In a press conference last week, Nick Libous announced the suspension of his campaign for the 123rd Assembly District.

Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo MA ‘84 announced in early January that she would not seek reelection after 11 terms and 21 years in office. The district represents the city of Binghamton and the towns of Vestal and Union.

Libous first announced his candidacy for the assembly seat in January. Libous is the son of Tom Libous, who served as a Binghamton City Council member and the Republican state senator of the 52nd district from 1989 until 2015. A Democrat, he previously ran for Broome County clerk last year and was defeated in November by Republican Aaron Martin.

After four months, Libous announced that he is suspending his campaign and endorsed Democrat Dan Norton, a partner at Hinman, Howard & Kattell law firm, president of the Board of Directors for Broome County Habitat for Humanity, vice chair of the Board of Directors for Tri-Cities Opera and a member of the Board of Trustees for WSKG.

“We must ensure that extremist Republicans do not win this seat,” said Libous in an April 6 press release. “I am proud to support Dan Norton for NYS Assembly because he is the right candidate to represent our community in Albany; with the grassroots support and financial backing to wage a competitive campaign. We need an adult in the room in Albany; one who will work with people across the political spectrum to fight for the residents of the 123rd.”

According to the press release, Libous said that while his campaign secured the signatures necessary to appear on the ballot, he recognized the strength of support and unity behind Norton.

“I am truly humbled by the outpouring of support our campaign has received during the petitioning process,” Norton said in the press release. “To succeed, you need to build a strong coalition; one that brings a diverse set of opinions into the fold, and I am proud to welcome Nick Libous and his support into that coalition. I look forward to moving ahead together on our shared priorities, such as making life more affordable and stopping ever-increasing utility costs.”

Norton announced that his campaign petition has received over 2,000 signatures, the highest number of any candidate in the 123rd Assembly District. He has also said his campaign raised more funds than all of his opponents combined. Norton also received an endorsement from Lupardo in February.

Other elected officials have also shared support for Norton.

“I’ve been really impressed by the kind of campaign Dan Norton has run,” Broome County Executive Jason Garnar ‘99 said in the press release. “Going out and collecting 2,000 signatures means he’s been out there talking directly with people, knocking on doors, and meeting voters right where they are — at home, in their neighborhoods, and in their communities. That says a lot.”

“A lot of folks talk about listening to voters, but Dan’s actually putting in the work and showing it,” he continued. “That’s the same kind of approach Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo has always brought to this job — focused on people, focused on the work, and focused on getting results. As Donna prepares to retire at the end of the year, it’s encouraging to see that same commitment in Dan. To me, it shows I’ll have a partner in Albany who’s not focused on talk, but focused on delivering real results for Broome County.”