ITHACA, N.Y. (WENY) – A sixth candidate has entered the race for the 125th Assembly District in New York State.

Jordan Lesser, a legislative counsel to Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, announced his candidacy Monday. Lifton currently serves in the seat for the 125th District, but recently announced she will not run for re-election in the fall.

Lesser has worked with Lifton for more than 10 years. He is also a native Ithacan, graduating from Ithaca High School and attending undergraduate at Cornell University.

As Counsel, Lesser wrote the Amicus briefs, supporting the Dryden local zoning ban in the hydrofracking lawsuit that led to the court upholding the ban in 2014; New York State would later ban the practice in 2015.

“I worked closely with hundreds of residents of Tompkins and Cortland counties and many local advocacy groups during the 7-year battle to stop fracking in New York,” said Lesser. “All of whom were concerned about risks to their drinking water, including the sole source aquifer providing water to all residents of Cortland, and about protecting the beauty and economy of the region. My legal and legislative work as Counsel to Assemblywoman Lifton, as well as close work with constituents, put me in an ideal position to continue this critical work toward an effective state climate action plan and other important environmental initiatives.”

Lesser says he will also fight for funding for PreK-12 education, which he says is “key to helping people reach their full potential and to create a prosperous community and state”.

“I will put the same level of commitment into funding for higher education for both our public system, including SUNY Cortland and the four SUNY colleges at Cornell, as well our fine private colleges and university. I also strongly support the Tuition Assistance Program and higher education opportunity programs to help our talented students enter the schools of their choice, both public and private.”

Lesser has also worked as a National Park Ranger and received his J.D. From Tulane Law School. He also was recognized as a Top 40 Under 40 in NYS Policy and Politics by City and State Magazine in 2018 for his work as Counsel with Lifton.

Lesser has been endorsed by Tompkins County attorney Ray Schlather and Lifton's former Chief of Staff Linda Smith.