Who’s Going To Be Buffalo’s Next Representative in Congress?

What started as a lot of rumor and conjecture turned out to be true when Brian Higgins announced he was stepping down and resigning his seat in the US House of Representatives.

Higgins, a lifelong Buffalo resident, has served and represented Western New York in Congress for the last 19 years. At the press conference he held at the Buffalo History Museum on Sunday, November 12, 2023, Rep. Higgins went into why he decided it was time for him to leave Congress. Among the reasons he gave, chief among them, was that the House of Representatives has changed over his tenure and that change has not been all good.

Too often elected officials chase the twenty-four-hour news cycle, focusing on the issue of the day, and when you look back there is little to show for it.
-Brian Higgins

When Higgins leaves office in February 2024, his exit will leave a vacancy in the House of Representatives that must be filled; but who will fill that seat?

Who Will Replace Representative Higgins In Congress?

Sometimes, when there is a vacancy in an elected office, the executive or legislature can nominate someone to fill that seat. However, according to New York State, the state must hold a Special Election to allow the people of Western New York to vote for the person who fills the seat. Whoever is elected will serve the balance of the time before the next general election.

WKBW-TV reports that April 2024 is likely the soonest a special election may happen if Representative Higgins resigns his seat in February.

But who is going to replace the longtime Congressman? Several names have been thrown around as possibilities:

In addition to these names, a few others are floating around, and at least one of these potential candidates has publicly announced they intend to seek election for this seat.

When you thought that election season was over, here we go again. I guess we're going to have to wait and see what happens...