Politics

Jane Corwin will devote necessary funds to likely campaign to replace Lee

Alexis Levinson Political Reporter
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New York State Assemblywoman Jane Corwin says she is willing to devote the necessary monetary resources to a likely expensive campaign to replace Rep. Chris Lee, who resigned Wednesday when his flirtations with a woman on Craigslist were revealed.

A big factor in the race, which Corwin has not yet formally entered, is “the amount of money that will be needed,” Corwin told The Daily Caller.

“It’s the only election going on right now. It’s the first one since Nov. 2,” so, she hypothesizes, “it could potentially be a referendum on President Obama’s new direction.”

“A lot of national attention could be paid to this race,” she explained, “meaning a lot of national resources being put on it. I anticipate a big price being put on this campaign.”

And Corwin is willing to put out the necessary funds.

If she does run, she said, she and her husband “are committed and will devote the necessary resources.” Corwin said she would put her own money into the campaign in addition to money from fundraising. Sources previously confirmed to TheDC that Corwin has the capacity to self-fund a campaign.

The state assemblywoman said her most important considerations are talking to her children and husband and “making sure they’re on board,” and speaking “with the Republican leadership in the district,” which she said she spent most of Thursday doing.

“It’s a geographically large district,” she noted, and she wants to be certain she could successfully represent the constituency before she makes any decisions.

There is speculation that the 26th District could be eliminated in redistricting shortly after someone new is elected, but Corwin said she was undeterred by that possibility.

“At this point the lines haven’t been drawn, so I think it’s too soon to draw that conclusion,” she said. She said her primary concern was making sure that New Yorkers of the 26th District were represented.

“I think there’s a problem here now. We have a vacant congressional seat and 700,000 New Yorkers who right now don’t have a voice in Washington,” she said. “And there are a lot of important decisions being made in Washington.”

Corwin dismissed reports that she was driven to run because she was unhappy in the State Assembly and looking for a graceful exit.

“I kind of had to laugh,” she said. “I think the word they used was miserable. I would not describe myself as miserable in the Assembly.”

Corwin points to her experience in the private sector, “creating jobs, running a business in New York State.” She adds that as a mother, “I understand the day to day issues that affect families.”

“I think the most important issue here,” she said, “is making sure we get a representative in there as soon as possible who is fiscally conservative, willing to work towards cutting taxes, cutting spending, and creating jobs.” She gave a nod to the Tea Party adding that their agenda was in line with the goals of her district.

Corwin has said she will announce her candidacy within “a couple of days.”