The 29th Congressional District is going to stay in the headlines for a while, thanks to the looming possibility of a special election to replace Eric Massa, who's giving up his seat on Monday.

The race's outcome will be seen as a bellwether, an indication of which party will have the upper hand in the November elections, says Sean Hart, a spokesman for the county Democratic Committee.

Before Eric Massa announced that he was giving up his seat, but after he announced he wouldn't seek re-election, names started surfacing as potential candidates. Now that a special election is on the horizon, expect the list to get longer.

Here are some of the names being bandied about:

• Former Corning Mayor Tom Reed, a Republican, is already in the race - he announced his candidacy back in July and got the endorsement of some prominent local GOPers, including County Executive Maggie Brooks.
• Brooks issued a statement on Wednesday saying that she had received "dozens" of calls urging her to run for the 29th. "Out of respect for our community leaders and a desire to serve hardworking and overburdened taxpayers, I will give this opportunity serious consideration over the next several days," she said in the statement. "Ultimately, I will make a decision that allows me to best serve the people of Monroe County and Upstate New York by fighting for lower taxes, job creation, public safety, and a quality of life that is second to none."
• Former Congress member Randy Kuhl, the Republican whom Massa defeated in 2008.
• Democratic Assembly member David Koon, who put out a tweet last night to his Twitter followers that posed the following: "Please let me know what you think about me possibly running for the 29th Congressional seat."
• Democratic Assembly member Susan John, who is not seeking re-election this year.
• David Nachbar, a Democrat who at one time was going to challenge Massa in a primary. He abandoned that bid, however, and lost a State Senate bid in 2008.
• Brighton Supervisor Sandra Frankel, a Democrat, has said she'll consider candidacy.
• Hornell Mayor Shawn Hogan, chair of the Steuben County Democratic Committee, who Massa has encouraged to run.