s elections.
Mrs. Joy, a conservative speaker, writer and activist, was among 11 finalists in the Republican nomination process for the special election. She also was one of three candidates the state Conservative party said it would consider.
Contacted Sept. 25, Warren County Republican chair Tim McNulty, said, “One of the lessons we learned from the election-that-never-happened is to not get ahead of the process or the candidate in office.”
He said with Rep. Stefanik’s plans not definite, “For any candidate or candidate want-to-be to discuss with chairs running for office is certainly egregious.”
Mr. McNulty said he is certain there will be a primary for the nomination if Rep. Stefanik does run for governor.
Possible Republican candidates that have been discussed in news reports and social network posts include State Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, Assemblyman Chris Tague, R-Schoharie, Assemblyman Robert Smullen, R-Mohawk, television commentator Joe Pinion, and Amsterdam businessman Anthony Constantino.
Two candidates for the Democratic nomination are Blake Gendebien, a farmer from Lisbon in St. Lawrence County, and Dylan Hewitt, a former White House trade adviser from South Glens Falls.
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