Brian Higgins political team suffers embarassing loss

The talk of Buffalo this morning is the stunning upset defeat of Chris Fahey, Deputy Chief of Staff to Congressman Brian Higgins, in Higgins home base of South Buffalo in yesterday’s 145th Assembly District election.

It was a sharp rebuke of Brian Higgins, who appeared in TV ads and mailers for his aide, making it a referendum on him in a heavily Democratic district. Councilmember Mickey Kearns, the Republican candidate, won a “landslide upset” scoring a 57 percent to 43 percent win.

As the Buffalo News reports, the loss “deals a sharp blow to the political prestige of Rep. Brian Higgins, for whom Fahey worked as a top staff aide. Higgins’ extensive political operation had worked overtime for Fahey, and the congressman personally appeared on television ads emphasizing his support.”

As you cover Brian Higgins embarrassing black eye, please consider the following quote:

NRCC Comment: “Talk about an embarrassment. Such a massive and overwhelming rejection of Brian Higgins hand-picked choice – a trusted aide in a heavily Democrat district – shows that Western New York families are frustrated with Higgins’ Washington-knows-best philosophy that has hurt their pocketbooks and destroyed jobs.” – Nat Sillin, NRCC Spokesman