Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks says she is running for Congress against long-time Democrat incumbent Representative Louise Slaughter Monday.
Brooks had been pondering a run as she waited to see how New York state's Congressional lines would be drawn through the redistricting process. The new 25th Congressional District would be almost entirely a Monroe County District with a much more even split of registered Democrats and Republicans than Rep. Slaughter's current district.
Brooks says she will continue to serve as County Executive during the campaign and will be careful to distinguish between work on her current job and campaign related appearances. Click on the video box below to see Broks' announcement.
Slaughter has already said she plans to run for re-election. She has held a seat in Congress since 1987 and released a statement about her campaign Monday which we have placed under the Brooks' video.
Louise Slaughter's statement:
Representing your neighbors in Congress is a great honor and it is a responsibility that must be taken seriously. I am running for Congress because there’s more work to do on behalf of Monroe County. Our fight is not yet over to end insider trading in Congress and demand more accountability in our political system, to make our food supply safe for American families, and fix the trade policies that have left our local manufacturers competing on an unlevel playing field. As I’ve stated publicly many times, I am again asking for the support of my friends and neighbors to continue being your representative in Congress. We must continue the fight to fix the trade policies that have left our local manufacturers competing on an unlevel playing field and I am doing just that with the Reciprocal Market Access Act. By working with the local small business community and attracting new companies to our unique region, especially regional assets like the Eastman Business Park as I’ve been doing, we will ensure growth and prosperity. We cannot afford to give up our fight for more accountability in our political system by ending insider trading in Congress and persuading the Supreme Court to adopt the official Code of Conduct. I am proud of the work I’ve done to cut through bureaucratic red tape finally allowing local farmers access to the labor they need to sustain their operations, with local universities to assure they have every resource possible from the federal government to train our next generation of job creators. I’m proud to fight on behalf of area businesses and families to bring cheaper and more reliable air service into Western New York by bringing low-cost carriers like JetBlue and Southwest into local airports and working with legacy carriers like U.S. Airways to bring their fares down. And as an original coauthor of the Violence Against Women Act, Monroe County women can always count on me to stand by their side and stand up to protect their rights. It is a great honor to serve in Congress and I know that together there’s more we can and must accomplish.