The Republican candidate in northern New York’s Assembly special election kicked off his campaign today/Wednesday in Plattsburgh surrounded by GOP Assembly members from across the state.
Governor Kathy Hochul called the special election after Assemblyman D. Billy Jones, a Democrat, left his seat to take a job leading Clinton Community College’s Institute for Advanced Manufacturing.
County GOP chairs in the 115th District chose Brent Davison to be their candidate for the Assembly seat. Davison spent nearly 30 years with the New York State Police and recently retired as Troop B Commander.
Republican leaders traveled from as far as Long Island and western New York to tout Davison’s background as a veteran and law enforcement career during the campaign kickoff Wednesday morning.
Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay traveled to Plattsburgh and said he is thrilled that Davison will help them push back on Democratic policies.
“Do we want to continue on the path that New York’s on, the policies that the Democratic majorities and Governor Hochul have passed? Those policies I don’t think are what the people of the North Country want. So I think that the choice is very clear,” Barclay said. “Look at Brent’s resume. He’s had a lifetime of service to the people. You look at his opponent, my mind he’s going to enable the agenda of Governor Hochul and the Democrats.”
Davison said he’s not a career politician but would bring leadership and be another GOP assemblyman exercising a check on Democratic policies that negatively impact the North Country.
“I think that a lot of the laws that have been passed recently are very negative towards the North Country. I understand just being a resident of the North Country, outside of law enforcement, I understand what the needs are.” Davison added, “I was a correction officer for a while, so that’s another reason that I’m very passionate about how poorly the correction officers are being treated at this time.”
During the formal comments, Davison criticized several policies supported by the Democratic majority, many of which the state GOP has long opposed.
“Bail reform, raise the age, Clean Slate Act, the HALT Act, the CLCPA (Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act) energy mandates, sky-high tax rates, some of the highest tax rates in the country, out of control health care costs, a gas stove ban and even at times demonizing law enforcement. These are policies that have made New York the most expensive and the most abandoned states in the country.”
Davison faces Democrat Michael Cashman, the current Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor. A complaint was filed with the Board of Elections claiming Cashman unlawfully used a room and materials in the Town Hall when he announced his candidacy.
