Two central New York Democrats are launching their campaigns for the 50th Senate District seat.
Democrats Al Stirpe and Tom Drumm are campaigning for the seat in 2024, which will be left vacant as current Senator John Mannion is seeking the New York 22nd Congressional seat.
Stirpe has been serving central New York for years. With eight terms as the assemblyman for the 127th district, Stirpe said he is comfortable leaving the assembly and is ready for the next step.
“I feel very comfortable, I’ll leave, those guys are fine because they are a strong voice for upstate,” Stirpe said. “I want to make sure there is that same strong voice for upstate in the Senate Majority Conference.”
Stirpe said his campaign will stay grounded in priorities he’s always had, the “Three E’s”: economic development, education and environment. Also on his radar, Micron’s historic investment into central New York. Stirpe sponsored the Green CHIPS bill and said the state needs continued leadership to make sure the right investments are happening.
“We’ll need strong leadership in Albany to ensure that the investments we need in infrastructure and workforce development to make sure we maximize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to actually happen,” Stirpe said.
Drumm, who previously served on the Oswego County Legislature and has worked as a union organizer also feels he has what Senate District 50 needs.
“I am looking for an opportunity to serve because I think that I can bring something to the table, and I think my generation does not have the time anymore to not have a seat at the table,” Drumm said.
For him, focusing on childhood poverty, economic development and support for rural communities is what he hopes to bring to the table in Albany. Drumm said he wants to bring transparency to the economic process.
“We have to figure out a way to level the playing field for people, not only in the middle class but people in general,” Drumm said. “A lot of times with folks that I’ve talked to they see big corporate handouts given to entities and they look at their lives, being central New Yorkers their entire lives, and realizing that they’ve never gotten a break in their life.”
Current Onondaga County Legislature Chairman, James Rowley, is campaigning for the district’s Republican nomination.
