NEW YORK – A fourth candidate has entered the race for the State Senate seat in the 51st District, which includes all of Delaware, Schoharie, Sullivan and Otsego counties, as well as parts of Broome, Chenango and Ulster counties.

Democrat Chris Hewitt, an Ulster County Legislator, announced his candidacy on February 11 joining Democrat Michele Frazier and Republicans Terry Bernardo and Chris Tague in vying for the position. 

A primary election will be held on June 23, with the general election happening on November 3. The filing deadline is April 6.

Hewitt, who is now in his 13th year in elected office, first on the Rochester Town Board and now in the Ulster County Legislature, said his campaign will focus on a “community-based economy that puts everyday people, not large corporations, at the center.”

“I’m not interested in politics as usual,” Hewitt said in a statement. “I’m interested in building a state that actually works for the people who live in it—farmers, service workers, artists, small business owners, renters, elders, students. I believe in entrepreneurship and good businesses, but they have to be rooted in justice, transparency, and community power.”

A Kerhonkson resident, Hewitt said he plans on visiting all seven counties and 96 towns in District 51 during his candidacy. 

“Young people in this district are tired of choosing between staying and struggling, or leaving everything they love behind,” Hewitt said. “We can build a different future—one where we invest in public goods, strengthen local ownership, and treat every town and village like it matters.”

Michele Frazier, a former Oneonta City Councilmember who ran for this seat in 2024, was endorsed by the Ulster County Democratic Committee on February 16 during its nominating convention. 

The current State Senator, Peter Oberacker, previously announced he would leave the position and is running for Congress in the 19th District, which includes all of Broome, Tioga, Tompkins, Chenango, Delaware, Greene, Sullivan and Columbia counties, while partially including Ulster and Otsego counties.

He will challenge Democratic incumbent Congressman, Josh Riley. 

At the beginning of the month, Oberacker received an endorsement from President Donald Trump.

Writing on his Truth social media account, Trump said, “It is my Great Honor to endorse Peter Oberacker, an incredible Candidate who is running to represent the fantastic people of New York’s 19th Congressional District.”