He's served as a Jefferson County Public Defender and now works in private practice.

He's already been through the process of running for office, as a candidate for the 118th Assembly District back in 2002.

David Renzi is the Republican choice to try and win back a seat the party held for more than 100 years, before losing it to a democrat in February.

"It's been a whirlwind," he said. "It's something my family is energetic about. We're going to continue to work hard throughout the district in the coming months and try to meet as many people as possible."

Renzi was a spokesman for Will Barclay and the Republican Party when February's special election saw Darrel Aubertine pull the huge upset. He said he learned a lot from that experience.

"The biggest lesson to me is the circus that came to town during that special election is not going to happen. We're going to have local people working hard on this," Renzi said.

He also said he wants to make a good first impression on the people of Oswego County who might not be familiar with him.

"I'm going to go down there with a positive, uplifting message. That's what it's about for me. I'm going to let people know who I am and what I can do for this region," said Renzi.

He said his whole campaign will remain positive.

"I'm not going to fall into those traps. I made that clear when I announced my candidacy," Renzi said.

He then explained the biggest issues on his plate.

"Property Taxes. They're crushing us. They're crushing our economic ability. The other big issue is gasoline. It's effecting every individual throughout the district. These are things I'm going to work hard on to effectively help our residents," Renzi said.

"My focus is on Central and Northern New York. I know other people have their own agendas, but my focus is Central and Northern New York. That's what I'm going to fight for and those are the people I'm going to fight with to take this seat back," he added.

Renzi has the support of both Dede Scozzafava and Jim Wright, two people who were considering a run for this seat. Scozzafava says she'll run for re-election in the Assembly and Wright says he's not interested in running again.

Will Barclay is passing on a rematch, as he seeks another term in the Assembly.

Congressman John McHugh was also rumored to be interested in the State Senate seat. But he says he plans to seek re-election in Congress.

Republicans also announced Bobby Cantwell will run for the 118th Assembly District.