Onondaga County Legislature Chairman James Rowley will run for a state Senate seat in Central New York.

Rowley on Thursday will officially announce his campaign for the Republican and Conservative party endorsements for New York’s 50th state Senate District, which includes Syracuse’s northern, western and eastern suburbs, as well as Central Square and the cities of Fulton and Oswego.

Rowley has served as chairman of the Legislature since January 2022. He has also served as Clay supervisor and the Onondaga County chief fiscal officer. He is also currently the assistant superintendent for finance and operations at Oneida City School District.

“Albany is mired in bad policy decisions from out-of-control spending, an impossible energy policy, and an education system where standards are being lowered and academic rigor is in decline,” Rowley said in a statement Wednesday. “Crime, taxes, over regulation – the list of issues plaguing New York is long. We must do better. Winning this seat and breaking the Democratic super majority will be a big step in the right direction.”

The 50th state Senate District was long held by Republican John DeFrancisco before his retirement in 2018. It was then filled by Republican Bob Antonacci before he sought and won a judgeship. Democrat John Mannion won the seat in 2020 and was narrowly reelected in 2022. Last week, Mannion announced a run for Congress in New York's 22nd House District.