Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Chris Collins' days of running for public office appear to be over... at least for now.
In a bid to return to Washington, D.C. representing Florida's 19th Congressional district, the former Western New York politician ended up finishing fifth in voting in Tuesday's Republican primary election. Jim Schwartzel was able to beat out the other nine candidates running with 29.1% of the votes.
In the hours following his defeat in the Republican primary, Collins told Stefan Mychajliw on WBEN that he doesn't plan on any future runs for elected office outside of his current position on the Collier County Republican Executive Committee.
"I'm going to stay involved in politics, to an extent, supporting other people, and advising them, bringing a certain level of my knowledge to their campaigns," said Collins during his appearance. "I want this country to move forward, I want Florida to move forward. I don't know what one day is going to bring to the next, but I am going to stay involved on the political front. I'm just not intending to be running for public office again. That chapter is closed."
Collins served as Erie County Executive for four years from 2008-11, before then running for the 27th Congressional district in New York, where he defeated Democrat incumbent, at the time, Kathy Hochul.
Hochul now serves as governor of New York, where she is up for re-election this year against Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman, county executive of Nassau County.
As someone who has beat Hochul in an election in the past, Collins does have some political advice to offer for Blakeman in the weeks before November's general election: Get her to take part in a debate.
"I think she's going to have no choice but to debate Bruce Blakeman. That's where I rattled her," Collins said. "She's easily rattled, especially when she's on the wrong side of every issue. So the advice would be to Bruce Blakeman: Debate her, and stay on the issues. Whether you're going to talk about men playing in women's sports, or the grossly high taxes and waste in the entire State of New York, the downward spiral, if you will. And to just stay focused on the issues, and she'll get rattled, because she does. She doesn't think well on her feet. People will watch that debate and they'll see that they have a governor who is, clearly, a hypocrite. So that's my advice. Debate her, debate her more than once, she'll get rattled, and that'll be his path to victory."
This year's New York gubernatorial election falls on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The former Western New York politician lost Tuesday's Republican primary for Florida's 19th Congressional district
The former Western New York politician lost Tuesday's Republican primary for Florida's 19th Congressional district
