GOP picks Sempolinski to run for rest of Reed's term in NY congressional special election

Republican Committee Chairs in New York's 23rd District selected a familiar face to run in an Aug. 23 special election to fill the seat vacated by Rep. Tom Reed.

Joe Sempolinski, a former Reed staffer and chair of the Steuben County Republican Committee, was the unanimous choice of party leadership during a meeting Wednesday night at the Wellsville Country Club in Allegany County.

Sempolinski has been campaigning for the 23rd District seat since July 2021 and shifted his focus to the special election when Reed resigned to take a position with a lobbying firm on May 10.

A graduate of Corning-Painted Post West High School, Sempolinski now resides in the Steuben County village of Canisteo with his wife and two daughters.

Sempolinski said his background living in the district and serving as Reed’s lead congressional staffer make him uniquely suited to finish out the final four months of Reed’s term.

“I’m going to be somebody that can come in and make good use of the time remaining in that term to serve the people,” said Sempolinski. “I don’t think there’s any other candidate out there that could make as good use of the four-plus months remaining in the special election because I can really hit the ground running in a way nobody else could."

Joe Sempolinski
Joe Sempolinski

Gov. Kathy Hochul called the special election for Aug. 23 to coincide with primary elections for congressional races and the state Senate. The special election will take place in the current 23rd District, which includes all of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tompkins and Yates counties, plus parts of Ontario and Tioga counties.

After redistricting, the 23rd District’s new borders include Allegany, Steuben, Chemung, Schuyler, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, plus a large part of Erie County.

While Sempolinski is not running in the Republican primary for the full two-year term in the new district, he said the special election may provide an early indication of the mood of the electorate before the midterms in November.

Democrats align behind Max Della Pia

Sempolinski will be facing Democrat Max Della Pia in the Aug. 23 special election. Della Pia is a retired Air Force colonel who narrowly lost the 2018 Democratic primary in the district. Democratic Committee chairs unanimously endorsed Della Pia’s candidacy after Hochul declared the special election on Saturday.

“When I was growing up, my Dad always told me ‘Service is what gives life purpose.’ If elected I will continue to embrace his message and work to further ideas that move us forward, not based on party affiliation, but based on the needs of the country and the people of the district,” said Della Pia, who also addressed inflation and other issues facing the district when kicking off his campaign in Hornell.

Della Pia, who resides in Tioga County, is also running in the Aug. 23 Democratic primary in the new 23rd District.

Della Pia and Sempolinski have not held elected office outside of their positions as committee chairs.

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Republican primary picture unclear

The court-ordered final congressional redistricting map was released by special master Jonathan Cervas in the early hours of Saturday, May 21, 2022.
The court-ordered final congressional redistricting map was released by special master Jonathan Cervas in the early hours of Saturday, May 21, 2022.

Two candidates have emerged as early contenders among the Republican primary field — Carl Paladino, a Buffalo businessman who was the party’s gubernatorial nominee in 2010, and Nick Langworthy, the state GOP Chairman.

Paladino quickly picked up the endorsement of 21st District Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 3-ranking Republican in the House. He has since come under fire for sharing a conspiracy-laden Facebook post suggesting a mass shooting in Buffalo and other mass killings were part of a plot to take away people’s guns, according to the Associated Press. A gunman from Broome County killed 10 people at a Buffalo Tops supermarket last month in what investigators say was a racially motivated attack.

Rep. Chris Jacobs abandoned his campaign for the 23rd District seat last week after losing Republican endorsements for supporting new gun control measures, such as a ban on semiautomatic rifles like AR-15s and raising the age to purchase such weapons to 21.

Sempolinski said he has not endorsed a candidate in the primary but will support the nominee in November. Dwight “Mike” Healy, the Allegany County Republican Committee Chairman, said the committee does not traditionally endorse a candidate until after the primary is settled by voters.

The 23rd District is projected to remain in the Republican camp post-redistricting. The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index gives it a ranking of R+12.

Chris Potter can be reached at cpotter@gannett.com or on Twitter @ChrisPotter413To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: NY-23 special congressional election includes Republican Sempolinski