THURSDAY: Ranzenhofer throws hat into state senate race (5:12 p.m.)

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April 10, 2008

Anonymous The Niagara Gazette Thu Apr 10, 2008, 05:12 PM EDT

BY DANIEL PYE

pyed@gnnewspaper.com

The race for Mary Lou Rath’s State Senate seat heated up Thursday as Erie County Legislator Michael Ranzenhofer, R-Williamsville, declared his intention to run for the seat.

Ranzenhofer, backed by Rath and Erie County Executive Chris Collins, announced his candidacy in both Erie and Genesee Counties and said he would act as a citizen legislator.

Rath’s endorsement is a big get for Ranzenhofer, but the Republican field isn’t entirely settled yet. Robert Newman, a former Republican candidate for Town of Tonawanda supervisor, said he is still pushing forward and wasn’t at all surprised by Rath’s endorsement.

“This is the way things have been done in the political system for over a hundred years,” Newman said. “Mike is the senior politician in the area, so it’s expected that the political system would support him automatically. But I think Western New York might be ready for a change and the voters showed that last November when they elected Chris Collins.”

If he were to declare his candidacy, Newman would be running a business-oriented campaign similar to the one Collins waged last year. But Collins is backing Ranzenhofer, saying he needs help from Albany to realize his goals of government reform, economic improvement and tax reduction.

While Republicans have been slow to declare, Democrats have been lining up since Rath announced her retirement at the end of January. Erie County Legislator Michele Iannello, D-Kenmore, Amherst Councilman Dan Ward and former boxer Joe Mesi are all in the running.

Iannello scored a victory of her own this week, gaining the Genesee County Democratic Committee’s endorsement for the seat by a vote of 25 to 3. Erie County is expected to endorse in the coming weeks.

Contact reporter Daniel Pyeat 693-1000, ext. 158.

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