Morahan To Retire, Open a Third GOP Seat?
By Mike Connery on 05/10/2010 @ 02:26 PM
Liz Benjamin is reporting that Republican C. Scott Vanderhoef is getting ready to announce his candidacy for the state senate seat currently held by Thomas Morahan. If true, it will likely mean that Morahan is set to retire at the end of his term:
Republican Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef is poised to announce his bid for the state Senate seat expected to be vacated by ailing veteran incumbent Tom Morahan, who has been battling Leukemia and is expected not to seek re-election this fall, a Hudson Valley GOP source confirmed.
The five-term incumbent won’t mount a primary challenge against Morahan, who has insisted his illness won’t prevent him from running, but insiders – including retiring Sen. Dale Volker – have suggested their colleague’s health concerns might ultimately trump his desire to stay in office.
If this turns out to be true, Morahan's retirement will be the third high-profile loss for the Republicans this year, with a potential fourth on the way. Republican Senators Dale Volker and Vincent Leibell have both announced their intentions to retire this year.
This is yet another in a string of bad blows to what should have been a banner year for Republican candidates. The New York Times recently reported that the state GOP's political bench was in bad shape, with many top tier candidates declining to run. Last month, a voter enrollment study from NYPIRG showed gains for Democrats in 51 of the Senate's 62 districts, and a poll from Quinnipiac indicated a high degree of anti-incumbent sentiment among upstate Republicans, where Republican Senate districts are located.
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