Rep. Mike McNulty (D, NY-21), one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress from the Northeast, will announce his retirement tomorrow for health reasons.
According to the Albany Times-Union,:
McNulty, 60, ran for Congress when Sam Stratton stepped down amid health problems (in 1988); ironically, that may be one of the reasons for McNulty's departure.
The congressman suffered from a bout of polio at age 2 and was hospitalized for about a year in the 1970s after being struck by a car. He now copes with post-polio syndrome, which, while painless, can cause weakness and fatigue that worsens with age.
McNulty uses a motorized cart to get around the Capitol and observers have noticed that it's been years since he's marched in local parades.
It adds:
Names of possible successors were already making the rounds on Thursday.
The early Democratic list was lengthy: State Sen. Neil Breslin of Bethlehem; Assemblyman Ron Canestrari of Cohoes; Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings; former assemblyman and current state Energy Research and Development Authority head Paul Tonko of Amsterdam; Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton; M. Tracey Brooks of Ravena, an aide to Hillary Clinton who ran a close race against former Republican Assemblyman Pat Casale in 2002; Shawn Morris, Albany's Common Council president; and Albany County District Attorney David Soares, who beat the party organization to win his post and has strong support from the Working Families Party.
McNulty's sister, Ellen McNulty-Ryan who is the mayor of Green Island village, also has been mentioned.
Based on name recognition, most observers at this early date say Jennings, Canestrari, and Stratton are the likeliest candidates and no one is ruling out a primary.
On the Republican side, newly elected Assemblyman George Amedore's name has come up, as has Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco of Schenectady.
All of the potential candidates have pluses and minuses: Jennings may have the highest name recognition in the Albany area, where most of the district's voters live, but it's unclear how he would do in the more rural sections of Fulton and Montgomery counties.
I certainly wish McNulty all the best medically, but politically, NY-21 is a solidly Democratic district--perhaps the most Democratic district in upstate New York--and this is a great opportunity to get someone more progressive in this district.