BUFFALO, N.Y. — Democratic incumbent Tim Kennedy and Republican challenger Anthony Marecki are vying for New York's 26th Congressional District, which represents more than 770,000 people, covering parts of Niagara and Erie counties.
The district includes the cities of Buffalo, Lackawanna, Niagara Falls, Tonawanda, and North Tonawanda. The average age of residents is 38 and the median household income is $61,957 as of 2022.
U.S. Representatives, among other duties, is able to introduce bills and resolutions, offer amendments and serve on various committees.
In April, Tim Kennedy won the seat in a special election after it was vacated by former Congressman Brian Higgins, who decided to leave Congress before the end of his term, citing frustration with dysfunction in Washington. He now works at Shea's Performing Arts Center as the president and CEO.
Kennedy is running as a favorite again in a heavily blue district. Republican candidate Anthony Marecki has not been actively campaigning.
Who is who?
Kennedy is a Democrat and represents the Working Families Party. He attended St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute and earned a bachelor's and Master's degree in occupational therapy. He worked with geriatric and pediatric patients for 11 years.
He was elected to the House of Representatives on April 30 following a special election to replace Higgins. Kennedy sits on the House Homeland Security Committee and has been assigned to two of its subcommittees: Emergency Management and Technology and Transportation and Maritime Security.
Marecki is a Republican and represents the Conservative Party. He ran for Supreme Court Justice for the 12th Judicial District in 2021. Marecki earned a bachelor's degree from the State University at Buffalo in 1999 and a law degree from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 2003, according to BallotPedia.org. His career includes work as an insurance professional and attorney. He works for Merchants Insurance Group as a Casualty Analyst, according to his LinkedIn page.
Key issues
According to Kennedy's website, he is advocating for common-sense gun violence prevention legislation that will ban assault weapons and modifiers, pass universal background checks for all firearm purchases, strengthen red flag laws, and prohibit the sale of ghost guns and high-capacity ammunition. Kennedy also makes note of climate change legislation in his work.
A full list of Kennedy's legislation around key issues can be found here on his website.
Marecki currently works as an attorney in the City of Buffalo. He did not campaign for the U.S. Congressional representative seat. 2 On Your Side reached out to the Erie County Republican Party Chair Michael Kracker for a comment on the candidate. We did not immediately hear back.
Election Day
The choice for U.S. Congressional District 26 will be on the upcoming 2024 ballot. Early voting runs from Oct. 26 to Nov. 3. Official Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
You can check your registration status here, https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/. For more information on where to vote, visit the link here.