Francis Conole

Francis Conole

Conole says he is running for Congress in NY-22 because it’s time for new leadership and fresh ideas that put people first and rebuild Central New York’s middle class.

The redrawn 22nd district is very different from the one currently held by Republican Caludia Tenney. Expanding west into more Democratic Onondaga county, NY-22 now includes Syracuse and has a rating of D+1. Thus, Tenney opted to run in the conservative NY-24 which was left vacant by Rep. John Katko’s retirement, leaving NY-22 wide open. Politico, an online source of news about politics and policy, has characterized the new 22nd as “the state’s most competitive seat,” 

Conole says he is running for Congress in NY-22 because it’s time for new leadership and fresh ideas that put people first and rebuild Central New York’s middle class.

His Republican opponent will be Brandon Williams, who handily beat Steve Wells in the recent primary despite being wildly outspent by the Republican establishment. A political outsider and veteran, this race will pit two former naval officers with very different views against one another.

HIS BACKGROUND

Conole’s roots in Syracuse run deep and so does his affinity for public service.

Having graduated from the Naval Academy three months before 9/11, Conole led a division of almost 40 sailors tasked with maintaining the propulsion of a 40,000-ton ship. Conole later served on an Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer, where he trained the crew to navigate the ship and respond to damage.

Following his tours at sea, Conole served in the Office of Naval Intelligence before being re-activated and deployed with Army Special Forces into a combat zone in Iraq After returning from Iraq, he utilized the G.I. Bill to obtain an MBA from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in national security studies from the Naval War College.

Conole continued his service at the Pentagon as a policy advisor to Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Jim Mattis. He advised on U.S. defense policy for Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel, drafting a strategy that protected U.S. interests and strengthened our partnerships in the Middle East, which resulted in being awarded the Defense Meritorious Achievement Medal.

ON THE ISSUES

Conole fully supports choice and has proposed codifying Roe v. Wade to ensure it is the law of the land and that every woman’s right to make her own health care decisions is protected.

Conole believes Congress should reinstitute a federal assault weapons ban because weapons of war have absolutely no business in our communities. In addition, he supports passing universal criminal background checks on all gun sales as well as protecting and expanding funding for the CDC to research more effective ways to curb gun violence.

Conole knows that the science is clear – climate change is the biggest short- and long-term threat to social justice, economic stability, national security, and public health.  As a result, he believes we should work toward an economy that is 100% based on clean energy sources; he supports the large-scale public and private investment necessary to make this happen.

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