Michael Cashman (Provided photo)

PLATTSBURGH — On Friday, the Clinton, Franklin and Essex Democratic county chairs announced they intend to select Plattsburgh Town Supervisor Michael Cashman as their candidate for the expected special election for the state Assembly seat being vacated by longtime representative Billy Jones.

Jones’ term in Assembly District 115 is set to last through the end of 2026. His recently announced plan to resign halfway through his term would trigger a special election. The race won’t start until he officially steps down, which he’s indicated he plans to do very soon.

Clinton County Democratic Chair Jeff Moore said the chairs decided to announce their endorsement before the race officially begins because of how short the special election timeline is.

“We wanted to give him a leg up,” Moore said.

“We spoke with several strong potential candidates, but Michael Cashman stood out,” the chairs said in a statement. “He brings the energy, vision and experience that the North Country needs right now. He’s ready to bring people together to make sure North Country voices are heard, and we aren’t left behind.”

Special elections are not run like normal elections. They do not have primaries.

Instead, the parties select their nominees based on votes from the party chairs in the three counties within the district — essentially a primary of three voters. But, for the Democrats and Republicans, the Clinton County chairs hold all the power in this process.

The chairs have their votes weighted based on how many party members their county contributes to the district. In both major parties, Clinton County carries more than 50% of the vote by itself, meaning, theoretically, the Clinton County chairs hold all the cards on who the candidates are.

The chairs were also considering Bridie Farrell of Lake Placid. Moore said it was a tough decision, but Cashman stood out.

Moore said he met with Franklin County Democratic Chair Kathy Fleury and Essex County Democratic Chair Maggie Bartley several times and that they were in consensus that they had two string candidates, but that they felt Cashman was more prepared for the compressed special election campaign timeline.

Moore believes Cashman can keep the seat blue. He said Cashman has experience in the tri-county area, is in the news often and has been doing things Moore likes.

He said Cashman has been advocating for Canadian visitors to still come to the North Country amid tense relations between the U.S. and its neighbor to the north. This has led to widespread drops in summer revenue for businesses of many types. Moore said the message Cashman has brought is that people here like them, no matter what the people in D.C. say.

Moore, who sat on the Plattsburgh city council for six years, said he dealt with Cashman in the town often, and he believes Cashman has managed Plattsburgh well.

He is the youngest town supervisor in Plattsburgh’s history and has been in office for nine years in one of the largest towns in the district. His current term is set to end at the end of 2027, so he would need to resign this seat to serve in the state.

“He has a record of on-time budgets that have been under the tax cap,” the chairs said in a statement. “His openness also brings government transparency to the Assembly race.”

They said Cashman is “energized” and running on a platform of “affordability, job creation and a commitment to protecting rural health care.”

Jones is the region’s only Democratic state representative. Democrats want to hold this seat in their party’s control. Republicans see Jones vacating it as an opportunity to secure the seat back into Republican hands. Jones’ district includes all of Franklin and Clinton counties, and part of Essex County.

Earlier this month, Clinton County Republican Committee Chair Jerika Manning announced her endorsement of State Police Troop B Commander Maj. Brent Davison for the GOP line after an executive committee meeting with her town chairs and officers.

Manning’s endorsement of Davison came after a heated week of fighting among party members, all the way up to North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik.

With the Clinton County party chairs holding all the power in the decision of who runs to represent them on the ballot, a fight to control that power sprang up.

To read more about Davison, the fight for control and the lead-up to the impending race, go to tinyurl.com/yc6jxjke.

After Jones officially submits his resignation, Gov. Kathy Hochul has 10 days to proclaim a special election. This election must occur between 40 and 50 days of her proclamation. The timeline sets the potential that the special election could be included on the Nov. 4 General Election ballot, instead of being a separate election.