Democrat Chris Ryan narrowly leads Republican Nick Paro in the race for the New York State Senate’s 50th District, though the race is likely headed to a recount.
About 98% of the votes in the district have been counted and Ryan holds 500-vote, .34% lead, according to unofficial results. The vote is within the .5% vote margin that would trigger a recount.
The race was projected to be highly competitive.
Paro, the Salina town supervisor, has not yet conceded. A statement from Paro’s campaign called the race too close to call.
If Ryan wins, the Onondaga County Legislature minority leader would retain a seat vacated by Democrat John Mannion. Mannion won the seat by 10 votes in 2022 and in 2020 became the first Democrat to hold the seat in more than five decades.
In an interview with Central Current, Ryan said his message of bipartisanship resonated with district voters. The 50th Senate District covers parts of Onondaga County and Oswego County, and is home to almost 3,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats, according to New York State Board of Elections data.
“People want to see electeds that just work together and work for them,” Ryan said. “That’s what I’ve always done.”
Ryan said voters also wanted better, more equitable access to healthcare, and for their representatives to continue to deliver on economic development opportunities.
“We have to try to do better,” he said.
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