ITHACA, N.Y. (WETM) — Democrat Leslie Danks Burke announced her 2022 bid for the New York State Senate on Thursday.

Danks Burke—an attorney based out of Tompkins County—was defeated in the 2020 race for the 58th Senate District by Republican incumbent Tom O’Mara. That was her second time running for the seat.

In a statement Thursday night, Danks Burke said she anticipates new district lines that may unify parts of the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes in the next legislature.

“The simple fact is, we won’t get heard if we’re not at the table. We see it in our flooded bridges, in lost jobs, in health care rackets crushing our seniors and sick people, in terrible internet, and in our kids’ run down schools. Meanwhile, Albany never forgets to rake in our taxes, the highest in the country.

I’ve stood up for years against power in the hands of just a few. I’ve fought for racial equality and abortion access, I’ve run hard races in very tough districts, outpacing Democratic enrollment by double-digits, and I’ve done it by consistently standing strong for honest, progressive values — even where it’s not easy.

We have a chance to change Albany’s bipartisan legacy of corruption that keeps working families down. It’s time to take our clear voice into the State Senate. Inside the Senate Democratic Conference, we need more upstate voices, more rural voices, to get a fair deal for our families, our farmers, our seniors, and our students.

Even as Albany slow-walks its job of figuring out district lines, we won’t let the Southern Tier fall behind in our fight for a fair deal. We are starting to reach voters across this region who care about stronger, fairer, better values than we’ve seen from decades of Senators around here. People all over New York are ready for a new day, and here in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes, I’m running to make damn sure we finally get our seat at the table.”

Leslie Danks Burke (D)