Queensbury’s Stec drops out of NY-20 race; GOP divided

It’s down to two Republican candidates vying to challenge freshman Rep. Scott Murphy (D-Glens Falls) in this year’s election — and so far county leaders are divided on who should carry the GOP banner.

Queensbury town supervisor Dan Stec failed to win county support last week, and has officially dropped out. That leaves two men in contention:

Patrick Ziegler, a tea party activist from Burnt Hills has been endorsed by Essex and Warren County Republicans.

But Chris Gibson, a former Army colonel who lives in Kinderhook, has been endorsed by Saratoga County Republicans, the most powerful committee in the 20th district.

While Republicans work to unify, Murphy has been fundraising aggressively and preparing for what is expected to be a stiff challenge.

Murphy announced on Friday that he will vote Yes on the Democratic healthcare bill.