2022 Midterm Election Candidates

Written by Madelyn Clements ||

With the midterm election approaching rapidly, it’s important to be mindful of who’s running for office and where these candidates stand on the issues that affect us. Listed below are various midterm candidates and their views on crucial current events and topics.

Broome County sheriff:

Fred Akshar

• Republican
• On why he’s running for sheriff, “Clearly, the attitudes and policies of the last 30 to 40 years have created a couple of things from my perspective: stagnation and the lowest morale we’ve seen in a decade with respect to the agency”.
• He believes that the most pressing issue facing the department is a crisis in staffing in the Broome County jail—he suggests suspending the associates degree requirement for hiring, negotiating with the union to allow some part-time positions, and a major push to attract new CO’s.
• If elected, he will focus on the recruitment program.
• In 2019, Akshar voted against the NY DREAM Act, which extended state financial aid to undocumented immigrant students who were brought to the U.S. as children.
• He opposes New York’s legalization of recreational marijuana.

Kate Newcomb

• Democrat
• She also has mentioned the staffing shortage in the Broome County jail and says that she’ll work closely with the corrections officers’ union on recruitment strategies, push to have the civil service exam offered more than once a year, and ask the Broome County Legislature to approve sign-on bonuses.

Broome County legislators:

• 1^st district-Stephen J. Flagg
• 2^nd district-Scott Baker V.S. Carolyn Price
• 3^rd district-Kelly F. Wildoner
• 4^th district-Kim A. Myers
• 5^th district-Daniel J. Reynolds
• 6^th district-Greg W. Baldwin
• 7^thdistrict-Matthew J. Wahila V.S. Matthew J. Pasquale
• 8^th district-Jason E. Shaw
• 9^th district-Matthew J. Hilderbrant
• 10^th district- Cat Robinson V.S. Erin Micha
• 11^thdistrict-Suzy Ryan V.S. John A. Dellapenna
• 12^th district-Karen M. Beebe V.S. Louis P. Augostini
• 13^th district-Bob Weslar
• 14^th district-Mary Kaminski

15^th district-Mark Whalen V.S. Elaine M. Miller

Representatives in congress (19^th district):

Josh Riley

• Democrat
• Pro-choice
• He believes there should be restrictions on firearms.
• Supports climate change action

Marcus Molinaro

• Republican
• On why he’s running for congress, “We should be saying no to bad trade deals. We can invest in high-tech jobs that restore manufacturing and fight climate change. We can build an upstate economy that works for working families.”
• He is strongly against defunding the police.
• As an assemblyman, he voted against same-sex marriage in 2011, but stated that his views on the subject had “evolved”.
• He mentioned addressing the needs of residents with disabilities as a priority in his campaign launch.
• Pro-life

Federal Senator:

Charles E. Schumer

• Democrat
• Known for legislation that included the 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (aka the Brady bill), a law that would eventually require federal gun background checks and the 1994 Violence Against Women Act, which provided expanded measures for dealing with issues like domestic abuse and sexual assault.
• He has openly supported the legalization of marijuana.
• Supports the idea of expanding the number of Supreme Court justices
• Pro-choice
• He is involved in climate change advocacy.
• Supports bringing back the nation’s assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004

Joe Pinion

• Republican
• He refused to answer whether he believes women should have the right to an abortion in New York, saying instead that they currently have that right and that he would oppose a national ban on abortions.
• Involved in climate change advocacy, working with the organization RepublicEn, which is a right-leaning environmentalist advocacy organization.
• Supports a border wall
• Pinion opposed bringing back the nation’s assault weapons ban
• Rejects the idea of expanding the number of Supreme Court justices

New York State governor:

Kathy C. Hochul

• Democrat.
• She believes in ending tax breaks for oil companies.
• Despite being a Democrat, Hochul has expressed her support for the NRA.
• She favors offering incentives to develop alternative energy.
• Supports raising taxes on those making more than $500,000 per year
• She said that money could be saved in the Medicare program by eliminating waste and purchasing prescription drugs in bulk.
• Pro-choice
• In 2018, Hochul supported legislation to provide driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, which she had opposed in 2007.
• In November 2021, Hochul pushed to end remote work during the COVID pandemic and to return workers to offices.
• Opposes fracking
• In January 2022, she expanded an existing vaccine mandate for healthcare workers to include a booster shot requirement.
• She is running with Antonio Delgado.

Lee M. Zeldin

• Republican
• In 2012, Zeldin helped to create the PFC, a veterans’ support program.
• He doesn’t believe in furthering gun control.
• In 2014, Zeldin voted against the New York Dream Act, which would allow undocumented students who meet in-state tuition requirements to obtain financial aid to study at the university level.
• Although Zeldin is pro-life, he said that as governor, he would not change New York’s abortion laws.
• In 2017, Zeldin voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
• Zeldin has criticized hospitals for firing employees who declined to be vaccinated against COVID-19—he also opposes mask mandates.
• He has said that Israel is “America’s strongest ally” and that Congress must “protect Israel’s right to self-defense”.
• He supports the use of hydraulic fracking.
• Zeldin’s running mate is Alison Esposito.

Attorney general of New York State:

Letitia A. James

• Democrat
• She established the Urban Network, a coalition of African American professional organizations aimed at providing scholarships for young people.
• In the past, she has focused on consumer complaints involving predatory lending and other unlawful business practices.
• Pro-choice

Michael Henry

• Republican
• He believes that crime is one of the most pressing issues in New York.
• Pro-Life
• Believes that churches should have the right to refuse same-sex ceremonies.
• He doesn’t support the federal mask mandates.
• Against any further firearm restrictions

State senator 52^nd district:

Lea webb

• Democrat
• She has pushed for climate change action.
• She is a Co-Chair/Co-Founder of the Black Millennial Political Convention
• Opposed to fracking
• Pro-choice

Richard David

• Republican
• As mayor of Binghamton, one of his major campaign promises was to increase the number of officers in the Binghamton Police Department.
• Also, as mayor, Binghamton’s $7 million infrastructure plan improved more than 11 center line miles of city streets.
• In 2015, David initiated a $4 million plan to convert the city’s roughly 7,000 streetlights to LED technology.