Barclay declines race for 23rd District

William A. Barclay said Sunday he will not seek the Republican nomination in the 23rd Congressional District and instead will campaign for re-election to the state Assembly.

"As the days went by, increasingly I came to realize that something was gnawing at me," the Pulaski politician said in an e-mail to supporters. "You can sum it up with one simple word: duty."

Mr. Barclay said he was tempted to run for Congress to excuse himself "from the ever worsening woes of Albany." He said he even considered resigning his seat to focus full-time on a federal campaign.

"This is not a good time for someone who thinks his sort of common sense and sound judgment are badly needed right where he is just to walk away," he wrote.

Mr. Barclay's decision to drop out of the congressional race leaves three potential candidates for the GOP line.

Douglas L. Hoffman, a Lake Placid accountant who finished second during last fall's special election, and Matthew A. Doheny, a Watertown businessman, are committed. Franklin County Legislator Paul A. Maroun, Tupper Lake, is interested, but said he has not made up his mind.

The seat is held by Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh.

Mr. Barclay was the most outspoken of the potential candidates during his brief flirtation with the seat, with Mr. Owens and Mr. Hoffman being his two main targets for criticism.

He also took issue with state Conservative Party leaders, who have pledged their line to Mr. Hoffman exclusively. Mr. Barclay asked Mr. Hoffman to vow not use the minor-party line if he did not prevail in the GOP primary, but Mr. Hoffman has refused to do so.

Mr. Barclay said he intends to meet with all Republican candidates and will consider endorsing and campaigning for one of them before the September primary. He reiterated Tuesday that he'll support whichever candidate Republican voters choose in the primary.

Mr. Barclay, who has represented parts of Oswego and Onondaga counties in the Assembly since 2003, did not seek the GOP nomination for the congressional seat in November's special election. The assemblyman, who is a partner at the Hiscock & Barclay law firm, Syracuse, ran unsuccessfully for the 48th state Senate District during a special election in February 2008.

Mr. Owens defeated Mr. Hoffman, the Conservative candidate, and Assemblywoman Dierdre K. Scozzafava, the Republican nominee, in November to succeed John M. McHugh, who resigned to become secretary of the Army.