Steve Makes it Official

As this blog reported on March 7th, Steve Kimatian, a Republican, intended to join the race for Mayor of Syracuse. Today, he made his intentions official in a public announcement. His entry into the race sets him up for a nomination battle with the other announced Republican candidate, Otis Jennings. On Tuesday, April 21st, the City of Syracuse Republican Committee will select a mayoral candidate at their annual designating convention. Otis Jennings is the favorite to receive the designation but the candidate that does not receive the party designation can choose to force a primary in the fall by collecting a certain amount of signatures from party members. The GOP would surely like to avoid a primary so their candidate can focus on the general election while the Democrats fight through a heated primary of their own. A forced primary is distracting and wastes resources and would leave the eventual candidate only six weeks to shift focus to the general election before Election Day. In a race where the Republicans will need every advantage they can get, Steve Kimatian’s entry into the race and the potential for a primary is likely causing headaches for a party that needs unity if they expect to have any chance of winning.