WASHINGTON — The race to succeed New York Rep. Vito Fossella, who chose to retire after acknowledging he fathered a child outside his marriage, has become even more uncertain with the unexpected death over the weekend of the Republicans’ chosen successor.
Frank Powers, 67, died Sunday at his home in Staten Island, N.Y., of natural causes. His death came as a shock to his family and to the Republican Party, which had hoped he could retain the GOP’s hold on the congressional district held for more than a decade by Fossella.
The untimely death of Powers raises a host of questions for the Republicans: What candidate will they pick now? How soon can he or she start campaigning? How much money can they raise?
A spokesman for the National Republican Campaign Committee declined to comment, citing the personal loss of the Powers family.
