Longtime Erie County Democratic Party Chairman Jeremy Zellner on Monday launched his bid for Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan’s former 61st state Senate District seat.
Zellner has been the chair of the Erie County Democratic Party since 2012. Last week, he resigned from the Erie County Board of Elections as Democratic commissioner to seek the nomination.
“As State Senator, I’ll fight to bring the cost of living down, protect access to healthcare, and stand up to those who try to undermine organized labor,” Zellner said in part in a statement.
Democratic state Assemblyman Jon Rivera and local Republican businessman Dan Gagliardo are also running for the seat.
The special election, announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul last week, is on Feb. 3.