Over the past 25 years, several members of the congressional delegation from this area have met untimely ends to their congressional careers. Maybe more than in other areas. They didn’t leave voluntarily. They retired or resigned due to scandals, criminal convictions, or running afoul of party orthodoxy.
The Congressional delegation in this region might be cursed.
Bill Paxon and the Failed Coup
Bill Paxon represented Western New York from 1989 to 1999 and advanced quickly within the Republican caucus. By the mid-1990s, he had become chairman of the House Republican Conference and was regarded as a potential Speaker of the House.
In 1997, Paxon joined Majority Leader Dick Armey, Majority Whip Tom DeLay, and Conference Chair John Boehner (who would later become Speaker of the House) in discussions about replacing Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Gingrich had been formally reprimanded and fined $300,000 for ethics violations tied to the use of tax-exempt funds for political purposes (Washington Post, Jan. 22, 1997). He had also been widely blamed for the 1995–96 government shutdowns, which hurt the Republican brand, and many members feared his unpopularity would damage them in the upcoming midterm elections (Congressional Quarterly, July 1997).
The attempt to remove Gingrich failed. Armey backed out, and rank-and-file Republicans never rallied. Gingrich retained his position.
Paxon’s role in the failed coup became a liability. He was asked to step down from his leadership post, ending what had been steady advancement in the House Republican leadership (New York Times, July 21, 1997).
At 43, Paxon announced he would not seek reelection in 1998. His departure closed out a congressional career that had appeared to be on an upward track.
Tom Reynolds and the Congressional Page Scandal
From 1999 to 2009, Thomas M. Reynolds represented the region from Buffalo suburbs to Rochester’s western edge. Toward the end of his congressional career, Reynolds was also Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Unfortunately, Reynolds was in this leadership position during the 2006 Mark Foley scandal.
Foley was a Florida Republican who resigned his seat after sending sexually explicit messages to teenage boy House pages. Reynolds learned about the “overly friendly” emails Foley’d sent. He informed House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who was himself later convicted of financial crimes related to covering up his sexual abuse of teenage boys while coaching high school wrestling (NPR, “Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert Sentenced To 15 Months In Prison,” April 27, 2016).
Although Reynolds was “cleared of any wrongdoing by the House Ethics Committee“, but the committee did criticize the leadership (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Dec. 9, 2006). The political damage was already done. Poling showed that his “safe” House seat became a “competitive” seat. Democrats even started an ad campaign accusing Reynolds of failing to do enough to prevent Foley from harassing the House pages.
Facing the likelihood of re-election defeat, Reynolds announced in March 2008 that he wouldn’t seek reelection. He said, “…it was time to take up new challenges”.
Chris Lee’s Selfie
Republican Chris Lee succeeded Reynolds. Lee was a businessman who worked for Enidine, Inc., a company his father founded. He later became automation group president at International Motion Control.
Lee won the 2008 election with 55 percent of the vote (New York State Board of Elections, 2008), and was re-elected in 2010 with 74% of the vote. His district included the suburbs of Buffalo and Rochester across seven Western New York counties.
Lee’s political career blew up in February 2011. A sexually suggestive email and shirtless photo of himself surfaced, which he’d sent to a woman on Craigslist. Lee claimed to be a divorced, 39-year-old lobbyist. In reality, he was a married, 46-year-old congressman.
The woman was a 34-year-old employee at the University of Maryland “seeking companionship” (NBC News, Feb. 9, 2011). She shared Lee’s emails with the gossip website Gawker (Gawker.com, Feb. 9, 2011). In them, Lee described himself as a “fit, fun, classy guy.” He even used a personal email to hide his identity as a sitting congressman.
Lee resigned his congressional seat the same day the story broke (CNN, Feb. 9, 2011). “I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff, and my constituents,” he said in a brief statement. “I deeply and sincerely apologize to them all.”
Eric Massa Tickling
Eric Massa was a Democrat who served less than one term in Congress representing a largely rural district stretching across the Southern Tier. He was a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, retired Navy officer, and staff member for the United States House of Representatives Armed Services Committee. Massa was elected in 2008, defeating incumbent Republican Randy Kuhl in a closely contested race. Massa’s election win was part of a strong Democratic showing that year.
Massa served from January 3, 2009 to March 8, 2010, about fifteen months. In March 2010, Massa resigned amid a House ethics investigation into allegations that he’d sexually harassed his male staff members. Reports described incidents of Massa tickling, groping, and wrestling with young aides, some of whom lived with him in his Washington row house. Massa initially tried to explain away his conduct, citing health concerns, including a recurrence of cancer. But mounting staff allegations and testimony prompted his resignation.
Tom Reed Groping
Tom Reed, a lawyer from Corning and a former mayor, won a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative Massa. Over more than ten years in Congress, Reed became a dependable Republican vote. He represented a district that included Elmira, Corning, Jamestown, and rural Steuben and Chemung counties. Reed consistently won re-election by margins often exceeding 60 percent (NY State Board of Elections).
In March 2021, The Washington Post reported that Reed was accused of groping a female lobbyist in 2017 (Washington Post, Mar. 19, 2021). This four-year-old accusation surfaced after Reed announced that he was going to run for governor against the Democratic incumbent, Andrew Cuomo (who later resigned following allegations of sexual harassment).
The lobbyist, Nicolette Davis, said Reed appeared drunk when he placed his hand on her back and unhooked her bra at a Minneapolis pub. She texted a friend: “A drunk congressman is rubbing my back. HELP HELP.”
Reed initially denied the charge. Days later, he issued a public apology (CNN, Mar. 21, 2021). He acknowledged that the incident happened while he was “struggling with alcohol.” Reed said he had since sought treatment.
Reed announced he would not seek re-election, citing “a pledge only to serve six terms.” On May 10, 2022, months before his term ended, Reed resigned from Congress (CNN, May 10, 2022). A special election on August 23, 2022, filled the vacancy. Republican Joe Sempolinski won and served the rest of the term.
Chris Collins’ Felony
Chris Collins, a businessman from Clarence and former Erie County Executive, entered Congress in 2013. He defeated Democrat Kathy Hochul (now Governor) with 51 percent of the vote in 2012 (NY State Board of Elections, 2012). His district covered southern Erie County, Niagara County, and parts of the Southern Tier.
Collins quickly became one of Donald Trump’s earliest and most vocal supporters in Congress. He was the first sitting U.S. representative to endorse Donald Trump for president of the United States in 2016.
On August 8, 2018, Collins’ political career blew up. He was arrested and charged with insider trading and making false statements. As a board member of an Australian biotech company, Innate Immunotherapeutics, Collins learned that a key drug trial had failed. Federal prosecutors said he called his son from a White House picnic to share the news. His son and other associates then sold their shares before the news became public, avoiding losses of over $768,000 (Reuters, Oct. 2020).
Despite facing a federal indictment, Collins ran for re-election in 2018 and won with 49.1% of the vote. His margin of victory was less than in his previous elections, but it was still enough to get him re-elected and keep the seat for his party.
On September 30, 2019, Collins resigned his House seat, and the next day, October 1, 2019, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and making false statements to the FBI. His son, Cameron Collins, was also convicted. In January 2020, Collins was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison. In December 2020, two months after starting his COVID-delayed prison term, Collins was pardoned by President Trump.
In June, Collins announced he was attempting a political comeback. He’s running for Florida’s 19th Congressional District (Buffalo News, recent reporting) despite his criminal conviction. He told Spectrum News he wants to “reclaim my reputation and come back as a member of Congress” (Spectrum News, Collins interview).
Chris Jacob’s Principled Stand
Chris Jacobs was elected in 2020 and served one term. He was a moderate Republican, former Erie County clerk, and New York State senator.
Jacobs had an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association when he was elected to Congress. But after the racially motivated mass shooting at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo’s East Side in May 2022, Jacobs broke from party orthodoxy. He publicly supported banning assault weapons and raising the purchase age to 21. Jacobs said the shooting was “a profoundly impactful event for me” and that it had prompted him to change his stance on gun control.
The Republican backlash was swift and harsh. All of Jacobs’s party endorsements disappeared within days. Local party leaders quickly moved to push him out. Even the Conservative Party of New York withdrew its support. Jacobs later said he’d never seen such total political abandonment.
On June 3, 2022, Jacobs announced he would not run for re-election, citing the need to avoid “an incredibly divisive election” (Associated Press via WXXI News, June 3, 2022; Reuters, June 4, 2022).
His departure enabled New York Republican Committee Chair Nicholas Langworthy to enter the Republican primary. Langworthy won the nomination, defeating his longtime supporter Carl Paladino. Then he won the general election. But he was criticized by members of his own party, including Rudy Giuliani. They questioned Langworthy’s ability to devote all his energy to two full-time jobs – running his own campaign for Congress and getting Republicans elected to statewide offices.
Rockland County GOP Chair Lawrence Garvey stated, “This is absolutely unacceptable. Our State Chairman should be crisscrossing the state today. Instead, he is raising money for himself … Nick Langworthy needs to resign!!!“
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani also weighed in during a Newsmax appearance, saying: “Langworthy should resign. You can’t be the head of the party and run for office at the same time — it’s unethical and improper.”
When Politicians Get in Trouble
Western New York has a history of its congressmen leaving office under the cloud of political scandal. Bill Paxon misread Gingrich’s support. The Foley scandal tainted Tom Reynolds. Chris Lee resigned after sending explicit photos of himself online. Eric Massa resigned following an ethics committee investigation. Tom Reed stepped down after admitting to sexually harassing a female lobbyist. Chris Collins resigned after being convicted of insider trading.
Except for Massa, these candidates were all elected in safe districts where their party held a decided advantage in voter registration. Lee won with 55% of the vote in 2008. Reed was regularly re-elected with more than 60% of the vote. Collins was re-elected with 49%, even after being indicted for insider trading.
Even today, a political scandal comes with a price. Lawmakers lose plum committee assignments and the influence that comes with it. Colleagues distance themselves for fear of being painted with the same brush.
When a congressman leaves mid-term, they leave their constituents without representation. Losing a seat at the table makes it harder to bring federal dollars to the district. And New York already sends about $70 billion more to Washington in taxes than it gets back. We need a strong congressional delegation to fight for New York.
References
- New York Times, July 21, 1997
- Washington Post, Jan. 22, 1997
- Congressional Quarterly, July 1997
- NPR, “Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert Sentenced To 15 Months In Prison,” April 27, 2016
- Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, “House ethics committee cleared Rep. Thomas Reynolds,” Dec. 9, 2006
- New York State Board of Elections (2008, 2012)
- Gawker.com, Feb. 9, 2011
- NBC News, “Congressman resigns amid Craigslist scandal,” Feb. 9, 2011
- CNN, Feb. 9, 2011
- Washington Post, “Rep. Tom Reed accused of sexual misconduct by ex-lobbyist Nicolette Davis,” Mar. 19, 2021
- CNN, “Tom Reed, a New York Republican congressman, takes ‘full responsibility’,” Mar. 21, 2021
- CNN, May 10, 2022
- U.S. Department of Justice, Southern District of New York, “Congressman Christopher Collins Pleads Guilty,” Oct. 1, 2019
- U.S. Department of Justice, Southern District of New York, “Former Congressman Christopher Collins Sentenced,” Jan. 17, 2020
- Associated Press via WXXI News, June 3, 2022
- Buffalo News, “Ex-convict Chris Collins weighs run for Congress in Florida,” recent reporting.
- Spectrum News (Collins interview)
