Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Francis Conole, the Navy veteran and Syracuse native who first ran for congress last year, announced Tuesday that he will run again in an attempt to unseat Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus. Conole lost the 2020 Democratic primary to former Syracuse University professor Dana Balter, who was unable to defeat Katko.

Conole, 43, is the second Democrat and veteran to announce candidacy for the NY-24 seat after Army veteran and SU alum Steven Holden launched his campaign in June. 

Conole graduated from the Naval Academy and served in the Iraq War before becoming a policy advisor at the Pentagon. He is also currently a commander in the Navy Reserves.

According to his campaign site, Conole pledges support for a universal public option for healthcare, a $15 minimum wage and expansion of the recently passed Child Tax Credit. He also backs a large investment into clean energy resources as well as investment in election cybersecurity measures. 

Other issues Conole advocates for include affirming the right for women to receive abortion care, new campaign finance regulation, investing in the Black community to confront systemic racism and support for re-instating the assault weapons ban and other firearms reforms.

In the 2020 primary, Conole raised over $830,000 for his campaign, and he received $12,000 from SU employees. Yet, he lost the primary to Balter by a 12,000 vote margin despite receiving the endorsement of the Onondaga County Democratic Party. 

My name is Francis Conole and I am running for Congress in #NY24 where Biden won by 9pts. I spent my life serving our country and now I’m fighting for our working families.

Issues -> https://t.co/sOwDrNWxQ3
Support our movement -> https://t.co/SMyliUUZan

Let’s flip this seat. pic.twitter.com/mvGmXEs12F

— Francis Conole (@FDConole) August 31, 2021

In his announcement, he embraced his local roots as a fourth-generation central New Yorker. His grandfather, Patrick Corbett, was the first and only Democrat elected to be Onondaga County Sheriff.

Conole received an MBA from the University of Maryland using the GI Bill after returning from Iraq and an MA in National Security Studies from the Naval War College.

Katko filed for reelection in January. The House Homeland Security Committee ranking member will be seeking a fifth term in office. He has received pushback from former President Donald Trump after Katko was one of 10 Republicans in the House who voted to impeach him. Trump sent a letter to the Onondaga County Republican Party seeking a challenger candidate in June.

Holden, Conole’s opponent for the Democratic primary, is a Retired Army Lt. Col. His 2022 campaign is his first foray into politics. He is a descendant of E.F. Holden, the namesake of SU’s Holden Observatory.

A native Oklahoman, Holden, 48, moved to Syracuse in 2006 to attend SU, where he earned a dual master’s degree in business and public administration.

The date of the 2022 primary has not been announced.

Published on September 1, 2021 at 11:29 pm

Contact Nick: nickrobertson@dailyorange.com | @NickRobertsonSU