DeFrancisco joins governor race

Republican senator throws hat into race

Sen. John DeFrancisco is running for governor.

The Republican senator announced his candidacy on Tuesday, a day after filing paperwork with the state Board of Elections.

“New Yorkers deserve a leader they can trust and one who will fight for what is right for them and their families,” DeFrancisco said. “And that is why, with your support, I humbly announce my candidacy for governor of the state of New York.”

DeFrancisco, an attorney and Syracuse native, was first elected to the Senate in 1992 and has emerged as a leading critic of the record of Gov. Andrew Cuomo on taxes, spending and economic development. He potentially faces two other Republicans in the primary: Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb of Canandaigua and former Erie County Executive Joel Giambra. Two other possible candidates, businessman Harry Wilson and Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, said this month that they would not run.

“As governor, I will focus on implementing policies that create a more business-friendly climate, that helps hard-working New Yorkers achieve financial security and upward mobility,” DeFrancisco said. “Lowerand middle-class New Yorkers deserve a governor who will fight to cut taxes and regulations, thereby making it easier

for them to start and own a business, buy a home and afford to raise their children and send them to a school of their choosing.”

DeFrancisco represents District 50, comprised of Skaneateles, Baldwinsville, most of Onondaga County, and the western half of Syracuse.

Cuomo is considered a possible 2020 presidential candidate. He is seeking a third term this fall.

The incumbent has a formidable advantage when it comes to party affiliation and fundraising. Democrats have a roughly 2-to-1 advantage in party registration in New York. Cuomo’s latest fundraising reports show he has a more than $30 million war chest. His Republican opponents have not filed new fundraising reports since filing for office.

AP PHOTO/HANS PENNINK Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-50, speaks to members in the Senate Chamber gallery at the Capitol on the opening day of the legislative session on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017, in Albany, N.Y. DeFrancisco announced his candidacy for governor on Tuesday, Jan. 30,...