Several lawmakers are being discussed as possible successors to retiring New York Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, according to Spectrum News.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has sole authority to make the appointment, with no requirement that the position remain with an upstate lawmaker or a woman.
Albany-area Assemblyman John McDonald said he would consider the role if asked and described consensus-building as a central part of the job.
Political observers said Heastie could weigh geography, experience, job security and gender representation when choosing the next leader.
Peoples-Stokes, a Buffalo Democrat who has held the post for more than a decade, will leave office when her current term ends.
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