NY Republicans Choose Replacement for 'Craigslist Congressman

Republicans in New York's 26th Congressional District have chosen their candidate for the upcoming special election to replace Rep. Chris Lee, the GOP congressman whose uncovered extramarital internet relations led to his immediate resignation on Feb. 9.

As we reported at the time, the former congressman was caught sending topless photos to a woman he connected with through Craigslist, an online classified ads site.

The state's governor has 30 days to call a special election for a vacated seat, although it's unclear when that will happen.

The Hill reports:

GOP leaders from the seven counties in the district picked state Assemblywoman Jane Corwin as their nominee during a meeting in Geneseo on Monday night.

Corwin said she was "humbled" by their support and touted her rating as the "the 2nd most conservative member" of the state Assembly by the New York State Conservative Party.

"I know we need to slash federal spending, balance the budget, end the bailouts, take leftover money from the Obama stimulus package to pay down the deficit and support repealing Obamacare," she said in a statement.

"Demanding fiscal responsibility in Washington and creating jobs in our communities in Western New York will be my priorities should I be this region’s Representative in Congress.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee called Corwin a "strong conservative candidate."

"She understands that the best ideas come from outside Washington and so do the best candidates," Andrea Bozek, an NRCC spokeswoman, said in a statement.

Democrats have not yet chosen a candidate to run against Corwin.  However, the district leans Republican and is unlikely to exchange partisan hands.