Redistricting and a late write-in campaign paved the way for a unique Tompkins County Legislature race in 2025.
In the end, write-in candidate Deborah Dawson won the election for Tompkins County District 7 legislator over Democrat John Dennis.
Dawson, the county’s District 10 legislator who had been considering retirement, made the decision to run through a late write-in campaign, according to a statement on her campaign website.
Having served as legislator for eight years, she said she decided to run to provide an experienced voice on the legislature.
According to Dawson, who ran on the Democrat and Working Families party line in previous years, retirements and redistricting led to nine legislative vacancies in 2025, which, coupled with new staffing in other areas of government, created the need for experienced voices to stick around.
On her campaign website, Dawson said she was endorsed by the Working Families Party in September 2025.
“Experience matters now – more than ever,” said Dawson. “In this challenging environment, legislative experience and familiarity with county issues will be critical to our success.”
Deborah Dawson wins Tompkins County District 7 legislator seat
In a message posted on his campaign website in late September, Dennis endorsed Dawson, stating he would not be pursuing the position further. According to the statement, Dennis chose to end his candidacy due to his wife’s health struggles and Dawson’s experience.
“Now that Legislator Dawson is in the race, I have chosen to defer to her proven record and greater tenure in elected office,” said Dennis. “Her leadership will be particularly important as Tompkins County confronts a difficult year ahead, marked by budget shortfalls, a hostile administration in Washington, and significant turnover within both the Legislature and several county departments.”
In total, Dawson received 632 votes to Dennis’ 527, winning the election through a write-in campaign. As of Nov. 20, Tompkins County Democratic Commissioner Stephen DeWitt said the votes were expected to be certified within a few days.
Tompkins County redistricting to take effect in 2026
Due to a redistricting process in Tompkins County, legislative election districts will change beginning in 2026. For all candidates who ran for election in 2025, the newly redistricted election districts were used to determine their candidacy.
While Dawson currently serves as the legislator for District 10, her district will become District 7 in 2026.
For more information regarding Tompkins County redistricting maps, visit tompkinscountyny.gov.
This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: In Tompkins, a write-in campaign, redistricting create unusual outcome
Reporting by Riccardo Monico, Ithaca Journal / Ithaca Journal
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