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Five options in today’s Democratic primary

Registered Democratic Party voters will help elect their party’s 21st Congressional District nominee with the federal primary election from noon to 9 p.m. today.

Five candidates are vying in the primary to be the Democratic Party’s elected representative from the sprawling 12-county district to face incumbent U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, in the Nov. 6 general election.

There will actually be six candidates listed on the ballot, with the name of Don Boyajian of Cambridge also listed. But he announced in May he was dropping out of the congressional primary race to seek the Democratic nod for the state’s 107th Assembly District seat.

New York’s 21st Congressional District includes all or parts of Fulton, Hamilton, Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Saratoga, St. Lawrence, Warren and Washington counties.

Republicans will not vote today, as Stefanik faces no primary opposition within her party.

A condensed sketch of the five candidates seeking the Democratic nomination – in order of their names appearing on Tuesday’s ballot – follows.

Tedra L. Cobb, 50, of Canton, a St. Lawrence County businesswoman, is a former St. Lawrence County legislator. She holds a Master of Science in Education degree in instructional technology from SUNY Potsdam, which she acquired in 2003, and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and sociology from SUNY Potsdam, which she received in 1989.

She has been the president of Tedra L. Cobb & Associates from 2003 to the present. She served as a special projects coordinator/international recruitment specialist at SUNY Potsdam, from 2013 to 2016; and adjunct faculty member of Clarkson University from 2014 to 2015.

Cobb says she wants to “work hard for everyone in her district, regardless of party affiliation, and to remain the transparent and honest person [she’s] known to be.”

Patrick F. Nelson, 28, of Stillwater, most recently served as special projects coordinator in the office of state Assemblyman Phil Steck, D-Colonie, aiding him with communications, legislation and constituent services for the 2017 legislative session. He is a member of the New York Progressive Action Network.

Nelson attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and biophysics. He attended the School of Law at St. John’s University from 2012 to 2013, where he represented low-income defendants being sued by large financial institutions and vulture capitalists as a Public Interest Fellow with the state Unified Court System.

He says he is for improved and expanded Medicare for all, immediate and bold action to address human-caused climate change, universal higher education and publicly funded elections.

Dylan Ratigan, 46, of Lake Placid, is best known as a TV personality. He is a businessman, author, film producer, former host of MSNBC’s “The Dylan Ratigan Show” and political commentator for “The Young Turks.” He is a former contributor to The Huffington Post and former global managing editor for corporate finance at Bloomberg L.P. Ratigan developed and launched more than six broadcast and new media properties, including CNBC’s “Fast Money” and “Closing Bell.”

He holds a bachelor’s degree in political economy from Union College.

Ratigan says he is “one of the nation’s leading figures pushing for political reform and fixing our economy so it works for everyone.” He says he’s running for Congress to “raise the voice of reform and deliver a simple message – We can fix this.”

Katie Wilson, 34, of Keene, graduated high school at the National Sports Academy in Lake Placid. She is a single mother of two who calls herself a “working class candidate.”

A North Country community organizer, businesswoman and entrepreneur, Wilson has long advocated for small local farms and protecting the health and well-being of her community. After studying business and entrepreneurship, she left college to take over management of her family’s business, the Bark Eater Inn. She ran the inn, catering business, wedding facility and stables. Years later, Wilson opened her own business, the Adirondack Attic in Keene.

On the issues, Wilson believes affordable health care is a human right, wants to create a business-friendly environment that attracts and retains young people, and wants special-interest groups out of funding elections.

Emily Martz, 46, of Saranac Lake, has spent her entire career in economic development, operations and education, She said she has the “business experience here in our region to help our families succeed,” and she will “push for the resources the North Country needs and an economic system that works for all Americans.”

Martz graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1994, and after a long career in the financial services industry and as a college professor at the University of Delaware and Paul Smith’s College, she brought her talents to the nonprofit economic development organization, Adirondack North Country Association. Through her work as ANCA’s director of operations and finance, she brought together business owners, farmers, elected officials and other community leaders.

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