By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – There were a couple of developments Tuesday in the race to succeed Tom Reynolds in the 26th congressional district. They include a Republican hopeful who took the first step toward a possible run despite making some controversial comments last week.
Iraq War veteran David Bellavia used the April 15th tax deadline to file papers with the Federal Elections Commission to form a campaign committee. He's not officially entering the race. But the filing will allow him to start raising money.
In a written statement, Bellavia said he wanted to highlight the need for tax reforms that would allow workers to keep more of their money.
Bellavia created some controversy last week when he spoke at a rally for John McCain in Washington. He's quoted as saying the Democrats can have their "Tiger Woods," a reference to Barack Obama, "we've got John McCain." The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee labeled the comments as "racist."
On the Democratic side, Akron businessman Jack Davis officially announced his candidacy. He narrowly lost to Reynolds in 2006.
Davis faces a primary challenge from another Iraq War veteran, Jonathan Powers of Clarence, who has been endorsed by most of the Democratic committees in the 26th district.
Also seeking the Democratic nomination is local attorney Alice Kryzan.