A challenger has announced a run against a longtime upstate New York State Senator.
Middleburgh farmer Jim Barber on Saturday kicked off his campaign for New York’s 51st Senate District. He was joined by supporters including fellow Democrat Congressman Paul Tonko.
In a press release, Barber said he wants “to bring the voice of all people living in rural New York to Albany.”
Barber for seven years served as New York State Executive Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. He also worked as an advisor to the Commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.
The 51st District seat is currently held by Republican James Seward, who has served in the Senate since 1987. The largely rural district stretches across nine counties from Central New York to the Hudson Valley. Seward has not yet officially announced his plans for 2020.
