Lupardo, O’Keefe face off for New York’s 123rd Assembly District seat

Democratic Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo is facing a challenge from Republican Lisa O'Keefe in the 123rd Assembly District. The district covers parts of Broome County, including Binghamton, Vestal, Johnson City and Endicott.

Lupardo has represented the area since 2005. She moved to the area to attend graduate school at Binghamton University. She worked as a lecturer at the university for a decade, and served on the Broome County Legislature for one term.

"It really is an honor for me to represent my adopted home, because I so believe in this place," Lupardo said. "My whole focus really has been helping the community recover its economy and build a new story. Everything I've done from the beginning to this point has been to that end."

Lupardo said her focus for nearly 20 years has been growing the district's economy through investment in local infrastructure, university systems, and health care services. As the chair of the Assembly's agriculture committee, she said she has worked hard to advocate for small farmers in the region.

Lupardo said while the area has seen much investment and improvement, the district still faces significant challenges.

"I do sense a renewed spirit in trying to rebuild our community and trying to get investment and trying to really address the challenges that come," Lupardo said. "But we're faced with a tale of two cities, in a way. We have a lot of prosperity and a lot of promise, but we also have some of the highest poverty rates in the state as well, and that's what concerns me."

Lupardo said if reelected, she will focus on getting more money from the state to build new housing and offer tax credits to homeowners. She also said the area has growing industries that require more trained workers. She plans to advocate for state support to incentivize workers and businesses to come and stay in the district.

Lupardo co-sponsored the New York Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) legislation, which will appear on ballots Election Day as Proposition 1. The amendment would expand the state's nondiscrimination protections in the state constitution. Supporters say it will protect vulnerable New Yorkers and codify abortion and reproductive rights in the state, though critics say, in part, its language is too vague.

Lupardo said she does wish the wording of the amendment were clearer, and specifically protected abortion access in its language. But she said she plans on voting for it.

"The right to reproductive health care, the protection for abortion access, should be enshrined in our constitution, which is the point of the Equal Rights Amendment, Proposition 1," Lupardo said. "So that it's protected from the whims of an incoming governor or legislature who might wish to change it."

Republican Lisa O'Keefe has launched a bid to unseat Lupardo. O'Keefe said she grew up in Binghamton, after moving there in the fifth grade. She is a former economics teacher and served on the Board of Representatives in Stamford, Connecticut.

"We have the second highest poverty rate right now, double the national average," O'Keefe said. "We have a 50% increase in homelessness from 2020 to 2021. Our population is declining due to the high cost of living and lack of jobs. So we've been going in the wrong direction."

O'Keefe said she wants to cut down on wasteful spending, lower taxes, and prioritize government transparency. She said she would work to rescind a proposed pay raise for New York's lawmakers, and opposes the state's policy of matching campaign contributions with state funds, calling it wasteful.

"For too long, our government goes ahead and they focus on their wasteful wants rather than the needs of the people," O'Keefe said. "And everybody in this community has needs. We have to get the money and the smart legislation for the programs and services that we need, and that is basically why I decided to run."

O'Keefe said if elected, she would focus on the local economy. She plans to advocate for infrastructure that brings business to the community and incentivize hiring local companies for development.

She weighed in on the Equal Rights Amendment on Tuesday's ballot as well, saying that she is not in favor of the proposition. O'Keefe said the language in the amendment is not clear enough.

"I don't know of anybody who doesn't want to make sure that everybody is completely protected and has equal protection under the law, but it doesn't explain what these words mean and under what scope," O'Keefe said. "And that's where I have a problem, because once this gets into our constitution, it is nearly impossible to change."

O'Keefe said as a challenger, she has worked to avoid bringing negativity to the campaign or criticizing Lupardo specifically. She said she wants to focus on what she hopes to bring to the table as a candidate.

Since the start of 2023, Lupardo has raised nearly $140,000 in campaign contributions . O'Keefe has raised nearly $120,000.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.