Colton drops out of congressional race, leaving Gentile as Dem front-runner
What a difference a weekend makes.
Just two days after Governor Andrew Cuomo set a special election date of Tuesday, May 5 for the seat in the 11th Congressional District, which has been vacant since January when disgraced former Congressmember Michael Grimm resigned in the wake of his guilty plea for tax evasion, one of two leading Democrats vying for the seat has called it quits.
Brooklyn Assemblymember William Colton sent out an announcement on Sunday, February 22, announcing his withdrawal from the race, noting, “I strongly believe with the help of all my announced supporters, together we were poised to win a major upset in the 11th C.D. Race by presenting my strong track record of uniting people to fight for their real needs of concerns, but now with the May 5 special election date and with my Assembly obligations and duties to the state budget and other critical legislation, I am not able to become a candidate at this time.”