The Hornell Republican Committee in a statement issued on Sunday urged a vote for the late Republican Assemblyman Bill Nojay in Tuesday’s primary over Honeoye Falls Mayor Rick Milne.
Nojay took his life on Friday morning as he was due in court to appear for a potential fraud charge. He reminds on Tuesday’s primary battle for the 133rd Assembly district seat in the Rochester area.
Should Nojay win the primary posthumously, the county chairs in the Assembly district would be able to pick a replacement for the general election.
“After discussions with party leaders at the local and county level, the Hornell GOP Committee urges fellow republicans to vote for Bill Nojay in Tuesday’s primary,” the committee said in a statement. “With a Nojay primary victory, the three county chairmen representing Steuben, Livingston, and Monroe counties would select a replacement candidate for the November election.”
Both Milne and Democratic candidate Barbara Baer suspended their campaigns following Nojay’s death.
In the statement, the Hornell GOP noted the committee had unanimously backed Nojay’s re-election.
“Despite the unexpected and tragic loss of our Assemblyman, the endorsement still stands,” the committee said. “The Hornell Republican Committee extends it’s deepest sympathies to Bill’s wife and children in this difficult time.”