UPDATED: Oppenheimer Won’t Run For Re-Election

Westchester State Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer just announced that she won’t seek re-election this fall, citing the fact that she will have to soon undergo serious shoulder replacement surgery:

“It had always been my plan to seek re-election in November and continue to serve the people of this district,” she said in a statement.  “When considering my responsibilities as Senator, the extensive effort that will go into rehabilitation and physical therapy following my surgery, and the added work of the hard fought campaigns I always wage, it became clear to me that I could do only two of those three important tasks.”

Oppenheimer narrowly won re-election in 2010 over Republican developer Bob Cohen. He is expected to run again against Oppenheimer this year, in a race seen as the Senate GOP’s best chance at picking up a seat.

On one hand, it would have been difficult for an ailing Oppenheimer to win a another tough campaign. (GOP consultant Bill O’Reilly, who advised Cohen’s 2010 campaign, just tweeted: “Smart move by Suzi Oppenheimer.”) On the other hand, its always also difficult to defend an open seat.

I spoke to State Sen. Mike Gianaris, chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, who declined to get too far into the politics of Oppenheimer’s seat just yet.

“Today is a day to honor Suzi Oppenheimer’s accomplishments and two decades of service,” Gianaris said. “There will be a time for politics later.”

One logical candidate for the seat, depending on how district lines are ultimately drawn, is Assemblyman George Latimer.

Republican Bob Cohen

UPDATE: Cohen said in a brief phone interview that he was “certainly going to run for Oppenheimer’s seat” and was looking forward to a vigorous race on the issues.

I don’t know who the Democrats are going to put up. In most elections in this area, they’re going to be close, they’re going to be contested. George Latimer would certainly be one of those people who I’ve heard discussion about. There are others out there. My feeling is that we’re going to run a good campaign. We’re going to run a campaign on the issues. And whoever the candidate is on the other side, we’ll meet, we’ll discuss the issues and the voters will decide in the end.

Cohen also said that while doesn’t agree with everything Gov. Andrew Cuomo has done in his first year in office,  the governor’s good working relationship with the Senate Republican conference has been positive for the state.

“You have to focus on the friendly areas of agreement,” he said. “That’s how you get things done.”

He said he’s already received a flurry of phone calls (mostly reporters) in response to the news of Oppenheimer’s retirement. “It kind of reminds me of the old days,” he said, laughing.

UPDATE X 2:

Here’s a statement from Senate GOP spokesman Scott Reif:

Senator Oppenheimer should be proud of her outstanding career in public service, and we certainly wish her well in the future.   However, this decision shows that even the Senate Democrats, who are already down to 25 members, know that we are going to expand our majority following the 2012 elections.

UPDATE X 3:

Mike Murphy, spokesman for the Senate Democrats, wrote in to blast Reif’s statement.

It’s not surprising that Republicans would be so crass as to focus on the political implications of Senator Oppenheimer’s decision, especially considering their desperation to hold on to their dwindling grasp on political power. Today is a day to honor Senator Oppenheimer’s accomplishments and her many years of public service. There will come a time for politics soon enough.

– additional reporting by Andrew J. Hawkins