Residents in Onondaga County’s 9th legislative district are choosing between three candidates this fall, and none are on the Democratic party line. That's only the beginning of the unusual electoral scenario unfolding on Syracuse’s north side.
A case of petition fraud by incumbent Democrat Palmer Harvey set the wheels in motion for the three-way race. She dropped her reelection bid after her signatures were challenged. A judge concluded Harvey committed fraud, then barred democrats from running a candidate. This week, two independent candidates filed petitions to run on separate lines. GOP elections commissioner Kevin Ryan said this presents an opportunity for Republican Bonnke Sekarore in a traditionally Democratic district.
“The Democrats were caught flat-footed when their candidate was thrown off the ballot, and it's a seat that by enrollment numbers one would think would stay Democrat," Ryan said. "But because of the situation, they're going to do whatever they can do to try to hold the seat in their line. The reality is that the Republican candidate is a very, very good candidate.”
Democratic elections commissioner Dustin Czarny said it's an interesting situation.
“You have a Republican candidate with a Conservative line trying to win a Democratic district against a Working Families candidate with an independent line and another Democrat who is running on an independent line because of this court case that came about," Czarny said.
That Democrat is Kenyata Calloway, who’s running on the Northside Neighbors line. Nicole Watts already secured the Working Families line, and this week added the Northside Rising line. Czarny said it’s now up to all of the candidates to inform voters where they stand in the months leading up to November’s general election.
