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Candidate

Richard E. Abbott

Republican · Incumbent

Niagara County Legislator, District 13

Richard E. 'Rick' Abbott has represented the 13th District (eastern Lockport city and town) since January 2022; a retired sanitarian and Lockport 5th Ward alderman from 2016 to 2021, he ran as a Democrat before joining the Republican Party and says he spent 25 years as an elected union official with the Public Employees Federation1132. He serves on the Administration, Community Services, Community Safety and Security and Infrastructure and Facilities committees3. He appears on the Republican, Conservative and Working Families lines after defeating Democrat Jocelyn Welton in a June 2026 Working Families primary that the party's leadership had contested425.

No public position found on: Immigration, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Redistricting, Death penalty.

Record

  • Lockport 5th Ward alderman from 2016 to 202113.
  • Elected 13th District legislator in November 2021 (1,629 votes to 1,252) after winning that year's Working Families primary 34 to 19, and re-elected in 2023 (1,844 to 1,125)167.
  • Won the June 23, 2026 Working Families primary over Jocelyn Welton, 53 votes to 28 in the unofficial election night count; he said he had appeared on that party's line in the past four elections52.
  • Co-sponsored the February 18, 2025 resolution opposing National Grid's proposed rate increase and voted yes (adopted 10 to 2)8.
  • Voted yes on June 16, 2026 on a resolution (IL-109-26, adopted 8 to 3) asking the governor to veto state legislation that would replace the words 'mother' and 'father' with 'gestating parent' and 'non-gestating parent' in New York law9.
  • Voted yes on December 9, 2025 to adopt the county's 2026 budget (adopted 11 to 3) and voted no on a minority amendment that would have raised the sales tax revenue estimate by about $3.0 million and lowered the property tax levy by the same amount (rejected 3 to 11)10.
  • Voted yes on September 16, 2025 to reappoint Henry Wojtaszek to the Off Track Betting Corporation board (approved 10 to 5)11.
  • Voted yes on July 22, 2025 (12 to 0) to adopt a local law lengthening county legislator terms from two years to four years starting January 1, 2027, subject to voter approval; voters approved it in November 20251214.

Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.

Sources (14)

Every claim on this page links to one of these
  1. General Election November 2, 2021, Candidate Summary Results (official)Niagara County Board of Elections
  2. Working Families reinforces support for Welton amid its ballot 'hijacking' concerns (June 21, 2026)Niagara Gazette (via Yahoo News)
  3. 13th District Legislator (official page)Niagara County Legislature
  4. General Election Ballot Order, Offices and Candidates for November 3, 2026 (dated 2026-09-15)Niagara County Board of Elections
  5. Niagara County primary voting results (June 23, 2026, election night count)Niagara Gazette
  6. Primary Election June 22, 2021, Candidate Summary Results by Party (official)Niagara County Board of Elections
  7. General Election November 7, 2023, Candidate Summary Results (official)Niagara County Board of Elections
  8. Official Record, Niagara County Legislature, February 18, 2025 (meeting minutes)Niagara County Legislature
  9. Official Record, Niagara County Legislature, June 16, 2026 (meeting minutes)Niagara County Legislature
  10. Official Record, Niagara County Legislature, December 9, 2025 (budget meeting minutes)Niagara County Legislature
  11. Official Record, Niagara County Legislature, September 16, 2025 (meeting minutes)Niagara County Legislature
  12. Official Record, Niagara County Legislature special meeting, July 22, 2025 (four-year term local law)Niagara County Legislature
  13. 2023 election: Abbott v. Smith in the 13th legislative district (October 25, 2023)Lockport Union-Sun & Journal
  14. Election 2025: Broderick, Burns, Morreale & Burg ahead in Lewiston (November 5, 2025, unofficial results)Niagara Frontier Publications (wnypapers.com)