DeFrancisco suspends campaign for governor, urged to consider another run for Senate

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — State Sen. John DeFrancisco has suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor.

“In light of the fact that the majority of GOP county committee chairs have now endorsed Marc Molinaro, and that the door is closing for me to get the Republican nomination to be the GOP candidate for governor, I am not going to be actively campaigning at this time,” the veteran senator said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

He kept the door open to resuming his campaign. “However, if the GOP committee members reconsider before the Republican Convention, I will be available.”

DeFrancisco’s announcement came hours after Dutchess County Executive Molinaro announced six Republican County chairs had switched their support to him from DeFrancisco. If that level of support reflects how delegates will vote the at the GOP convention, then under party rules DeFrancisco may not even be able to mount a primary challenge.

Onondaga County Republican Chairman Tom Dadey is sticking with DeFrancisco. “Whatever decision DeFrancisco makes, I wholeheartedly support,” he says.

Dadey adds that if DeFrancisco chooses to not run for governor, he wants him to run for re-election to the State Senate. That’s something he told DeFrancisco even before he announced his run for governor, Dadey says.

“I told him if the governor thing doesn’t work out, you’ve got to run for re-election.” It is, Dadey says, the best chance Republicans have to hold onto control in the State Senate.

Contact McChesney at cmcchesney@cnybj.com

BJNN FILE PHOTO BY ERIC REINHARDT