Republican Richard Hanna, 56, who lives on state Route 80 in the town of Otsego, is considering whether to run for the 24th Congressional District seat held by Democrat Michael Arcuri of Utica.
On Friday, Hanna, a contractor whose firm is headquartered in Barneveld, said he has formed an exploratory committee and is nearing a decision on entering the race.
"I've been traveling the district, talking to a lot of people,'' he said.
He also has been to Washington, meeting with Republican strategists, said Hanna, a nephew of Edward Hanna, former mayor of Utica.
Hanna said that if he decides to run, he will be ready to discuss specific issues.
Otsego County Republican Chairwoman Sheila Ross said she believes Hanna would be "an excellent candidate.'' Arcuri's staff is aware of the possible challenge.
Friday afternoon, the incumbent said he plans to run on his record, although he's been in office just longer than a year.
"It's not that long since the last campaign, but if you do this job right, you're always running,'' said Arcuri, 48.
By delivering services to constituents and keeping promises, such as providing funds for higher education and working to thwart the proposed New York Regional Interconnect power line, he has been forging a record to run on, said Arcuri, former Oneida County district attorney.
"I'm proud of my record, and I do keep promises, such as working to raise the minimum wage,'' he said.
When the minimum wage was raised last year, Congress made sure to include
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$4.8 billion in tax relief for small businesses to assure that their owners were not penalized for paying employees a decent salary, he noted.
This year, congressional races will coincide with the presidential election, which may aid his re-election effort, Arcuri said.
"I think the presidential race will bring out more voters in the district and that should help,'' he said.
The 24th Congressional District is home to 161,117 Republicans, 126,294 Democrats and 75,747 independents, according to the New York State Board of Elections. The district was long-represented by Republican Sherwood Boehlert, who retired at the end of 2006.
In the 2006 election, Arcuri captured the seat in a race with Republican Raymond Meier, a former state senator.
In the neighboring 20th Congressional District, Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand beat incumbent Republican Rep. John Sweeney in 2006.
Not long after she took office, Republican challengers emerged, hoping to retake the seat for the GOP, Gillibrand's spokeswoman Rachel McEneny noted Friday.
Nonetheless, Gillibrand has been focused on her job, not politics, waiting to see which Republican will emerge, McEneny said.
"We'll be ready for them after the September primary,'' she said.
Gillibrand, who was planning to visit Delaware County Saturday, is running in a district that is home to 193,328 Republicans, 115,563 Democrats and 112,889 independents.
The four Republicans vying to oppose her are Alexander "Sandy'' Treadwell, vice president of the Cooperstown-based Clark Foundation; retired state trooper and real-estate broker John Wallace; retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michael Rocque; and Richard Wager, who has been working on a technology project for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Treadwell, former New York State secretary of state and former chairman of the state's Republican Party, has raised $822,013 for his campaign, far more than his Republican rivals, according to the Center For Responsive Politics.
That compares with $2,023,861 that Gillibrand, 41, has reported raising.
Treadwell, who is campaigning to hold the line on taxes, is a cousin of Jane Forbes Clark, chairwoman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
He is 61 and lives in Lake Placid.
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