NY: Republican Sate Senate seat could be up for grabs for the first time in 52 years, flip chamber.

Update: John DeFrancisco says it's unlikely he will seek reelection to the state Senate this year, even if he fails to win the Republican designation for governor.

DeFrancisco, 71, is expected to announce Tuesday that he is running for governor and will seek the Republican Party designation to take on Gov. Andrew Cuomo in November.

DeFrancisco said last week that he fully understands state election law bars him from running for his Senate seat if he becomes the GOP nominee for governor.

In the short-term, the possibility of an open 50th Senate District seat has given local Democratic Party leaders a sense of urgency to find a candidate that could help tip the balance of the Senate in favor of Democrats.

In the long-term, the open seat means that Central New York would lose clout in the state Legislature that the region has held for more than a half century.


http://www.syracuse.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/01/defranciscos_ny_senate_seat_could_open_for_second_time_in_52_years.html