NY-24

Press release:

Congressional hopeful, Finger Lakes contractor and Canandaigua resident Floyd Rayburn, learned the fate of his campaign today, after court proceedings in which his petition signatures were challenged by Claudia Tenney’s campaign. He will not be on the Republican Primary ballot for New York’s 24^th Congressional District. However, candidates with signatures from well outside the district will remain.

Rayburn promised supporters to fight for small business owners; to combat inflation, including soaring gas prices, ensure equal pay for all through skills-based wages and revamp the failing education system.

“I’m disappointed that I will not appear on the primary ballot,” said Rayburn. “We ran into some issues with some of our petitions, knocking us down below the required number of signatures. At the time same, I’m frustrated with the disservice being done to the residents of this district. I had only 17 days to collect and vet more than 1,000 signatures. My opponents, however, had 38 days to do the same. Unlike Ms. Tenney, I sought out the approval of district residents and received their signatures in support of my campaign to represent them. Her petition signatures are from an entirely different district: the one she had initially announced her run for.

“I’d like to thank everyone for their support and their hard work on my behalf. It is my sincere desire to serve this district, and my country, in Washington. Rest assured, I will mount another campaign in the future and deliver on my campaign promises. Our struggling residents need help. They need someone from the district who understands their issues and someone who has put in time building the community and raising a family in it as I have. Claudia Tenney, a known ‘carpetbagger’ and divisive politician, is neither.”

Rayburn is a lifelong resident of the Finger Lakes region, a contractor and a small business owner who has completed projects and created hundreds of jobs throughout the Finger Lakes and Western New York regions. For the last 40 years, he has owned and operated one of the most successful masonry businesses in Upstate New York, helping to build the district with his own hands. Born and raised in Bloomfield, Rayburn grew up working on his family’s dairy farm and also understands the difficulties of the state’s countless farmers.

While Rayburn got support from within the district – with only 17 days in which to collect signatures –Tenney collected signatures for the redrawn 23^rd Congressional District she originally announced she would run for in Central New York and the Southern Tier.

When the maps were redrawn again, Tenney abandoned her bid and decided to run for the 24^th District seat which includes most of Oswego County, parts of the Finger Lakes, and goes into Western New York’s Niagara County. She is now running for a different seat, in an entirely different region of the state, yet she was allowed to submit signatures that are not only from counties outside the district she is bidding to represent but nowhere close to it. Tenney does not live in the district, as Rayburn has his entire life, she garnered little to no support from actual residents of the district, nor has she spent any time representing it throughout her political career.

Similarly, Mario Fratto, another challenger for the 24^th District’s Republican nomination, received many of his signatures from outside the district as he originally set his sights on another. In fairness, he does have signatures from within the district as he is a resident of Geneva, which was originally considered part of the district he first planned to run for – an entirely different situation than Tenney’s move to find the path of least resistance.

Regardless of the situation, both candidates had unfair advantages by having 38 days – compared to Rayburn’s 17 – to collect nearly the same amount of signatures and by being allowed to submit signatures from residents outside the district which they had already collected. This is a disservice to those who reside in New York’s new 24^th Congressional District, as one of their own is now denied the opportunity to represent them.

Press release:

In response to the ad’s release, Congresswoman Tenney released the following statement: “I have always stood up to insider politicians from both parties, fighting on behalf of New York taxpayers. I’m proud to be leading the fight in Congress to restore American manufacturing, secure the border and end Biden’s inflation crisis. We will continue earning the support of the hardworking people of New York’s 24th Congressional district and fighting for our shared conservative values in Washington.”

“After reviewing the revised maps, which were released in the dead of night, I am announcing my candidacy for New York’s 24th Congressional District. As drawn, the 24th District includes areas I currently represent in Congress such as Oswego County,” said Congresswoman Tenney. 

Tenney continued “I am honored to have received the support of President Trump, Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, and multiple county Republican and Conservative chairs. In the coming weeks and months, I will work to continue earning the support of those in New York’s redrawn 24th District, which spans portions of Central New York, the Finger Lakes Region, and Western New York. It is a beautiful area of New York that I have lived in, represented, and know well. Now that this partisan redistricting process is over, I am honored by the opportunity to represent the 24th District in Congress.”

Tenney has deep roots in New York’s 24th Congressional District. She has represented portions of NY-24 starting in 2011 and previously lived in Ontario County. Under the new redistricting maps, 30% of NY-24 falls within the Syracuse Media Market, where Tenney has extraordinarily high name ID among voters. Tenney kicks off the campaign as the clear front runner with over 1.4 Million Dollars in her war chest.

In Response to President Trump’s Endorsement, Congresswoman Tenney Released the Following Statement:

“Thank you Mr. President! I had the honor to serve alongside President Trump in Congress and the privilege to call him a dear friend. Together, we cut taxes, secured the border and fought back against the Communist Chinese. With President Trump’s support, we can win this seat and continue fighting for his America First Agenda in Congress. NY-24 is Trump Country!” said Tenney.

President Trump has been a steadfast supporter of Claudia Tenney. Last June, he held a fundraiser at his Bedminster Golf Club in support of Tenney’s campaign and filmed an endorsement video. In April 2021, President Trump hosted Tenney at his Mar-a-Lago Club for a meeting. During her 2020 campaign, President Trump held a tele-town hall in support of Tenney and in 2018, the President visited Upstate NY to host a fundraiser for Tenney that raised over $650,000 for her campaign. Trump is also an honorary member of the House Election Integrity Caucus, which Tenney founded in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney was honored to receive the following endorsements over the weekend:

“Wyoming County was proud to unanimously endorse Claudia Tenney’s campaign just a few months back and we are honored to announce our official endorsement of Congresswoman Tenney in the newly drawn 24th district. Western New Yorkers are ready to send a strong conservative fighter to Washington this November. As the strongest Republican county in New York State, we are excited to have the most Conservative Member of Congress from New York as our next Congresswoman!” said Wyoming Republican Committee Chairwoman Ellen Grant.
 
“It is an honor to once again endorse Congresswoman Claudia Tenney for re-election in Oswego County and NY-24. Claudia has served the people of Oswego County with dedication, honor and integrity since her time as our Assemblywoman. In both Albany and Washington, Claudia has always stood out as a champion for our conservative values. We are thrilled Claudia will continue to fight for us in Congress and look forward to making sure she wins big this November,” said Oswego Republican Committee Chairman Fred Beardsley.
 
“Incumbent Congresswoman Claudia Tenney has a proven track record advocating for Upstate New Yorkers in Washington. Now that the Congressional District lines are finalized, Orleans County is excited to give Congresswoman Tenney a warm Western New York welcome. I am confident Claudia will be an excellent representative for Orleans County in Congress,” said Orleans County Republican Chairman Skip Draper.
 
“It was an honor to get introduced to Congresswoman Claudia Tenney and discuss her campaign for NY 24, that includes Wayne County.  She is passionate, experienced and a rock solid Republican.  Several of the Town Chairs that I have spoken to are behind Claudia all the way.  I am joining them and giving Claudia Tenney my endorsement for Congress,” said Wayne County Republican Committee Chairman MaryAnne Nicosia-McCarthy.
 
“This morning the court-appointed Special Master set district lines for US Congress and the New York State Senate. The Maps drawn by the State Legislature divided Livingston County into two districts 23 and 24. Chris Jacobs and Claudia Tenney received party endorsements, Today Claudia Tenney stands alone as our candidate for the 24th Congressional District. Livingston County is no longer divided into two districts. Claudia, a sitting Congress Member has a track record of strength and honesty in representing her electorate. Therefore she continues to have our support,” said Livingston County Republican Committee Chairman John Pauer.
 
“Congresswoman Claudia Tenney has always been the embodiment of what it means to be a Conservative. As the Wayne County Conservative Party Chairman, I am thrilled to support Claudia’s re-election campaign. Congresswoman Tenney has always had the support of the Conservative Party and she will again here in NY-24.” said Wayne County Conservative Party Chairman Mike Garlock.
 
“Claudia has been involved in Oswego County politics for almost 20 years and has represented us starting in 2011. We here in Oswego County are excited to share Congresswoman Tenney and her conservative advocacy with the rest of the new NY-24. I am honored to endorse her campaign on behalf of the Oswego County Conservative Party,” said Oswego County Conservative Party Chairman Ronald Greenleaf.

Press release:

Recent redistricting created New York State Congressional District 24, the Lake District, which is 258 miles long and includes 14 counties, bordered by Lake Ontario to the north and the Finger Lakes to the south. It is one of the largest districts in the state and has no incumbent representative for Congress. The Democratic leadership in the district sees an opportunity to find a strong, qualified candidate that will create consensus and represents all western New Yorkers.

“We want to bring people together and appeal to the common goals of people in the district, like a clean environment, better access to affordable healthcare, voting and civil rights for all, and better education outcomes. We want our representative to reflect our culture of hard-working middle-class Americana, and speak for all of us,” said Elizabeth Passer, spokesperson and Oswego County Democratic Chair.

The new district encompasses constituents of rich and varied lifestyles and socio-economic backgrounds including farmers, business owners, and vacation homeowners, who make their livings in industries like agriculture, viniculture, technology, manufacturing, tourism, and more. This traditionally conservative part of New York State also includes many liberal voices who want their representative to work for them, too.

The Chairs of the 14 member counties of The Lake District are asking for interested individuals to send their resumes with a cover letter to oswegodemocraticcomitteechair@gmail.com. The candidate needs an understanding of rural, town, and tourist community life as well as the current obstacles found on a national level.