Senator Tim Kennedy Projected To Win Special Election

(USNewsBreak.com)—Representative Brian Higgins (D-NY) announced last November that he would resign from his congressional seat as of February, citing chaos and dysfunction in the House, particularly among Republicans. His departure triggered a special election, and state Senator Tim Kennedy, also a Democrat, became the projected winner of the vacated seat on May 1. As of Friday, May 3, Kennedy had over 68% of the vote compared to competitor Gary Dickson’s 31%, with over 95% of the votes counted.

New York held the special election for Higgins’ seat on Tuesday, April 30. Kennedy immediately came out the gate as the dominant force against Republican contender Gary Dickson. The Associated Press called the vote when margins hit 75% to 25% in Kennedy’s favor. The Buffalo-area district has staunchly voted blue for decades, making Kennedy’s win no real surprise. He also massively outspent his opponent, 47 to 1.

Kennedy has regularly voted with the Left on a majority of issues and has promised to work to gain federal funding for infrastructure in his region. The state senator celebrated his win on X, formerly Twitter, thanking the community for turning out to vote.

We did it.
We did it as a COMMUNITY.

Because that’s what this was all about since Day One. And that’s what it will always be about.

I’m honored. I’m humbled. I’m ready to get to Washington and get to work.

Thank you, endlessly. Let’s meet this moment together. pic.twitter.com/SCjVwT1X2S

— Tim Kennedy for Congress (@kennedyforny26) May 1, 2024

Like many of his family members, Kennedy has played a prominent role in local politics. He trained to become an occupational therapist but has also become involved in the political sphere since 2004, when constituents elected him to the Erie County Legislature. He’s held his state Senate seat since 2011.

Now, he’s joining the US Congress. He’ll remain in Higgins’ former seat until this November’s general election. He plans to run in the Democratic primary this summer. If he wins, he’ll run for the seat for a full term.

The win and GOP representative attrition have caused the House GOP majority margin to shrink significantly to a single vote. Several other special elections affecting the lower chamber will occur this summer, largely in Republican districts, which could help Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in the long run. But his majority is precarious in the short term.