Republican Seward wins 17th term in 51st District
Republican state Sen. James Seward easily defeated Democratic challenger Joyce St. George on Tuesday.
With all precincts in the 51st Senate District reporting, Seward garnered 63,003 votes to St. George’s 34,809, according to unofficial results provided late Tuesday. A Milford resident, Seward will serve his 17th two-year term in the state Senate.
The 51st District stretches from Ulster County west to Tompkins County and north to Herkimer County. Ulster towns are Rochester, Olive, Shandaken, and Hardenbergh. Delaware County towns include Andes, Middletown, and Roxbury, among others.
“I am thrilled and humbled with the victory and look forward to continuing the strong partnerships I have developed with the people of the 51st Senate District, ensuring our needs, our views, and our values are well represented in Albany,” Seward said in a prepared statement.
Seward said he never lost sight of the reason he ran to be a senator, which was to serve the public and help improve the lives of people in this area. “In just a few short weeks, the Legislature will be back in session and there are significant issues on the horizon,” Seward added. “Too many people are leaving our state, and we need to turn that trend around by creating new opportunities for growth and success while making New York more affordable.”
Seward said his focus would be on property tax relief, economic development, aid for the neediest schools, resources for local roads and bridges, broadband access, quality health care, and the heroin epidemic.
The senator earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Hartwick College in 1973. He is married and has two children and two grandchildren.