Pam Helming

American politician

Pam Helming


Member of the New York State Senate from the 54th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2017^[1]
Preceded by	Michael Nozzolio

Personal details
Born	Pamela A. Turnbull (1962-02-18) February 18, 1962 (age 62)
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Gary Helming
Children	2
Residence(s)	Canandaigua, New York, U.S.
Education	Hiram College (BA)
Website	Official website

Pamela A. Helming (born February 18, 1962) is an American politician from the state of New York. A Republican, Helming has represented Senate District 54 in the New York State Senate since 2017. Prior to her election to the State Senate, Helming served as the town supervisor for Canandaigua, New York. She was elected to that post in 2014.

Life and career

A graduate of Hiram College,^[2] Helming's career has been focused on individuals with developmental disabilities, including those who reside in group homes. She and her husband, Gary Helming, have resided in the Canandaigua, New York area for over thirty years and have raised their two children there.^[3]

Helming was first elected to local office in 2010 as a town councilperson. In 2014, she was elected a Town Supervisor from Canandaigua, which elevated her to the county level of government.^[4]

New York State Senate

In 2016, twenty-four year incumbent Sen. Michael Nozzolio announced his impending retirement from the State Senate due to health concerns. Sen. Nozzolio represented Senate District 54. Although competitive on paper, Senate District 54 was seen as friendly to Republicans. Five candidates sought the GOP nomination for State Senate in Senate District 54 in 2016. In a tight race with very low turnout, Helming received a plurality of 33% of the vote and won the primary by 210 votes.^[5]^[6]

In the 2016 general election, Helming faced Democrat Kenan S. Baldridge as well as Floyd G. Rayburn, who had come in second to Helming in the Republican primary but continued his candidacy on the Reform Party line.^[7] Helming prevailed with over 60% of the vote.^[8]

Helming was reelected in 2018 and again in 2020 with over 60% of the vote.^[9]

References

^ "Oath of Office ceremony for Pam Helming". MPNnow.com. January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^ Orr, Steve (October 31, 2018). "State Senate 54th preview: Pamela Helming vs Kenan Baldridge". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^ "About Pam – Pam Helming for Senate". Retrieved January 9, 2017.
^ Harding, Robert (September 24, 2016). "Pam Helming edges Floyd Rayburn in NY Senate GOP primary after absentee ballots counted". Auburnpub.com. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
^ Harding, Robert (September 22, 2016). "Pam Helming extends lead in NY Senate GOP primary after absentees counted in three counties". Auburnpub.com. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
^ "NYS Board of Elections - Primary for State Senator - Election Returns September 13, 2016" (PDF). Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^ Craig, Gwendolyn (November 9, 2016). "Pam Helming elected to succeed retiring state Sen. Michael Nozzolio". Auburnpub.com. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
^ Buchiere, Steve (December 31, 2016). "Helming 'pumped' to represent region: New state senator has staff in place, plans to move regional office to Geneva". FLTimes.com. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
^ "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 54 Race - Nov 06, 2018". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved February 6, 2019.