Fanny Villarreal to launch GOP campaign aimed at unseating NY Sen. Rachel May

Fanny Villarreal, who has led the Syracuse YWCA for a decade, plans to launch a Republican campaign to unseat state Sen. Rachel May, D-Syracuse, in November’s election.

Villarreal, 55, of the town of Onondaga, said she will kick off her campaign for the 48th Senate District seat on Thursday at an event with supporters in Syracuse.

Villarreal is a longtime leader in Syracuse’s Latino community. In 2022, she briefly explored the idea of challenging May before district boundaries were redrawn through the state’s redistricting process.

This time, Villarreal said, she is committed to running in the new district on the Republican and Conservative Party ballot lines, even though voter enrollment heavily favors Democratic candidates.

Villarreal told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that she believes May’s support for progressive policies are too liberal for residents of a district that spans all of Syracuse, some suburban towns in Onondaga County and all of Cayuga County.

“I believe she is out of touch with Central New York,” Villarreal said of May. “All of the bills that she is helping to pass seem to benefit New York City. The difference between us is that I am extremely connected with the city of Syracuse.”

Villarreal said she will emphasize her connections to Syracuse, where she settled after moving from Peru in 1993 and taking a job at the former Nojaim Brothers Supermarket.

She worked her way up to become a cashier at Nojaim’s and then moved into a series of leadership positions at nonprofit groups.

Villarreal served as executive director of the Spanish Action League in Syracuse before taking over as executive director of the YWCA of Syracuse and Onondaga County in 2013.

In this year’s Senate campaign, Villarreal said, she will talk to voters about her opposition to New York’s criminal justice reforms and climate initiatives such as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s move to ban gas stoves in new houses.

At least one other Republican is campaigning for the nomination in the 48th Senate District. Caleb Slater, 27, of Syracuse, started campaigning in February 2023. Slater said he works as a consultant in the real estate industry.

Slater worked as a volunteer on Rep. Brandon Williams’ campaign for Congress in 2022. He is seeking the Republican and Conservative Party nominations for the state Senate election.

The 48th Senate District spans the entire city of Syracuse, some western and southern towns in Onondaga County and all of Cayuga County.

The district leans heavily in favor of Democratic candidates. As of November, the district had 75,941 enrolled Democratic voters, 53,540 Republicans and 52,554 independent voters who were not registered in a political party.

May won election to a third term in 2022, 50-42%, over Republican Julie Abbott of Skaneateles and Conservative Justin Coretti of Cayuga County, who had 7% of the vote.

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