West Seneca town supervisor Gary Dickson named Republican nominee for NY-26 seat

The special election to fill Brian Higgins' vacant seat in Congress will be held on April 30.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- The Erie County Republican Committee announced Wednesday their nomination for the 26th Congressional District special election: West Seneca Town Supervisor Gary Dickson.

Dickson, a U.S. Army veteran, a retired federal law enforcement official, community leader and town supervisor, will face New York State Senator Tim Kennedy, who represents the 63rd district, on the ballot. Kennedy was named as the Erie County Democratic Committee's nomination in January. Kennedy was first inducted into the State Senate in 2011.

"I am running because the public deserves a choice," Dickson said during a conference Wednesday. "Our next congressman should not be anointed by the Erie County Democratic Committee. It's an election, not a coronation and another career politician will not solve our problems."

In November 2023, former Congressman Brian Higgins announced that he would be resigning from his NY-26 seat to take the position of president at Shea's Performing Art Center in Buffalo.

Higgins had represented Western New York in Congress since 2005.

The special election to fill Higgins' vacant seat in Congress will be held on April 30. New York’s 26th District represents Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Lackawanna, Tonawanda and North Tonawanda.