Duffy, Gray on Republican primary ballot for Assembly

Jun. 28—WATERTOWN — Today is primary election day — one of two scheduled for this summer — and regular polling stations will be open across the state for Republicans and Democrats to vote for their preferred candidates for a variety of offices.

In Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties, Republican voters will choose their candidate for the 116th Assembly District. Their choices are Scott A. Gray, a 20-year legislator in Jefferson County and Watertown-area business owner, or Susan M. Duffy, a St. Lawrence County business owner and the Conservative Party's pre-selected nominee.

In interviews Sunday, both Mr. Gray and Ms. Duffy said they're feeling confident going into the last days of the primary race, saying they've both seen a lot of enthusiasm and support from voters as they've traveled the region.

"I've put in 12-hour days most days going across the district talking to voters, whether it's a farmer, a teacher, a corrections officer, across the board I've listened to their message and I've learned," Ms. Duffy said. "That has made me even more passionate than the day I announced."

Mr. Gray said he's seen people respond positively to the campaign he's run.

"I set out the strategy to stay positive, highlight my record of 20 years, understanding that I have the best resume of the two people for this job," he said.

Over the course of the campaign, the two candidates said voters are talking about similar, but not identical issues.

Mr. Gray said he's heard a lot about the Second Amendment, bail and prison reforms and economic development.

Economic development is especially of concern to voters in St. Lawrence County, he said, and ranked as the most important voter issue he's heard through his campaign.

"We have to create opportunities for people, that is clear in St. Lawrence County, and an immediate focus," he said.

St. Lawrence County voters are also particularly concerned about the futures of the two State University of New York campuses in Potsdam and Canton. Both have experienced financial stressors, and county residents want to maintain a strong academic base.

Revitalization efforts in Jefferson County's shoreline towns — like Sackets Harbor, Clayton and Alexandria Bay — need to be replicated in St. Lawrence County's shoreline towns, Mr. Gray said. He sees waterfront development as key to future economic growth for the "River District."

Similarly, he said people are concerned about property tax rates, and said efforts need to be made to reduce tax rates on all state residents.

On gun control, he said he continues to be concerned about efforts to restrict access to weapons, and said he would not support any future legislation that restricts what weaponry people can own.

Ms. Duffy said she's heard from voters about the national economy, prison and bail reforms and education.

She said people are suffering from high inflation and high fuel prices; people concerned about the criminal justice system following recent efforts to loosen bail requirements; and people are worried about their children's success in school. She said pandemic-related learning deficits are likely to be big issues for schools into the next few years, and Albany needs to focus on bridging that gap.

Social issues in schools are also a concern to Ms. Duffy and the voters she's spoken to. She said recent school board meetings, locally and across the country, demonstrate that parents don't want their children educated on social issues in school. She blamed Albany legislators for pushing narratives in public schools.

"I've talked to principals, I've talked to teachers, a lot of them are not comfortable with the things that are being pushed on a curriculum basis from Albany," she said. "I think that's something that needs to go back to the parents."

The two candidates are already planning what they want to do if they reach Albany.

Ms. Duffy wants to push hard to make changes to the bail reform and prison reform laws that have recently passed through the legislature. Under bail reform laws that went into effect in 2020, the number of crimes that an arraigning justice could hold someone in jail for were dramatically reduced. Conservatives have blamed that change for spikes in crime seen during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prison reforms passed more recently, aimed at reducing the use of solitary confinement and increasing programs in prisons to reform, rather than punish, inmates have similarly faced conservative condemnation, with some saying the new laws have led to an increased rate of prison violence and hard working conditions for prison staff.

"Bail reform is the highest on my list," Ms. Duffy said. "I want to go after that first and I'm going to keep inundating them with information that as these numbers continue to grow, of corrections staff quitting, being attacked, this has to be dealt with."

Mr. Gray said his first priority if he reaches Albany will be to find new uses for the now-closed prisons in Ogdensburg and Watertown, and to make sure St. Lawrence County's other state-owned properties are well-maintained.

"Something has to be done to repurpose those prison facilities, and the psych center properties in Ogdensburg need some attention, which will require state help," he said.

Mr. Gray said behavioral and mental health programs need to be supported, and he said he sees a tie between bail and prison reforms and mental health.

"We seem to be cutting the number of people in the jails, which is putting people out on the street, ramping up a need for behavioral health services," he said.

U.S. Supreme Court decisions this month have changed the political landscape of the nation.

In New York, the court's decision invalidated a century-old law that restricted who can carry a gun in public. The legislature has been recalled by Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul to pass new legislation to address the gap, but both Mr. Gray and Ms. Duffy said, if given the chance, they would not support any more legislation restricting gun ownership.

Mr. Gray said, in his business, he does not enforce policies that would punish 98% of his customers because of the bad actions of the other 2%, and said he has the same principle for gun ownership.

"I don't think it's proper to penalize law-abiding citizens in order to focus on the illegal guns out there," he said. "I think we need to be focused on the crime."

Ms. Duffy referenced a recent situation in West Virginia where an armed gunman attempting to open fire at a large birthday party was shot and killed by an armed bystander who was lawfully carrying her own handgun.

"A mentally sane person that owns a gun and has it on them will save lives, it's as simple as that," she said.

The Supreme Court on Friday overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that protected the right to an abortion nationwide. A patchwork of laws across the country have gone into effect, with some states banning the procedure entirely and others, like New York, permitting it under conditions similar to what Roe permitted.

Supporters of the decision have said the issue can now be legislated by the states. In New York, it's unlikely that any changes to the law will come forward. Both Mr. Gray and Ms. Duffy said they would vote against permitting abortions if given the opportunity.

"I've made it clear throughout the campaign that I am a 'pro-life' candidate," Ms. Duffy said. "Right now, we need to be recognizing that this is a painful subject for the whole country, and we need to call on our leaders to stop inciting violence."

Mr. Gray said he is also opposed to abortion in most cases, but reiterated that it's unlikely to become a major issue for New York's legislature in the near future.

"I would fall back on my 'pro-life' position, that's my personal belief," he said. "I'm never in favor of taking a life, whether that's abortion or the death penalty."

As Mr. Gray and Ms. Duffy face off in a primary, there's a possibility that their race will not end there. Ms. Duffy has secured the Conservative Party's ballot line without a primary, and has pledged to continue her campaign past the primary regardless of the results. If she wins, she will have both the Republican and Conservative line with no opponent. If she loses, she will remain the Conservative nominee against Mr. Gray as the Republican nominee.

Mr. Gray said he's not worried about running a longer race, but sees Ms. Duffy's position as ignoring the will of Republican voters.

"I didn't file petitions for the Conservatives because it became clear it would be a Republican-only race, with no other opposition," he said. "It was my intention from the start to respect the Republican voters' choice here."

Ms. Duffy said she's proud to have the Conservative Party's support in the general election. She said she sees herself as the right choice for this job, and wants to keep at the fight no matter what.

"If I thought Scott Gray was the right choice for this office, I would have supported him from the start," she said.

Polls across the 116th District and the state will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., with preliminary results anticipated in the hours after the polls close. With over a week of early voting and absentee ballots to count, an official and total tally of all the primary results may take a few days to finalize.