ALBANY - The good wishes and goodbyes lasted a weekend. The campaign couldn't wait any longer.
Just three days after Republican Congressman Sherwood Boehlert announced he would not seek re-election this year, state Sen. Raymond Meier announced his candidacy Monday for the GOP nomination, setting up a possible primary against former Seneca Falls Mayor Brad Jones.
Both Meier and Jones are to the right of the moderate central New York congressman on the political spectrum.
Four Democrats, including Oneida County District Attorney Michael Arcuri, are running for their party's nomination.
“I think the chances of holding the seat are excellent,” Meier said in an interview with The Associated Press as he drove from his announcement news conference in Utica to Binghamton where he was to reprise that campaign kickoff later Monday.
The U-shaped district runs from the Utica area in the east, where Meier lives, south to the Binghamton area and then northwest to the Auburn-Seneca Falls area, where Jones lives.
Jones announced his candidacy last summer and had planned to challenge Boehlert in a Republican primary.
“It is a different twist with him out of the race,” Jones said Monday. Nonetheless, the former mayor said, “Ray is somewhat the same as Sherwood Boehlert, a career politician.”
Both Jones and Meier are also seeking the Conservative Party nomination.
Meier said he has the support of the majority of the local county GOP chairmen in the district. And, later Monday, state GOP Chairman Stephen Minarik said that while the party organization was officially neutral in the face of a potential primary, he was personally supporting Meier's candidacy.
“I think what you're seeing is the back-room politics beginning already,” Jones told the AP.
While Meier does appear to have the GOP establishment lining up behind him, Jones said it would be rank-and-file Republicans who would determine who the nominee would be. Jones pledged to serve no more than three, two-year terms in the House if elected.
The GOP nomination was also eyed by state Sen. James Seward of Otsego County, but he announced late Friday he would instead seek re-election to the state Senate. Seward said Monday he planned to endorse Meier, who he said would “make a great congressman.”
In addition to Arcuri, the Democratic nomination is being sought by former Cortland Mayor Bruce Tytle, former Utica City Council member Leon Koziol and Les Roberts, a former official with the U.S. Public Health Service.
The 24th Congressional District covers parts of 11 counties in central New York. It has more than 165,000 Republicans and 126,000 Democrats.
Despite the enrollment disadvantage, Democrats pin their hopes on the moderate voting pattern of the district in recent elections. President Bush only carried it with 53 percent of the vote in 2004 and barely squeaked by Al Gore there in 2000, 48 percent to 47 percent.
The national and state Democrats were already on the attack against Meier, claiming Monday his use of state Senate campaign funds to finance profile-raising TV ads in the district earlier this year was wrong. State campaign finance laws are much less strict than federal law.
“Inappropriately skirting (federal) campaign laws is quite a way to introduce yourself to voters,” said state Democratic Party spokesman Blake Zeff.
Noting that Meier ran the ads without having any seeming Senate opponent on the horizon and hadn't run such ads in past campaigns, Jen Psaki of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said, “At the very least, his behavior is questionable.”
The Meier camp has said such spending is legal because it was done before the senator knew he would not be running for re-election.cent to 47 percent.
The national and state Democrats were already on the attack against Meier, claiming Monday his use of state Senate campaign funds to finance profile-raising TV ads in the district earlier this year was wrong. State campaign finance laws are much less strict than federal law.
“Inappropriately skirting (federal) campaign laws is quite a way to introduce yourself to voters,” said state Democratic Party spokesman Blake Zeff.
Noting that Meier ran the ads without having any seeming Senate opponent on the horizon and hadn't run such ads in past campaigns, Jen Psaki of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said, “At the very least, his behavior is questionable.”
The Meier camp has said such spending is legal because it was done before the senator knew he would not be running for re-election.
Both Meier and Jones are to the right of the moderate central New York congressman on the political spectrum.
Four Democrats, including Oneida County District Attorney Michael Arcuri, are running for their party's nomination.
“I think the chances of holding the seat are excellent,” Meier said in an interview with The Associated Press as he drove from his announcement news conference in Utica to Binghamton where he was to reprise that campaign kickoff later Monday.
The U-shaped district runs from the Utica area in the east, where Meier lives, south to the Binghamton area and then northwest to the Auburn-Seneca Falls area, where Jones lives.
Jones announced his candidacy last summer and had planned to challenge Boehlert in a Republican primary.
“It is a different twist with him out of the race,” Jones said Monday. Nonetheless, the former mayor said, “Ray is somewhat the same as Sherwood Boehlert, a career politician.”
Both Jones and Meier are also seeking the Conservative Party nomination.
Meier said he has the support of the majority of the local county GOP chairmen in the district. And, later Monday, state GOP Chairman Stephen Minarik said that while the party organization was officially neutral in the face of a potential primary, he was personally supporting Meier's candidacy.
“I think what you're seeing is the back-room politics beginning already,” Jones told the AP.
While Meier does appear to have the GOP establishment lining up behind him, Jones said it would be rank-and-file Republicans who would determine who the nominee would be. Jones pledged to serve no more than three, two-year terms in the House if elected.
The GOP nomination was also eyed by state Sen. James Seward of Otsego County, but he announced late Friday he would instead seek re-election to the state Senate. Seward said Monday he planned to endorse Meier, who he said would “make a great congressman.”
In addition to Arcuri, the Democratic nomination is being sought by former Cortland Mayor Bruce Tytle, former Utica City Council member Leon Koziol and Les Roberts, a former official with the U.S. Public Health Service.
The 24th Congressional District covers parts of 11 counties in central New York. It has more than 165,000 Republicans and 126,000 Democrats.
Despite the enrollment disadvantage, Democrats pin their hopes on the moderate voting pattern of the district in recent elections. President Bush only carried it with 53 percent of the vote in 2004 and barely squeaked by Al Gore there in 2000, 48 percent to 47 percent.
The national and state Democrats were already on the attack against Meier, claiming Monday his use of state Senate campaign funds to finance profile-raising TV ads in the district earlier this year was wrong. State campaign finance laws are much less strict than federal law.
“Inappropriately skirting (federal) campaign laws is quite a way to introduce yourself to voters,” said state Democratic Party spokesman Blake Zeff.
Noting that Meier ran the ads without having any seeming Senate opponent on the horizon and hadn't run such ads in past campaigns, Jen Psaki of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said, “At the very least, his behavior is questionable.”
The Meier camp has said such spending is legal because it was done before the senator knew he would not be running for re-election.cent to 47 percent.
The national and state Democrats were already on the attack against Meier, claiming Monday his use of state Senate campaign funds to finance profile-raising TV ads in the district earlier this year was wrong. State campaign finance laws are much less strict than federal law.
“Inappropriately skirting (federal) campaign laws is quite a way to introduce yourself to voters,” said state Democratic Party spokesman Blake Zeff.
Noting that Meier ran the ads without having any seeming Senate opponent on the horizon and hadn't run such ads in past campaigns, Jen Psaki of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said, “At the very least, his behavior is questionable.”
The Meier camp has said such spending is legal because it was done before the senator knew he would not be running for re-election.
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