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Candidate Profile from Congressional QuarterlyThomas M. Reynolds (R) of SpringvilleOpen Seat
Upstate Republicans have called Reynolds the "perfect" successor to retiring five-term Rep. Bill Paxon. Both started political careers at an early age. Paxon was just 23 when he was elected to the Erie County Legislature. Reynolds also was 23 when he won his bid for the Concord Town Council. Reynolds later followed Paxon to the Erie County Legislature, and won election to fill Paxon's state Assembly seat in 1988 when Paxon ran for Congress. Throughout Paxon's 10-year career on Capitol Hill, Reynolds served as his campaign manager, and this year Paxon returned the favor. During his 10 years in the state Assembly, Reynolds proved himself a hard-working conservative. He was elected Republican leader in 1995. Reynolds is expected to follow closely in Paxon's conservative footsteps once he arrives on Capitol Hill. He is a member of the National Rifle Association and served as a sergeant in the Air National Guard. In the state Assembly, Reynolds sat on the Ways and Means Committee, the Banks Committee and the Correction Committee. He also served as chairman of the Assembly's GOP Affordable Housing Task Force. Reynolds also made a reputation for himself as a legislator who focused on constituent services. He has strong ties to the upper echelons of the state Republican Party. He served for six years as the Republican chairman in Erie County, where in 1995 he guided the nomination and election of Dennis Vacco to be state attorney general.
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