Oct 10
2025
Watch: IP’s Geoff Kelly on Capital Tonight
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Buffalo’s mayoral election is 25 days away. State Sen. Sean Ryan, the Democratic nominee, is the odds-on favorite to prevail.
Investigative Post’s Geoff Kelly appeared Thursday on Spectrum News’ Capital Tonight with Susan Arbetter to discuss the state of the race, as well as the brewing fight among Ryan’s fellow Democrats over who will fill his Senate seat come January.
The scrapping over Ryan’s seat, which has been unfolding in the background for months, burst into the open on Thursday, when Ryan’s longtime political ally, Assembly Member Jonathan Rivera, declared his candidacy for the job.
Zellner and Rivera both have been lobbying for their causes. Zellner has garnered statements of support from some party leaders in the towns north of the city that comprise the bulk of the 61st State Senate district. Rivera has received endorsements from a half-dozen labor unions.
Rivera said he wants to give voters in the 61st State Senate district time to get to know him. Rivera’s chief rival for the seat, Erie County Democratic Committee Chair Jeremy Zellner, told Buffalo Toronto Public Media reporter Holly Fitzpatrick Rivera announcing his candidacy before Ryan was elected “deeply selfish.”
Donate to support our nonprofit newsroomZellner is constrained from formally entering the race by his dual role as an Erie County elections commissioner, a job that paid him $150,992 last year. State law requires elections commissioners to resign before accepting a nomination or designation for elected office.
If Ryan becomes mayor in January, the governor will call a special election to fill the Senate seat — most likely in March. Party leaders, not rank-and-file voters, will designate candidates to appear on the special election ballot. Whoever wins the special election will serve the remainder of Ryan’s term, which runs through the end of 2026, but must run again to retain the seat — first in next June’s primary, then in the November general election.
Zellner’s influence with the county’s Democratic committee would appear to give him a leg up in winning the designation for the special election. Rivera told Investigative Post he believes he can make a strong case to voters in next June’s Democratic primary.
Because a candidate can’t run for two offices simultaneously, Rivera must give up his Assembly seat to run for state Senate. Rivera’s announcement Thursday drew out candidates to fill his seat, in the event he stays in the race to succeed Ryan.
So far there are two: Attorney Adam Bojak registered a campaign committee on Sept. 17. He announced his candidacy this afternoon on Facebook and Twitter.
Kevin Deese, a Navy Reserve officer who works for M&T Bank, registered his campaign committee on Oct. 2 and declared his candidacy by press release on Thursday, after Rivera announced his bid for the Senate seat.
Deese and Bojak, like Rivera, live on Buffalo’s West Side. Both have experienced life outside and inside the local Democratic Party machine.
Bojak ran in the 2020 Democratic primary for the Assembly seat vacated by Ryan when he became a state senator. Rivera, with party backing, won that race and has held the seat since. Bojak was active in India Walton’s 2021 outsider campaign for Buffalo mayor, too.
Deese was one of a handful of candidates who last year won Democratic committee seats in the city, despite opposition from Zellner, the party chair. He finished first in a three-way race for two committee seats in this election district. Rivera finished third.
