Indictment Makes Collins Seat Less Safe

After Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) was arrested and indicted on federal charges of insider trading this morning, the Cook Political Report says the situation “compounds his political problems in a district that should otherwise be safe GOP territory.”

“Democrats have a potentially credible nominee in attorney and Grand Island Town Supervisor Nate McMurray… The indictment won’t prevent Collins from using his personal wealth to attack McMurray as a carpetbagger, and Collins will attempt to neutralize his legal problems by citing McMurray’s use of his town email account for political purposes to equate him with Hillary Clinton. But at R+11, this seat is about as GOP-leaning as the PA-18 seat Democrat Conor Lamb won in March. It moves from Solid Republican to Likely Republican.”