Tuesday’s New York Republican Primary elected incumbent and well-known community leader William Nojay. The only problem: Nojay fatally shot himself the previous Friday.
Honeoye Falls Mayor Rick Milne was Nojay's opponent, and may be appointed to take his place by the Republican Party chairmen in the counties that make up the 133rd Assembly district Nojay represented.
Nojay had faced charges of fraud in Cambodia over a $1 million investment that had gone bad as well as a $1.8 million trust fund he managed for a client and friend, according to USA Today. Some of these legal difficulties were not commonly known before his death.
Nojay was a popular local radio host with conservative views on issues like gun rights and small-business support. He was well-known throughout the state in political circles and had campaigned in support of presidential candidate Donald Trump. He had been nominated by the Conservative, Independence, and Reform parties in addition to the GOP.
Milne has given party chairmen a letter asking them to choose him as a replacement for Nojay on the ballot, according to the Democrat & Chronicle. “It’s disappointing, but it’s the cards I’ve been dealt,” Milne said, the newspaper reported. “Not through a true election process, but through the situation.”
Milne would face Democrat Barbara Baer in a rural area friendly to Republicans. The decision must be made within 10 days of the primary.
Nojay is not the first lawmaker to perish during an election season. In 2000, Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan was elected to the Senate despite having died in a plane crash a few weeks earlier. Carnahan’s wife Jean was appointed to take his place until a special election could be held two years later, when she narrowly lost.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.