ALTAMONT — A lion in the regional HVAC trade is looking to turn the state Senate's 46th District red again.
Family Danz Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. founder Ted Danz on Thursday mounted a GOP bid against Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, for the open seat. It’s the second time he’s run against the progressive since her first Assembly race in 2012.
The 76-year-old businessman said the two are political antipodes.
“We're going to ask somebody who created the problems [in the state] to come up with a way to solve them?” asked the Altamont businessman. “Things don't work like that.”
Up until 2023, the district was long held by Republicans. As a result of redistricting in 2022, Democrat Neil Breslin ran for the district and won against Rich Amedure.
The 81-year-old incumbent announced plans last month to retire after serving in office for 27 years — the longest of any currently tenured member of the upper chamber.
Danz, 76, recalled his children playing Little League baseball with Breslin’s children. He said that he never thought about mounting a challenge in the district until Fahy stepped in.
“I thought the world of the guy, personally. He's a good man and he has the ‘D’ behind his name,” Danz said about Breslin. “Thinking about running against him was definitely not in my wheelhouse.”
In an interview on Thursday, Danz, a registered Conservative, underscored a platform centered around ending bail reform, fighting gun laws and pushing to halt outmigration. He’s hoping to end "one-party rule" in the legislative supermajority.
"I always get a kick out of people wearing their MAGA hats that say, ‘Make America Great Again’ and I would like to think that I could say, ‘let's make New York great again.’”
On the proliferation of solar farms — a heated issue in Montgomery County, Danz said he’s not familiar enough with the matter, but believes that “solar is never going to replace our fossil fuels” in his lifetime.
The 46th district includes all of Montgomery County, in addition to parts of Albany and Schenectady counties. Danz has already been endorsed by the Montgomery County Republican Committee.
Schenectady Republican Committee Chairman Thomas Kennedy said that he's interested in advocating for Danz to be endorsed at the Schenectady County Republican Committee's upcoming endorsement meeting. He described Danz as a "great guy."
Albany County Republican Committee Chairman Randy Bashwinger expects the local party to make endorsements soon.
Fahy, who announced her candidacy last week, has already received blessings from a who's who of local Democrats, including Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy.
Fahy campaign spokesperson Alex Flood said n a statement that the 11-year legislator’s record “speaks for itself.” The statement didn’t reference Danz.
"Assemblywoman Fahy is eager to discuss her priorities for Albany, Schenectady, and Montgomery counties with voters in an election year where choice, our very democracy, and economic progress are on the line this November," Flood said.
Fahy first entered the political arena on the Albany school board, where she once served as president. In her first run to fill the seat of retiring Assemblyman Jack McEneny, she bested six other candidates in a Democratic primary.
Danz previously beat Fahy in a 2012 primary for the Independence Party. She later beat the businessman by a nearly 40-point margin in the general election.
It wasn’t his first experience in the political arena. Danz also ran and lost against U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko for a congressional seat back in 2010.
“My mother's 98 years old and she's still as sharp as they get,” Danz said. “She looked at me like, ‘Again? You're going to try this again?”
He said that it might take some time on the campaign trail to get readjusted to politicking and get his talking points cemented.
“I’m not going to sound nice and smooth like Paul Tonko,” Danz said.
Danz expects to split his time between the HVAC business and the campaign trail. His sons currently own the Albany-based business, which allows him to hold a flexible schedule, he noted.
The businessman will need an edge to get over the district’s Democratic enrollment advantage. He believes there are enough conservative Democrats to potentially fill the void.
This election is something of a Halley’s Comet in Capital Region politics. Along with openings in the 46th Senate District and Fahy’s 109th Assembly District, Assemblymember Phil Steck, D-Colonie, has decided to mount an intra-party challenge against Albany County District Attorney David Soares.
Colonie Town Councilman Jeff Madden is running for Fahy's Assembly seat, which represents portions of Colonie, Niskayuna, Guilderland and Schenectady. So far, no Democrat has officially announced interest in the seat.
When Niskayuna Town Supervisor Jaime Puccioni was asked if she’d run for 110th Assembly District, the Democrat said over text: “Right now I'm focused on my work as Niskayuna Town Supervisor.”