Rep. Tom Reynolds (R), who is retiring this year, penned a memo this week expressing confidence that the GOP nominee in the race to replace him will win in November.

Employing statistics showing voter enrollment figures and results from the last two presidential elections, Reynolds wrote in the memo to “interested parties” that businessman Chris Lee (R) is poised to defeat attorney Alice Kryzan (D) because the Western New York district is simply too solidly Republican to slip out of the GOP’s hands. Reynolds called Lee “a hard-working businessman” and Kryzan “a liberal trial attorney who wants to raise taxes.”

He noted that Kryzan just emerged as the surprise winner of a contentious Democratic primary and that under the state’s unusual election laws, Lee has two ballot lines in November, while Kryzan only has one. He also pointed out that Kryzan’s Democratic primary opponents, Jon Powers, remains on the fall ballot as the nominee of the Working Families Party.

“NY-26 voters have a strong tradition of backing Republicans like Barber Conable, Jack Kemp, Bill Paxon and Tom Reynolds,” Reynolds wrote. “These grassroots supporters, now working hard for Chris Lee, never took anything for granted, and this year is no different. Rest assured, these Republicans are putting their hard hats on to get Chris Lee elected.”

Lee, meanwhile, was endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday.