By Jack Schlafly Syracuse, N.Y. (NCC News) — Roger Misso, Dana Balter, and Francis Conole are all running for the Democratic nomination in the congressional race against John Katko. While Conole won a recent primary at the Onondaga County Democratic Committee’s vote, Dana Balter has said she will not back down. After her near loss to Katko as the party’s candidate in 2018, Balter believes she’s the right candidate to take down the incumbent this time around.
“We demonstrated in the last race that my campaign and the message we are taking to the voters resonates. That’s why we were able to outperform the blue wave that swept the country and move the vote in this district 16 points,” says Balter. “That’s why we won Onondaga county. Nobody had ever beaten John Katko in a county in this district. We are fighting for the things that people of Central and Western New York want.”
However, Conole is a strong candidate in his own right.
“My background has been marked by leadership. I’ve worked with all different types of people. Confronting some of our country’s most challenging problem sets. Working, bringing people together. The great thing in the military is, you don’t ask if someone is a democrat or a republican, you come together.”
Conole graduated from the Naval Academy in 2001 and was shortly thereafter deployed.
Misso placed third in the recent Committee vote. However, he released his own statement Wednesday morning.
“For every rural kid who was ever told she doesn’t belong. For every city kid who was ever told he doesn’t matter. For everyone who was ever picked last, forgotten, ignored, overlooked, maligned, or mistreated – this is your campaign. This is your home. And together, we will not yield.”
The primary race is incredibly competitive with two frontrunners and another in Misso trailing just behind. Whoever the winner is, they’ll turn to their next challenge: a bout with John Katko; an incumbent of the office since 2015.
