City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) shared on Twitter that he will not be jumping in the primary on the Republican ticket for the public advocate seat despite a sturdy second place finish where he walked away with the most votes in Queens and Staten Island.
“I will not be a candidate for Public Advocate in the fall,” said Ulrich. “I will respectfully decline the nomination and allow the committee to fill vacancies to make a decision.”
The news has disappointed many of his followers on the social media platform who wish that he will reconsider his stance and take another crack at the role as the city’s watchdog.
“You are a smart man, but I think you definitely give it another shot at the advocate,” said one Twitter user.
Apparently, members of the GOP committee jumped the gun, because Republicans have been canvassing for petitions for the primary on his behalf, according to Ulrich.
“The GOP is circulating petitions with my name on it because the process started on the day of the Special Election,” said Ulrich, who pulled in 19 percent of the approximately 396,000 votes.
GOP Chairwoman Joann Ariola, who was at Ulrich’s election party on Feb. 26, considered his second place position in a blue state for a citywide election a “win” for the Republican, especially in a race with 17 candidates.
Many election savvy followers of the former Republican candidate noted that once the term-limited councilman leaves office in 2021; it would be perfect timing for him to make a possible bid for the mayor’s seat. They also offered tips.
“If he doesn’t run for PA again, he can run for mayor in 2021,” said another Twitter supporter. “He should campaign more in the other boroughs he lost like Manhattan, Bronx and Brooklyn.”
