Borrello running for re-election as state senator | News, Sports, Jobs

Sen. George Borrello at the Mayville Fourth of July Parade in 2025.

State Sen. George Borrello officially announced he is seeking re-election to represent the 57th District.

“Representing the people of Western New York is the honor of my life, and it’s a responsibility I work to earn every day,” said Senator Borrello. “Albany continues to be dominated by New York City politicians whose priorities are far removed from the realities and values of rural communities like ours. I go there with one mission: to be a strong, unapologetic voice for our residents.”

Borrello pointed to a record defined by direct constituent service and outreach as well as high-profile policy fights.

“In 2025 alone, my office helped nearly 3,000 constituents cut through red tape and get answers from state government,” he said. “Behind those numbers are real families, seniors and small business owners who needed help navigating an often-unresponsive bureaucracy. That kind of hands-on service will always be a top priority,” said Borrello. “I’ve also made it a point to stay accessible, hosting town halls in every county across the district and attending as many community events as possible, because the best way to represent people is to listen to them.”

Looking ahead, Borrello said the defining issue in the 2026 legislative session and the years ahead will be Democrats’ controversial Climate Act and its impact on affordability and economic growth.

“The Climate Act and the mandates that have followed may be our biggest fight yet,” he said. “Since its passage, energy prices are up more than 50 percent and New York now has among the highest electric rates in the nation. This isn’t coincidence; it’s the result of Albany trying to overhaul our entire energy economy without a serious feasibility study or cost analysis.”

Borrello has been a leading voice against industrial wind turbines in Lake Erie and the unchecked expansion of massive solar projects consuming prime farmland across Western New York.

“We can pursue environmental goals without sacrificing our shoreline, our farms, and local control,” he said. “Covering productive farmland with solar arrays and pushing offshore wind projects that threaten local industries is not balanced policy; it’s ideology overriding common sense.”

He noted that ratepayers have already absorbed billions in Climate Act-related costs, with projected totals reaching into the hundreds of billions of dollars.

“Our strong advocacy against the All-Electric Buildings Act, which would have effectively banned natural gas in new construction and driven housing costs even higher, led to the governor ‘pausing’ this disastrous law,” Borrello said. “But a pause is not a repeal. The economy and the future of New York hinge on whether we restore balance, transparency and common sense to this agenda.”

Borrello also emphasized his longstanding commitment to protecting New York’s farmers and agricultural economy, a cornerstone of the 57th District.

“Agriculture isn’t just an industry here, it’s a way of life,” Borrello said. “I’ve worked across the aisle to support programs like Nourish NY, which connects our farmers with food banks and hunger relief organizations, a true win-win that supports both food-insecure families and local producers.”

He also noted that he has consistently pushed back against harmful legislation and costly labor mandates that increase food prices and place added strain on family farms. When Democrats lowered the overtime threshold for farm workers, Borrello was among the most vocal opponents of the change. While the mandate ultimately passed, sustained advocacy helped pressure the Hochul administration to establish a tax credit to help farmers offset the significant new labor costs it imposed.

Public safety remains a core priority as well.

“When our corrections officers stood up during the 2025 strike to demand safer working conditions and accountability for policies like the HALT Act, I stood shoulder to shoulder with them,” Borrello said. “We must repeal HALT as well as the failed bail and discovery laws and restore balance to a system that has tilted too far toward criminals at the expense of victims and law-abiding citizens.”

Despite serving in the minority, Borrello noted that results matter.

“I was recently ranked the most effective Republican legislator in the New York State Senate by the Center for Effective Lawmaking,” he said. “Even in the minority, you can fight, deliver results, and make a difference.”

“There is too much at stake to sit on the sidelines,” Borrello added. “I am running for re-election because I believe deeply in this region and in the values we share. I will continue fighting every day to make New York more affordable, more accountable, and safer for our families.”

Borrello has represented the 57th District since winning a special election in 2019 and being re-elected in 2022 and 2024. The district, one of the Legislature’s largest geographically, encompasses Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Genesee and Wyoming counties, as well as a portion of Allegany County.

More information is available at www.georgeborrello.com and @BorrelloforNY on Facebook.