The New York Times-20080129-Republican Senator to Retire

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Republican Senator to Retire

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State Senator Mary Lou Rath, a Republican from Erie County, plans to retire, her staff said on Monday. It is the latest blow to the party's efforts to hold its two-seat majority.

Senator James W. Wright, another upstate Republican, resigned this month. His seat will be filled through a special election on Feb. 26.

I am sorry to see Senator Rath leave. She is one of the best senators in the state, said the majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno. That's a Republican seat; we'll be O.K. We have a depth of people behind her.

Mr. Bruno said that Assemblyman James Hayes, a Republican from Amherst, would be a very strong contender to replace Ms. Rath. Lynn M. Marinelli, the chairwoman of the Erie County Legislature, is considered a leading Democratic contender.

Ms. Rath's term runs out at the end of the year.

She's planning on staying until the end of the term, said John Emery, her spokesman. This is what she's told her colleagues.

Doug Forand, a political strategist for the Senate Democrats, said of Ms. Rath's district: The numbers are Republican, though the margin has been narrowing in recent years. This would be a tough race, but probably not unwinnable.