Assembly Republicans have chosen Assemblymember Ed Ra to be the next minority leader in the chamber.
Ra represents portions of Nassau County, and is the first downstate representative to fill the post since Republicans became the Assembly minority back in the 1970s. The unanimous vote on his selection, he said, shows an upstate/downstate divide in the conference is not a concern.
“We want a safer state,” he said. “We want a more affordable state, and maybe in some instances, that looks different for different members of our conference, and we want them all to have that ability to advocate for their constituents.”
Ra is replacing Will Barclay of Oswego County, who resigned his post last week. Barclay is also not running for re-election for his Assembly seat. His term expires at the end of the year.
Barclay had been leader since 2020. Democrats like Speaker Ed Heastie said they worked well with Barclay.
Ra, who has been in the Assembly since 2011, said he hopes to continue that collaboration when possible.
“Where there’s disagreements, we’re going to raise them, and we’re going to raise them loudly,” Ra said. “But I think there are a lot of issues that we can collaborate on, and I think we all believe that we need to bring our perspectives from our respective districts and try to make New York state better.”
In a statement Monday, Heastie called Ra “a dedicated public servant who has has served admirably as the ranking member on the Ways and Means Committee and led thoughtful debate in his previous role as minority leader pro tempore.”
The powerful House Ways and Means Committee is currently holding joint budget hearings with the Senate Finance Committee. Ra said another member would take his role on the committee on a temporary basis, but that it was too early to determine any permanent changes to committee assignments.
