Francis Conole and Brandon Williams, candidates for New York’s 22nd Congressional District seat, were asked to answer a Daily Sentinel Q&A for voters to get to know them and to understand their views on issues that voters are facing.

Conole and Williams are running on Democratic and Republican lines, respectively.

As a result of the redistricting process, the new NY-22 now comprises Onondaga, Madison and Oneida Counties, along with a small part of Oswego County. Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-New Hartford) currently represents the old 22nd district, and Rep. John Katko (R-Syracuse), represents the old 24th Congressional District, which includes Onondaga County.

Katko has decided to not run for the new 22nd Congressional seat, and Tenney is running for the new NY-24.

NOTE: Each candidate was allotted the same amount of space for their response. Candidate responses were minimally edited by the Daily Sentinel for spelling, formatting, and AP style. Conole returned his questionnaire and his answers appear below; Williams did not send his response in time for publication.

Many Oneida County voters are used to a representative who is from the Mohawk Valley, like Reps. Claudia Tenney and Richard Hanna before her, and Anthony Brindisi. If elected, how will you work to bridge the gap that Oneida County voters may be feeling to fully represent all of your constituents?  

Conole: It would be my duty to represent all our constituents in this district. In my two decades of service to this country I have never asked where someone is from or what party they belong to. Everyone in this district is a Central New Yorker deserving of representation. I would plan on having two offices, one in Onondaga and one in Oneida to ensure we could provide equal constituent services across the district.

The new redistricting plan has brought together Onondaga County, which is more left leaning, and Oneida and Madison counties, which are more right leaning in areas. How will you work to find a middle ground between these very different constituencies if elected? 

Conole: We’ve seen a huge rush to the extremes in our politics recently and it’s been bad for our country and bad for our region. I would work to emulate moderate representatives like Anthony Brindisi and John Katko who, despite being from different parties, would work together to get things done and always wanted to seek bipartisan consensus.

The repeal of Roe v. Wade has brought the topic of abortion and laws banning abortion into the spotlight. What are your views on abortion and on laws banning abortion? 

Conole: I believe the right for a woman to make decisions about her healthcare is a foundational freedom, the kind I signed up to defend when I served overseas. I would vote to restore that right at the federal level to ensure that a woman’s healthcare decisions are between her and her doctor. My opponent Brandon Williams believes politicians should be making these decisions.

What are your thoughts on student loan debt forgiveness and President Biden’s loan forgiveness plan? 

Conole: I did not support the President’s plan. I think in a time when so many are struggling, it is a mistake to only target those that have a college degree, which a majority of adults in this district do not have.