In the rugged and hilly 102nd state Assembly District, the political landscape is especially treacherous for high-ballot Democratic challengers.
Cairo environmental activist Mary Finneran, 67, and Delhi lawmaker Janet Tweed, 43, are ready to engage in what is likely to be an uphill battle to oust Assembly member Christopher Tague, R-Schoharie.
Both Democrats recently qualified to face off in a June 25 primary. Only Hébert Joseph, of Rensselaerville, failed to make the cut.
“I felt sad about that,” Finneran said. “He really tried and I have to say I really admire him for trying considering the nature of this district.”
The sizable, presently-Appalachian district has been in GOP hands since 1973. Democrat Aidan O’Connor came within a 159-vote margin of taking the district against Tague in a 2018 special election — the closest range in at least 30 years.
Since defeating O’Connor again for a full term, the incumbent has bested Democratic rivals by more than 60% of the vote. In 2022, he beat teacher Nicholas Chase by 17,740 votes.
This marks the only time during Tague’s six-year incumbency that any Assembly primary will be held in the district.
The 54-year-old GOP lawmaker said that both Democratic primary contenders are new on his radar.
“I think I may have spoken to [Finneran] before, but I don’t know her,” Tague said. “And I don’t know Miss Tweed.”
Tweed said that she looked up Tague’s voting record before launching a campaign for the lower chamber. Both she and Finneran believe that the district could have greater success with a representative in the Democratic supermajority.
“Some of those [bills] would actually be beneficial to our area and some of them don’t always make as much impact out here, but he’s just consistently voting no,” Tweed said.
As of 2022, Tague held a 92% approval from the National Rifle Association, 20% from Planned Parenthood, 100% from the National Federation of Independent Business state chapter and 33% from Environmental Advocates.
During political advocacy efforts, Finneran doesn’t reach out to Tague. Instead, she has reached out to her area’s other state representative, state Sen. Michelle Hinchey, D-Saugerties.
“I will talk to him and I think he’s sincere, but I haven’t really worked with him on anything,” Finneran said.
While driving around the sizable district, Tague said that he speaks with a number of constituents from across the aisle. He added that he typically puts between 30,000 and 40,000 miles on his car in a given year.
“Not all of us always agree on everything, but I always am respectful and try to give everybody the opportunity to have a say,” Tague said. “Listen, you also learn from it. There are people out there that are very smart and know a lot about certain issues.”
Both Democrats have expressed support toward efforts to grow the local housing stock, maintain home rule and increase broadband access — the latter of which Tague said that he’s already been effective in advocating for.
Finneran has touted experience communicating with rural voters, having lived in sparsely-populated areas throughout her life, notwithstanding 15 years in Syracuse. The Steuben County native has spent time in central and western New York, and for the last 22 years, Greene County.
On the other hand, Pennsylvania native Tweed spent much of her career as a physical therapist in Philadelphia and Chicago. She ended up moving to Delhi as a result of her husband taking a job at a namesake public college in the village.
“Moving around — going from larger to smaller places — made me appreciate where I am now,” she said. “I couldn’t just wish I was back in Philadelphia or wish I was somewhere else. I had to get involved.”
After volunteering as an election worker during her first year in Delhi, Tweed successfully ran for a seat of the Town Board. She’s been a trustee for the namesake village since 2022.
Finneran has never before held a public elected office. The former Coxsackie-Athens Central School District teacher and union official has mostly been engaged in political advocacy since retirement, working with groups such as the Mountain Top Progressives and the Sierra Club.
Climate change has been a major cause for Finneran. Recently, she has pushed to pass a major gas transition proposal, which was ultimately blocked by the Assembly in April.
“I am concerned about the farmers and the tourism here, especially regarding climate change,” Finneran said. “The farmers are not sure if the apple blossoms are going to freeze and the ski resorts are having issues.”
On climate change, Tague said that the state has already invested an ample amount of dollars in boosting the renewable energy sector. He’s expressed criticism aplenty over the state increasing the budget $62 million since his first term in office.
“Again, you can’t throw all your eggs in one basket,” Tague said. “We have other needs, we have other priorities and we need to use common sense with these things.”
Tweed believes that there’s a need to find consensus on renewable energy infrastructure, which would result in changes that “aren’t perfect” in order to make some headway.
“When someone says that I’m more moderate, yeah,” Tweed said. “That’s because I’m going to be able to take more or, ideally, listen to all sides of an argument and be able to make that common ground that best fits where we are now while looking forward to how we can improve this in the future to revise it and update it.”
Tweed currently has the endorsement of three district Democratic committees and the pro-choice group, Eleanor’s Legacy. Finneran has the backing of the Working Families Party, Mountaintop Progressives and New York Progressive Action Network.
A primary debate is in the works, according to both Democrats.