Leslie Danks Burke officially launched her campaign for State Senate in New York’s 58th district, which includes five counties in the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier.
Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Yates, and the majority of Tompkins are included in the 58th.
“I’ve stood up for years to the powerful interests that work against success for families in our beautiful Southern Tier and Finger Lakes. I’m running for State Senate to give our region the voice we don’t have in Albany now. A lot has changed since 2016, but my opponent hasn’t, and life for many in the 58th district hasn’t gotten better,” she explained. “It’s outrageous that our current Senator says our region has plenty. Our taxes are through the roof, yet our young people are leaving because they can’t find a future here. Our families break up under crushing healthcare bills, the brutal cost of climate change, and short-changed schools and infrastructure.”
Danks Burke is an attorney and a longtime advocate for education, healthcare and rural economic development. She is the daughter of farmers and a mother who, together with her husband, is raising two children in this community. A Democrat, she previously ran for State Senate in the 58th in 2016, outraising O’Mara by over $200,000 and receiving more voter support from outside her party than any other challenger to a sitting incumbent that year — on either side.
Since 2016, Danks Burke has remained a powerful advocate for local community engagement and honest government.
“We can’t afford the status quo in Albany, where powerful people on both sides team up to hide that our high taxes pay for outside interests. My opponent funds his and his fellow state legislators’ campaigns with undisclosed money. To expose the dark money problem, I started a PAC that purposely doesn’t do things PACs are allowed to do — like donate to my campaign or hide money in and out through loopholes. Because even though the law allows it — just like it allows our Senator’s side-job at a lobbying firm — that’s plain wrong,” she said.
“I’m ready to go to Albany, stand up to this infamy, and deliver. I have spent the last fifteen years advocating for public schools, libraries, community colleges, local businesses, support for farmers, and healthcare in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes. Today is the beginning of our future, and I challenge my opponent to join me in being honest with the voters,” concluded Danks Burke.
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