Former Democratic Rep. Dan Maffei, who narrowly lost his upstate New York seat last year, sent an email to supporters Friday saying he’s “strongly considering” running for Congress again.
In the email, Maffei slams the Republican who defeated him, Ann Marie Buerkle, as a tea party conservative who is out of step with voters in the Democratic-leaning district.
Maffei, a former House staffer who won an open seat race in 2008, is currently a senior fellow at the moderate think tank Third Way.
“I have been asked many times what my future plans are and if I intend to seek a return to public office. I understand that the closeness of last year’s election would naturally lead to these kinds of questions. I want you to know that I am strongly considering running again for Congress in 2012. Whatever the future may hold, one thing is clear. We cannot give up on our region or in the idea of broad-based moderate representation that takes into account the many diverse groups in upstate New York,” writes Maffei.
“So far, my successor has shown no willingness to work with anyone but the hard right ‘tea party’ faction of the Republicans, spurning even the more mainstream Republicans trying to work out budgets with President Obama,” he adds. “These actions have put tens of thousands of Central and Upstate New Yorkers at risk.”
Since New York lost two seats in reapportionment, it’s possible that the district might not even exist after redistricting—there is widespread speculation in the state that the seat could be on the chopping block when the new congressional map is drawn.
