On Tuesday, the Oswego County Democratic Committee held a fundraiser at the Foundry that featured a special guest: State Attorney General Letitia “Tish” James.
The packed fundraiser took place in the middle of early voting ahead of the primary election on June 23. On the ballot are candidates for County Legislature, Congress, Comptroller, and more, including 17 Democrats running for Oswego County Legislature. The Oswego County Legislature has not had a Democratic majority since the 1960s.
Introducing the Attorney General was the Chair of the Oswego County Democratic Committee, Christine Weisenburger.
The Attorney General’s speech did not simply endorse the Democratic candidates in county-level races or call for attendees to continue supporting Democratic candidates in various races through fundraising and voting efforts—though it did cover both of those things.
After touting her office’s work in procuring a $3 billion settlement from opioid manufacturers to support addiction prevention and harm reduction, James asked for a round of applause for law enforcement and its work combatting the opioid crisis. Then, she asked for a moment of silence for the 13 soldiers recently killed on foreign soil. “Even though we may disagree with this administration and with this war, we must still think and pray for those 13 lost heroes,” she said.
Attorney General James also encouraged the crowd, saying, “We need to have hope over fear, given all that’s happening in our country right now.” The AG spoke at length about reaching across the aisle and uniting as Americans: “Our differences are minimal compared to all that we share,” she said. “There are many disaffected Republicans who are disgusted by what’s happening and want to join with us.” She encouraged attendees to talk with their neighbors and find common ground.
The AG spoke multiple times about her office’s work supporting the rule of law and her role in defending Constitutional rights, citing executive orders and federal requests for personal data on New Yorkers that her office had struck down—winning approximately 80% of cases her office has brought against the federal government since 2025. James noted how her office has worked with the State Senate, including newly elected Senator Chris Ryan, to outlaw so-called surveillance pricing in New York. “I swore an oath to protect you, to protect New Yorkers… [including your] right to privacy.”
James ended her speech by calling for the US to “once again become that shining light on the hill” before inviting State Senator Chris Ryan to the podium.
Senator Ryan began by saying, “I was union before I was in office, and I’ll be union after, when I’m done in public service.” Ryan then went on to describe some of his and the state senate’s efforts in regulating AI and attacking predatory lending and pricing practices, including the surveillance pricing mentioned by the AG. Surveillance pricing, Ryan explained, is a relatively new practice where big retailers, apps, and other digitally savvy companies use signals like time of day, your personal purchase history, household income, and even your phone’s battery life to determine the maximum price you’d be willing to pay for a product or service and charging you that… even while charging others different prices for the same things, purchased at the same time.
“We’re doing something and you know what, the other side isn’t,” Ryan said. “So, we have to fight like this country depends on it, because it does.”
The fundraising event included many other recognizable figures from local politics, such as Congressman John Mannion, Oswego County Legislature Minority Leader Marie Schadt and Minority Whip Lee Walker Jr., Mayor Jim Rice of Fulton, Democratic members of the Oswego and Fulton Common Councils, former Mayor of Oswego Tom Gillen, representatives from Indivisible Oswego County, and current Democratic candidates for public office.
For more information about finding your representatives and the upcoming primary election, visit oswegocountyny.gov. To learn more about the Oswego County Democratic Committee, visit their website, https://oswegodemocrats.com/.
