(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Utica University prof launches campaign for Congress [1]
[]
Date: 2023-06
CAMILLUS — Clemmie Harris, a professor at Utica University with extensive experience in public service, has announced his candidacy for New York’s 22nd Congressional District.
Harris launched his campaign on Thursday, June 1, and he filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on May 11, under the name Clemmie Harris for Congress. Harris was born in Buffalo and currently lives in Camillus.
“Politicians today want to keep fighting old debates. When they do that, we all lose,” Harris said in a campaign video. “I’m running to move us forward.”
Harris is the director of Africana Studies and an associate professor in the Department of History at Utica University, a position he has held since 2017. Prior to joining Utica University, Harris held positions at Syracuse University and Wesleyan University.
Harris holds degrees from the State University of New York at Albany, and the University of Pennsylvania.
“I will fight for those who feel as though they have been knocked down, stick up for the middle class, who can’t seem to get a fair shake, help the poor, the disenfranchised, those who feel like they don’t have a voice,” Harris said in the video. “I’ll be your voice.”
Harris said that his priorities are access to abortion, workers’ rights, protecting Social Security and Medicare, affordable healthcare, improving schools and gun control.
He is a former drill sergeant for the United States Army Reserve, a retired criminal investigator for the New York State Police. He also worked with former New York Gov. David Paterson as a senior adviser and close confidant.
During his time working with Paterson, Harris was caught up in a scandal where he was determined to have had inappropriate involvement in a domestic dispute between David Johnson, one of Paterson’s senior aides, and Johnson’s girlfriend.
On Oct. 31, 2009, Johnson became violent with his then-girlfriend Sherr-Una Booker, shoving and choking her, and tearing off the Halloween costume she’d been wearing. Booker called 911 three times, and received a temporary order of protection against Johnson. She filed for a permanent order of protection, but did not show up to court, so it was not granted.
The same night, Johnson called Harris, who became worried about how this incident would impact Paterson’s reputation if it was picked up by the press, and tried to convince Booker, through her friend Deneane Brown, to refrain from taking legal action.
An investigation conducted by an independent counsel to the Office of the New York State Attorney General found that Harris did not commit witness tampering, but did find that Harris’ conduct was inappropriate.
NY-22 is currently represented by Rep. Brandon Williams, R-NY, Sennett, who is in his first term. He was elected in November 2022, narrowly defeating Democrat Francis Conole. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is eyeing NY-22 and has designated Williams’ seat as “in play.”
Sarah Klee Hood, a DeWitt town councilor who ran in 2022 but lost the Democratic primary to Conole, is running again in the 2024 election. Harris will first face off against Klee Hood in the primary election.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://romesentinel.com/stories/utica-university-prof-launches-campaign-for-congress,182224
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
