WASHINGTON – A week after becoming a rare Republican supporter of banning assault weapons, Rep. Chris Jacobs on Friday withdrew from the race for Congress in a conservative district stretching from suburban Buffalo to Chemung County – bowing to pressure from party leaders and gun rights activists and unleashing what could be a fervent battle to replace him as the GOP nominee.
In an interview with The Buffalo News, and later at a press conference in Buffalo, Jacobs said his first full term in Congress will be his last.
Rep. Chris Jacobs of Orchard Park on Friday made a surprising about-face on gun control issues, becoming perhaps the first congressional Republican to call for an assault weapons ban in the wake of the recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas.
"This obviously arises out of last Friday, my remarks, statements on being receptive to gun controls," Jacobs said in the interview. "And since that time, every Republican elected (official) that had endorsed me withdrew their endorsement. Party officials that supported me withdrew, most of them, and those that were going to said they would not. And so, obviously, this was not well received by the Republican base."
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It was so poorly received, in fact, that State Republican Party Chairman Nicholas A. Langworthy this week started circulating petitions to potentially run against Jacobs in an Aug. 23 primary. It is a race in which Langworthy would have been seen as the favorite until Friday, when former GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl P. Paladino announced his intention to run – a move that quickly won the backing of the state's most powerful elected Republican, Rep. Elise Stefanik of the North Country, the third-ranking Republican in the House.
In one fell swoop, Jacobs not only ended his congressional career, but inadvertently illustrated how central gun rights are to the GOP while also laying bare divisions within the state Republican Party about whether the GOP should nominate a party regular like Langworthy or a party rebel like Paladino.
Rep. Chris Jacobs’ new willingness to support certain gun control legislation has led to a scramble for other Republicans to challenge him in August's primary.
One of those likely contenders: State Republican Party Chairman Nicholas Langworthy.
For his part, Jacobs concluded that he didn't want to be part of a bitter primary battle.
"I truly believe that I could win this, but it would be an incredibly divisive race for our party, for the district," Jacobs said. "There's a high likelihood that there would be a lot of outside money coming in, so it would make this gun issue the issue. And that divisiveness is not good in any effort to move this discussion forward in a productive way."
That's what Jacobs plans to try to do now. He said he plans to vote next week for Democrat-backed gun safety legislation, which would ban high-capacity magazines and move the minimum age for buying an assault weapon from 18 to 21. And, noting that the man accused of murdering 10 people in a Buffalo Tops Markets on May 14 wore body armor, Jacobs is working with two Democrats, including Rep. Brian Higgins of Buffalo, on a bill that would bar civilians from buying such protective equipment.
He plans on working on gun safety issues after leaving Congress at the end of the year, too, he said, reiterating that he had been jolted into action by the Buffalo massacre.
Jacobs knew Katherine "Kat" Massey, an education activist who was killed in the Tops shooting, from his days on the Buffalo Board of Education. Moreover, he said his conversations with African-American colleagues from those days made him rethink the gun issue.
"They never said anything about gun control," Jacobs said. "It was more the suffering that they were going through and the sense of fear that someone would do this and could do this – that's really what hit me."
But Jacobs's sudden turnabout on the gun issue, only two years after he won the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, struck others as a surprise.
"I disagree with him, and not just what he said, but how he went about it," said State Sen. George M. Borrello, a Republican from Sunset Bay. "This is a man who actively and aggressively pursued the support of every major gun group in New York State: the 1791 Society, NRA, Gun Owners of America. He talked the talk and, you know, without any kind of warning, he did an about-face."
Plenty of others felt shocked, too – and they let Jacobs know about it.
"Somebody obviously gave out my cellphone (number), and I've gotten an immense amount of calls and texts urging me to leave the race," although none of them included any threats, Jacobs said.
Asked what kind of deal he would like to see, Schumer said he wants a measure mandating more comprehensive background checks for gun buyers.
To hear Erie County Democratic Chairman Jeremy Zellner tell it, Jacobs' experience tells a larger tale.
“This is what the Republican Party has come to: A sitting member of Congress who hints at a willingness to consider common sense gun safety laws is excommunicated and condemned," Zellner said.
But locally, the Republican Party does not yet appear unified over who should replace Jacobs, creating the possibility of a contentious primary in New York's 23rd district on Aug. 23.
At the urging of Republican and Conservative leaders in the district, Langworthy has been seeking signatures on petitions for a possible race. And while Langworthy did not speak publicly on the matter Friday, several Republican sources said he is likely to run.
Fredonia native Marc Cenedella, a New York businessman who had planned on challenging Jacobs, said Friday that he plans to continue his campaign. Cenedella said Langworthy should remain GOP chair.
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"Nick's already got a job – to help elect the governor – and he's leaving it unfulfilled, unfinished," Cenedella said.
Noting that Langworthy previously backed not only Jacobs, but also two congressmen whose careers collapsed amid scandal – former Reps. Chris Lee and Chris Collins – Cenedella added: "He's had three bad judgment calls for Congress already. So I think it's going to be difficult for voters to give him that."
Meanwhile, Paladino said Friday that he would run in the primary if Jacobs were to drop out.
"I don't think Langworthy could do what I do," Paladino said. "He's more inhibited. He's always thinking of the angles of politics, and that's understandable. That's where he comes from. Getting at the core issues and being able to explain them properly and getting consensus on them is, I think, a mission that I could complete a lot more effectively."
Paladino's campaign could face some challenges, though. Several sources said Paladino may have trouble garnering the necessary 1,612 signatures to qualify for the primary by next Friday's deadline. And some Republican voters may shy away from Paladino's long history of controversial statements and actions.
But not Stefanik, a former moderate Republican who's moved increasingly rightward.
"I am proud to announce my endorsement of my friend Carl Paladino in #NY23," Stefanik tweeted. "Carl is a job creator and conservative outsider who will be a tireless fighter for the people of New York in our fight to put America First to save the country."