Capital Region Scene

Saratoga Springs Republicans go for McDonald

State Sen. Roy McDonald won a big local endorsement Wednesday night by securing the backing of the Saratoga Springs Republican Committee.

The endorsement comes as McDonald, R-Saratoga, is facing a potential primary challenge from Saratoga County Clerk Kathy Marchione, R-Halfmoon. Conservatives in the district have been looking for a candidate to replace McDonald since his vote in favor of same-sex marriage and Marchione has emerged as that candidate, with a growing amount of support in Saratoga County since her entry into the race.

The decision of the Searatoga Springs Republican Committee, which gave more than 90 percent of its weighted vote to McDonald, to go in this direction is a sharp reversal from the recent announcements of other Saratoga County Republican committees that have endorsed Marchione.

The endorsement follows a string of positive news for McDonald outside of Saratoga County, with the biggest surprise being the support of the Columbia Conservative Party.

Saratoga Springs Republican Committee Chairman David Harper said in a statement, “Our committee interviewed both candidates and had a great discussion on who would best represent the values and views of our city party, the overwhelming choice was Senator McDonald but we also feel it’s important to thank Kathy Marchione for her past and future work as Saratoga County Clerk."

The Saratoga County Republican Committee had intended to meet some time in the middle of April to discuss a county endorsement, which had initially been put off due to a discrepancy over whether a committee not in the district could vote on the county endorsement.

Follow @GazettePolitics for all our political coverage on Twitter.

today's events