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GOP lieutenant governor choice is SAFE Act opponent

Chemung County
Chemung County Sheriff Chris Moss

GOP candidate for governor Rob Astorino says his choice for a lieutenant governor running mate will be Chemung County Sheriff Chris Moss, an avid opponent of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s gun control laws.

Moss, who would be the first  African American the state GOP would pick for lieutenant governor, is head of the New York State Sheriffs' Association.  In an interview with the Elmira Star Gazette, Moss called  parts of the gun control laws championed by Cuomo “ludicrous” and a “knee jerk reaction” to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn.

Astorino, in a web video, says the choice of Moss came after an “exhaustive statewide search.”

“Make no mistake about it , there’s going to be a new sheriff in town in Albany next year,” Astorino said.

Astorino says he purposely chose an “Albany outsider” to be his running mate. Moss will be officially nominated at the Republican State Party convention in Westchester on Thursday.

Karen DeWitt is Capitol Bureau Chief for New York State Public Radio, a network of 10 public radio stations in New York State. She has covered state government and politics for the network since 1990.