Nate McMurray, a New York Democrat who came unexpectedly close to flipping the now-defunct 27th Congressional District in 2018 and a 2020 special election, announced Wednesday that he’d challenge Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz in this June’s primary. Poloncarz has not yet announced if he’ll seek a historic four term leading a populous community that’s home to Buffalo, though the Buffalo News says the incumbent is expected to campaign again.
McMurray, who is a former supervisor of the town of Grand Island, faulted Poloncarz’s handling of the Christmas blizzard that left at least 47 people dead. “Dozens of people froze to death, and countless homes sustained costly damage from high winds and burst pipes,” said the challenger, “and amidst the crisis, the County Executive was the first to point fingers in an embarrassing tirade that drew international headlines and brought shame to [Western New York].”
McMurray, who also expressed his frustration that Poloncarz and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown blamed one another for the crisis, went after other aspects of the incumbent’s tenure. He singled out a proposed $1.4 billion stadium proposal that the county would contribute $250 million to, saying, "There is more money and less in return for any stadium, ever.” McMurray also predicted that the local Democratic Party, which he called “a mess,” would be for Poloncarz.
Erie County supported Joe Biden 56-42, though Gov. Kathy Hochul, who served as the county clerk a little more than a decade ago, took it only 53-47 last year. A few local politicians have expressed interest in seeking the Republican nod including former state Sen. Edward Rath and County Clerk Michael Kearns, who has long taken advantage of New York’s fusion voting rules to run as the GOP nominee while still technically remaining a Democrat.
The Democratic nominee will likely be the favorite, though this area was the site of a truly unexpected race just two years ago. Nurse India Walton defeated Brown, who also had the local Democratic establishment on his side, for renomination 51-46, a victory that appeared to set Buffalo up to be the first major American city in more than 60 years to elect a self-described socialist as mayor. Brown, though, campaigned as a write-in option in the general and won his fifth term 59-40.
