ENDICOTT, N.Y. -- She was first elected to the State Assembly in 2004 and has been representing the Southern Tier ever since. But for the first time since 2012, Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo will now have an opponent for a seat in the 123rd District.
Newly announced candidate Dorollo Nixon says what he calls career politicians are the reason the state isn't where he believes it should be.
"Donna Lupardo is the definition of a career politician," said Nixon, a Republican. "She sided with New York City's interests over and against the Southern Tier's interests time and time again."
Lupardo disagrees, saying she's dedicated most of her professional life to improving the region.
"I can tell you this, I'm very, very strong in upstate, upstate needs, upstate values and the challenges that we face," Lupardo said. "No one can certainly question me on that."
Her opponent says there are a variety of state issues Democrats are pushing for that would negatively affect the Southern Tier. One of the main points Nixon has opposed is raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, saying it would cripple local businesses.
"That would cost between $10-15 billion to the very people who we need to support. That's not the way forward,' Nixon said. "If you look at information technology and the advances in education, there are ways forward that can create strong jobs here in our region that we need."
While Lupardo is also pushing to bring more jobs to the area, she says the future is brighter than it may seem.
"No one is more mindful of that than me," she continued. "I've tried to cooperate with all of the economic development initiatives, working through Binghamton University, SUNY Broome, all of the businesses that have shown interest in coming to our community. This isn't easy."
Both parties believe 2016 could be a major positive turn-around for the Southern Tier. Lupardo was elected to her sixth term in 2014. She ran unopposed.