Lopez, Seward show interest in Gibson's House seat

George Amedore, right, speaks with Assemblyman Pete Lopez in the New York State Senate chambers in Albany on December 31.

Two Republicans in the state Legislature who represent the southwestern part of the Capital Region are considering a run for U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson’s seat in 2016.

Assemblyman Pete Lopez of Schoharie said he is “absolutely considering” a run for Congress, and Sen. Jim Seward of Milford said he will “seriously consider it in the near future.”

Their interest comes about a week after Gibson, a Republican from Kinderhook, announced he would not seek a fourth term in Congress and is considering a run for statewide office in 2018. Gibson could not be reached for comment Monday evening.

“I’m blocked by the majority in the Assembly,” Lopez said of the state Assembly, which houses a majority of Democrats. “I would commit to being as productive as I am now. I feel I would possibly be more productive in Congress. I’m intrigued by it, and I feel I have things that I could offer.”

At the same time, Lopez’s counterpart in the state Senate said “a number of people have asked me about running” and he plans to take the time to consider that option.

“I will concentrate on the constituents in my Senate district, but at the appropriate time soon I will give it serious thought in terms of entering the race,” said Seward, who is serving his 15th term in the Senate. “I will certainly take a look at it and make a decision down the road.”

Gibson’s 19th Congressional District in the House of Representatives covers 11 counties including Sullivan, Ulster, Delaware, Otsego, Greene, Columbia and Schoharie, as well as parts of Dutchess, Rensselaer and Montgomery counties.

Both of the local lawmakers’ districts overlap with Gibson’s congressional district, with Lopez and Seward currently representing about half the counties included in the 19th.

Lopez stressed that the congressional district is much larger geographically than his 102nd Assembly District. A major concern of his, if he were to run, would be the travel time and the impact on his family.

“In terms of the seat itself, there is much more ground to cover,” said Lopez, who is serving his fifth term in the Assembly. “I am busy now, already doing 1,000 miles a week traveling to connect with people across my seven counties. Imagine traveling around 11 counties connecting with people.”

Lopez, 53, said he has only visited Washington, D.C., twice in his life, and while he was there he felt “the weight of the office.”

“I left there really respectful of what it would take to get the job done,” he said. “I admire the level of commitment and energy and time to make it work. I learned a long time ago that you can’t be in this for yourself. I think I could provide a meaningful contribution to strengthen our community.”

In the Assembly, Lopez’s priorities have included a focus on agricultural issues, energy projects, flood recovery and other development opportunities in the rural area of the region. He said he would like to address those initiatives in Congress.

Like Seward, Lopez said he received several phone calls from people suggesting he run for the seat after Gibson’s announcement. He said Gibson called him ahead of the news that morning “to give me a heads-up.”

“Chris and I are very close and we work together on a number of issues,” he said. “Chris was at my swearing-in ceremony last week and is a trusted and valued partner.”

During his re-election campaign, Gibson did not commit to running again in 2016 and has long term-limited himself to no more than four terms. He believes all members of the House should be limited to two four-year terms rather than unlimited two-year terms.

Seward, 63, said the race for Gibson’s seat “is about 21 months away” and that the congressman’s decision to announce his last term in the House “took me by surprise.”

Seward, who represents the 51st Senate District, said he would decide to run for the congressional seat independent of Lopez’s decision to enter the race.

“Here we are at the beginning of the session with a new budget coming out next week and a lot to do here at the state Capitol,” Seward said. “I spoke with Lopez last week, and we work closely together. But I will make my decision independently.”