Kate Lisa is reporting for Johnson Newspaper Corp. on the two candidates vying to fill the 43rd state Senate District seat. The district is comprised of Columbia County and parts of Rensselaer, Saratoga and Washington counties. First-term incumbent Republican Daphne Jordan, 60, of Halfmoon, is being challenged by Democrat Patrick Nelson of Stillwater. Before her election, Jordan served as legislative director and Senate local government committee director for her predecessor Sen. Kathy Marchione. She is also a former retail business owner. Nelson is currently serving as a village of Stillwater trustee, formerly worked for Democrat Assemblymember Phil Steck and worked on various legislative races and campaigns in the state Assembly and for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign in New Hampshire. Nelson is the founder of the nanobiotechnology company Ligandal Inc. Jordan, whose name will appear on the Republican, Conservative and Independence party lines, describes her office as a communications hub for constituents looking for aid and assistance, especially during the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic. She estimates her office helped more than 500 people make contact with the Department of Labor and checked on the wellbeing of more than 8,000 seniors. In her first term, Jordan helped to enact five bipartisan state laws, co-sponsored 23 new laws and sponsored 85 pieces of legislation. Going forward, Jordan is eager to strip Gov. Andrew Cuomo of his expanded spending and authoritative powers approved by lawmakers during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Jordan is a co-sponsor of legislation which would establish an independent, bipartisan investigation with subpoena power to examine the handling of COVID-19 in state adult-care facilities and nursing homes. She is against the legalization of recreational marijuana, but she supports the legalization of mobile sports betting. If re-elected Jordan will focus on securing high-speed broadband for the district and for all upstate residents. Nelson was first elected to local office last year and serves on the Saratoga County and Stillwater Democratic committees. He previously ran for Stillwater Town Board and sought the Democratic nomination in the 2018 21st Congressional District race for the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik. Nelson's name will appear on the Democratic and Working Families ballot lines. He is an ordained elder in the Presbyterian church, an active member at Stillwater United Church and a former delegate to Presbyterian Church USA, where he worked on marriage equality. Nelson opposes Cuomo’s continuing expanded emergency powers during the COVID-19 pandemic and has advocated for increased legislative oversight. “That’s where the ultimate authority is supposed to rest — not with the governor, but the legislative body,” Nelson said. “I think that allowed for some mistakes to be made.” Nelson also supports an independent investigation into the state’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis in nursing homes, and agrees Health Department Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker was dismissive and unprepared during the Legislature's August hearings. Nelson is a supporter of the proposed Budget Equity Act, which would grant the Legislature an equal role with the governor in the budget process and austerity to address New York’s mounting budget issues. If elected, Nelson would back taxing the state’s wealthiest residents, or millionaires and billionaires and the return of the stock transfer tax. Nelson supports legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and mobile sports betting. He is against the death penalty, and supports women’s reproductive rights and health issues. He is in favor of the NY Health Act, or the state’s proposed single-payer health care system. Read the more at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.