Thanks to former Rep. Chris Lee’s strange and abrupt departure from the US House of Representatives, there will be a special election to replace him in NY26. State law dictates that party leaders chose the candidate in a special election. I don’t think that’s the best idea, but our state is broke and holding two elections would be costly and time consuming.

The GOP has picked Assemblywoman Jane Corwin over tea party favorite and war hero David Bellavia. While I believe Bellavia would make a great representative for the people of NY26, it’s not like Corwin is a Dede Scozzafava. She has a solid voting record and she last ran on the Conservative Party ticket.

Corwin noted in her statement that she’s the second most conservative member of the New York State Assembly.

“I am humbled to receive the support of Western New York’s Republican leadership and I thank them for conducting this process in an open, fair and comprehensive manner considering the time constraints.

“As the 2nd most conservative member of the New York State Assembly in rankings by the New York State Conservative Party and the #1 Legislator in scoring by Unshackle Upstate, a New York reform organization, I know we need to slash federal spending, balance the budget, end the bailouts, take leftover money from the Obama stimulus package to pay down the deficit and support repealing Obamacare.

“As someone who has run a business and created hundreds of private sector jobs in Western New York, I know that government only gets in the way of job growth. Fighting massive government expansion and runaway spending were two of the biggest reasons I entered public service a few years ago. Demanding fiscal responsibility in Washington and creating jobs in our communities in Western New York will be my priorities should I be this region’s Representative in Congress.”

Let’s hope the tea party in New York doesn’t cut off its nose to spite its face in the NY26 election. In any event, as Corwin was ranked as the second most conservative member of the Assembly, it’s likely she will get the endorsement of the Conservative Party in the special election, leaving Bellavia with less options for mounting a third party challenge.

You can read the local GOP’s statement here. (Via Red State)