Cobb meets with Watertown locals at Savory Downtown

July 07--Tweet

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Democratic 21st Congressional District candidate Tedra L. Cobb visited the city Thursday as part of a handful of meet and greet events throughout the district this week.

The 49-year-old business consultant and Canton resident announced her run against U.S. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik on July 4. Ms. Stefanik was elected to her second term last year, and so far three Democratic candidates have officially announced their campaigns more than a year in advance of midterm elections.

During her meet and greet at the Savory Downtown, Ms. Cobb reiterated her stance against the Republican Party's bills to replace the Affordable Care Act, noting that the bill's $800 billion in federal Medicaid cuts over the next decade will leave rural health care in shambles. Many hospitals and nursing homes in the north country rely on Medicaid funding to operate.

"It's not a theoretical discussion," Ms. Cobb said. "I keep trying to say it's a literal discussion about people's lives and about the vitality of the economy in this district."

Ms. Stefanik voted in favor of the House GOP's bill, the American Health Care Act.

Ms. Cobb also discussed the need for expanded broadband access for remote areas in the district, adding that small businesses are unable to function without a proper internet connection, and a lack of cell coverage creates a safety issue for travelers.

Since her election, Ms. Stefanik has tried expand access to farmers through her Precision Farming Act of 2016 bill, and she recently worked with U.S. Sens. Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand to reverse the Federal Communications Commission's urban designation for the Watertown area. Westelcom, a major internet provider locally, needs a rural designation to receive the federal funding needed to stay in business.

According to the Federal Elections Commission, Ms. Stefanik had over $691,000 in cash on hand at the end of March. On the challenge of taking on the sophomore congresswoman, who won with 53 percent of the vote in 2014 and 65 percent last year, Ms. Cobb said Ms. Stefanik still is not invulnerable.

"I firmly believe that nobody is unbeatable," she said.

Ms. Cobb, who is president and owner of business development company Tedra L. Cobb & Associates, served as a county legislator for District 8 in St. Lawrence County for eight years, ending her service on the Board of Legislators in 2010.

Patrick Nelson, a 27-year-old Democrat from Stillwater, announced his run for the 21st Congressional District seat earlier this year, and Democrat Katie K. Wilson, who owns a consignment shop in Keene, announced her bid last week.

Green Party Matthew J. Funiciello intends to run for a third time.

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