Mediaboss Marketing

SYRACUSE As many Republicans across the country jockey for one man's support, Steve Wells is taking an old-fashioned approach to winning a congressional seat: He is running on the issues that he believes matter to the 22nd Congressional District.

He criticizes President Joe Biden for his handling of the economy and high inflation issues he feels he is equipped to address given his business background. (He is a founding partner of American Food and Vending Corporation, a Syracuse-area company.) As a former prosecutor in Fort Worth, Texas, he says there needs to be action to address crime.

On issues from energy to gun rights, he sounds like the type of candidate Republicans would've had no problem nominating before 2016. He panned the Biden administration's energy policy and the push to quickly shift away from fossil fuels. While he does not oppose what he described as a "low carbon future," he thinks there needs to be a balance with existing energy sources, such as nuclear. On guns, he agrees that there should be efforts to combat gun violence. However, as a longtime licensed gun owner, he supports the Second Amendment.

People are also reading

But times have changed. Former President Donald Trump is viewed by most within the GOP as the leader of the party. If you aren't for Trump, you are labeled a "RINO" (a Republican in name only) and may encounter an uphill battle to winning the GOP nomination.

Wells is far from an unabashed Trump supporter. He has been asked if he would Trump for president in 2024, but has avoided a direct answer to that question by saying he will support the Republican nominee, whomever it is. The answer is reminiscent of when U.S. Rep. John Katko, whom Wells is seeking to succeed in Congress, said in 2016 that he would support the GOP presidential nominee. After the release of the infamous "Access Hollywood" video, Katko declined to support Trump for president. (He wrote in former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.) Katko endorsed Trump ahead of the 2020 election, but also voted to impeach him after the Jan 6. attack on the Capitol.

For Wells, he is reminded of what his father told him as a child. His father's advice was to "talk about ideas, don't talk about people."

"I've always focused on ideas," Wells said in an interview with The Citizen. "I'm happy to debate ideas. I'm happy to be criticized for ideas. I'm happy to examine ideas. But it's about ideas. At the end of the day, I'm going to talk about ideas, about what's actually happening, but only insofar as it helps us bring out what we need to do to fix them, to move forward."

Wells was a late entrant into the congressional race. After a court-appointed special master redrew New York's congressional district lines in May, the Cazenovia Republican decided to run for the 22nd district seat. The district includes all of Onondaga, Madison and Oneida counties, plus a small portion of Oswego County. Wells quicklysecured the support of the GOP chairs in the new district.

There is one other Republican in the 22nd district race. Brandon Williams, who lives in the Cayuga County town of Sennett, is vying for the nomination. He has billed himself as the conservative candidate in the race he has been endorsed by the state Conservative Party.

Wells has largely avoided any joint appearances with his primary foe a fact Williams has mentioned during the campaign. He declined to participate in any televised debates. He has defended this decision by saying that his late entry into the race means he has to spend his time talking to voters. The primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 23.

He has been attending events throughout the district and released a pair of TV ads highlighting the main issues he wants to talk about, namely crime and inflation. In one ad, he pledges to stand up to Biden.

"People have to feel safe to go shopping, to go to the grocery store. We don't have that environment right now," Wells said. "Why am I the best person? I have a quarter-century of starting and building a business. To handle the economy, I know exactly what needs to be done. Crime... I've seen what works and what doesn't work."

This is not Wells' first campaign for Congress. In 2016, after the late U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna decided to retire and not seek reelection, Wells sought the Republican nomination. He lost in the primary to Claudia Tenney, who is now serving her second nonconsecutive term in Congress.

Wells said he learned from that first bid and it's one reason why he thinks experience matters.

"I did learn a lot just by standing up here and speaking to people. Talking to people, you learn a lot. You really do," he said. "I feel like, no question, I'm a better candidate than I was before."

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

Read more from the original source:
Steve Wells hopes issue-focused campaign will get him elected to Congress - The Citizen