The state Senate is losing another incumbent Republican — who’s got a unique reason for leaving.
“I’m being mobilized to active duty with the Navy,” said Sen. Tom Croci of Suffolk County as he announced he won’t be running for re-election.
“I’ll be going on military leave with the Senate. So, I’m not resigning. I’m just going out on leave… You can’t be mobilized to active orders and be a candidate for public office. You can’t do that. You can’t campaign. So, I will not be seeking a third term.”
Croci had the option of delaying his military duty until 2020.
The former Town of Islip supervisor sidestepped a question about whether he would try to return to public office in the future.
“In the Navy, we never project being our next deployment, and I’m just not going to do it,” he said.
Croci, who holds the rank of commander in the Navy, was first elected to the Senate in 2014
Last week, Sens. John DeFrancisco, of Syracuse, Kathy Marchione, of Saratoga, and John Bonacic, of the Hudson Valley, announced they would not run again.
The departures will make it harder for the GOP to maintain control of the Senate, which it now runs with a one-vote margin over the Democrats, thanks to an alliance with rebel Brooklyn Democrat Simcha Felder.
Senate GOP Spokesman Scott Reif said the districts that lost incumbents “have been represented by Republicans for years, if not decades.”
“We expect to field excellent candidates who will help us maintain our Majority,” he said.