Pete Lopez seeks to replace Gibson in Congress

PHOTOGRAPHER: Patrick Dodson

Assembylman Peter Lopez arrives for Governor Andrew Cuomo's 2015 State of the State and budget addresses at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany on Wednesday, January 21, 2015.

State Assemblyman Pete Lopez on Monday officially launched his campaign for the seat of U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, who will not seek re-election next year.

Lopez, R-Schoharie, is the third Republican to enter the race behind former state Assemblyman John Faso and Andrew Heaney, a Dutchess County businessman.

In his announcement, Lopez leaned on his popularity in the rural 102nd Assembly District, which includes six of the 11 counties in Gibson’s 19th Congressional District, and positioned himself as the grass-roots alternative to his well-funded rivals.

“If there is one thing the voters are saying this year, it’s that we need to aggressively challenge the status quo,” Lopez stated his announcement. “My message is that we need someone who is grounded in the community to represent the hard-working people back home and not let Washington insiders and power brokers decide who will represent you by buying the seat.”

The campaigns of both Faso and Heaney raised more than $600,000 between July and September, according to filings. No financial reports have yet been filed for the Lopez campaign.

Lopez rose through Schoharie town and then county politics before being elected to the state Assembly in 2006.

Though he was seen as a likely potential successor to Gibson, Lopez has taken his time in announcing his run for Congress, saying in October that he wanted to wait until the November general election had passed. In his announcement, he acknowledges that he’s entering a competitive race.

“I know I am not the establishment’s choice for Congress, not the candidate of power, prestige and privilege,” he stated. “I am the hard-working everyday person.”

He’s seeking both the Republican and Conservative nominations.

So far, both Faso and Heaney have been named among 32 candidates in the first level of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Young Guns program, which provides organizational and fund-raising support to candidates, according to their campaigns.

Heaney welcomed Lopez to the race in a statement Tuesday, calling him “an important voice in the region.”

Lopez has often worked closely with Gibson, especially in the area’s recovery after tropical storms Irene and Lee, a point noted in his announcement. He also stressed his efforts to oppose the Common Core curriculum and the SAFE Act, as well as help residents and businesses through the recession.

In clear terms, his announcement paints him as the underdog facing establishment rivals. Faso, who lives in Columbia County, was minority leader of the Assembly for four years before running unsuccessfully for both state comptroller and then governor. Heaney is the president of Heating Energy Affordable Today, the country’s largest heating oil-buying group.

Calling himself the “grass-roots assemblyman and candidate for the 19th Congressional seat,” Lopez argues that he has “earned the trust of the people across the district and will continue to dedicate [himself] to ensure that they have strong and committed representation every single day.”

Gibson, an advocate of term limits, announced in January that he’d step down after his third term in the House.

So far, no Democratic candidates have expressed interest in the seat. In 2014, Gibson easily defeated a well-funded challenge by Democrat Sean Eldridge.