George Dobbins for Assembly - NYS District 130

08/12/2026

WHY WEDNESDAYS: WHY NEW YORK IS FAILING OUR SCHOOL KIDS

Today’s “Why Wednesday” post is a quick comparison of Democrat-led New York and Republican-led Mississippi and Alabama on education. The results may surprise you.

New York spends more on public education than any state in America. If spending alone produced great schools, our kids should be running laps around the rest of the country.

They aren’t.

In 2024, New York spent $31,918 per public school student. Mississippi spent $12,324. Yet Mississippi has made extraordinary academic gains in recent years. New York has not.

The problem is not teachers. Most teachers work hard and care deeply about their students. The problem is an education establishment, closely allied with Albany Democrats and powerful teachers’ unions, that too often treats more spending as the answer to every problem and accountability as something to fear.

New York is now moving away from requiring Regents exams for graduation. There are reasonable arguments for more flexibility. But there is an important difference between giving students different ways to demonstrate achievement and simply expecting less of them.

Republican-led Mississippi tried something different.

Starting in 2013, Mississippi embraced phonics and evidence-based reading instruction. Teachers received training. Students were screened early. Children struggling to read received extra help.

The results are hard to argue with.

From 2013 to 2024, Mississippi climbed from 49th to 9th in fourth-grade reading and from 50th to 16th in fourth-grade math. Its economically disadvantaged fourth graders now rank first nationally in reading.

Republican-led Alabama followed a similar path. From 2019 to 2024, it rose from 52nd to 32nd in fourth-grade math and from 49th to 34th in reading.

Responding to mounting pressure, New York has finally started embracing evidence-based reading instruction, too. Republicans should support that reform and demand more of it.

We should teach phonics. Restore high standards. Support good teachers. Demand accountability. And we should expand BOCES, Career and Technical Education, trade-school tracks, and apprenticeships.

Not every student needs the same path. But every student deserves a school focused on preparing them for adulthood.

Our schools exist for children, not politicians, bureaucracies, unions, or ideology. Republicans should never be afraid to say so. We cannot settle for the subtle bigotry of lowered expectations.

08/10/2026

What a great summary of values from our neighbors The Black Republican Club of Rochester !

The Republican Party was founded on the belief that freedom belongs to every American.

Frederick Douglass became one of its strongest voices because the party stood for equal rights, individual liberty, economic opportunity through free labor, constitutional government, and the power of education.

These principles helped end slavery, secure citizenship, protect voting rights, and expand opportunity. Understanding this history reminds us where the party began and the values that shaped its foundation.

08/05/2026

WHY WEDNESDAYS: WHY “COLLEGE FOR ALL” WON’T HELP WORKING PEOPLE

Another week, and yet another Democrat primary where the socialist-backed candidate has won. Each week in my “Why Wednesday” series, I take a closer look at socialist-backed policies, explain why it will fail to deliver, and offer conservative, common sense alternatives that put working people, families, and small businesses first.

This week, we look at proposals supported by many left-wing politicians, including taxpayer-funded college tuition and broad student loan forgiveness. Together, these ideas encourage the belief that a four-year college should become the default path for nearly every young American.

(Side note: This week’s topic is especially relevant if you look yesterday’s results in Michigan and consider the changing coalitions within the political parties. Winner and DSA-backed candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s strongest support came from white, college-educated left-wing Democrats and self-described socialists. And although she lost the primary, his opponent, Haley Stevens, won among minorities and Democrats *without* a college degree. That should make all of us think. For years, the Democrats claimed to be the party of the working class. Increasingly, however, its ideas are being driven by college-educated activists. Meanwhile the real working class are looking elsewhere - i.e., the Republicans.)

Every young person deserves the chance to build a good life. But there is more than one road to success. Some students thrive in college. Others thrive in apprenticeships, trade schools, the military, community colleges, or by going straight to work. Every honest job deserves respect.

Too often, politicians and experts look down on these non-college careers. They tell young people that success only comes with a four-year degree. And even if they don’t say it, the policies they support certainly do.

Here’s an economic reality: when government pays for more of something, demand rises. This means colleges have less pressure to control costs. Many studies have found that increases in federal student aid can contribute to higher tuition prices. Working taxpayers end up paying more while college tuitions skyrocket.

The problem is not just higher costs. It is also a poor use of talent. According to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, about 30 million good jobs paying more than the median wage do not require a bachelor’s degree. Many are in manufacturing, construction, healthcare, transportation, agriculture, and the skilled trades. These workers build our homes, keep the lights on, grow our food, and care for our families. These jobs offer a good life.

When we tell every student that success requires a four-year degree, we also create credential inflation. Jobs that once depended on skill and experience now require degrees. That shuts out many hardworking people who could do the job well. Colleges also face pressure to enroll and graduate more students, raising concerns about declining academic standards and grade inflation.

New York needs practical, conservative solutions. We should expand Career and Technical Education, apprenticeships, community colleges, and partnerships with local employers. We should make college more affordable for students who choose it while giving equal respect to every path that leads to productive work (and a fulfilling life). And we should remove unnecessary bachelor’s degree requirements for any job we can.

Working people do not need one government-approved path to success. They need more choices, lower costs, and leaders who respect the dignity of every honest day’s work. That will be my philosophy as your next Assemblyman.

07/29/2026

WHY WEDNESDAYS: WHY SOCIALIST POLICING POLICIES WILL HURT WORKING PEOPLE

“Democratic Socialists of America” (DSA)-backed candidates are on the rise in New York State. That is why I started a series called “Why Wednesdays.” Each week I take a closer look at a socialist policy, explain why it fails to solve the problem it promises to fix, and offer a conservative, common sense alternative that puts working people, families, and small businesses first.

This week we look at DSA-endorsed proposals on policing, including prison abolition, radical bail reform, and calls to abolish or defund the police.

We know what people expect from police. The average person wants safe streets, strong communities, and a justice system that holds criminals accountable while protecting the innocent. We want neighborhoods where people can work, raise families, and open businesses without fear.

DSA-backed plans promise to dismantle systems by emptying prisons, ending cash bail for many offenses, and slashing police budgets. But, in the real world, these policies have coincided with higher crime that burdens the very people least able to protect themselves.

New York’s 2019 bail reform eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies. Statewide index crimes (the seven major categories tracked by the Division of Criminal Justice Services) hit a historic low of about 337,000 in 2019.

By 2023 they had increased to 440,305, a clear rise from the pre-bail-reform baseline. In New York City, felony assaults climbed roughly 44 percent since 2019, reaching nearly 30,000 in recent years, the highest levels in decades according to NYPD and Vital City analyses of CompStat data. Motor vehicle theft and certain property crimes also surged sharply after 2019.

Working people and small businesses feel the impact of high crime through theft, higher insurance, lost customers, and daily insecurity.

Higher crime does not hit everyone equally. Poor people and minorities are hurt the most by higher crime. NYPD’s 2024 Year-End Enforcement Report shows that Black New Yorkers accounted for 52.5 percent of murder victims and Hispanic New Yorkers 34.7 percent. Shooting victims follow the same pattern, with the large majority Black or Hispanic. National Bureau of Justice Statistics data confirm that people in poor households experience violent victimization at more than double the rate of those in high-income households. The burdens of high crime fall heaviest on the very communities DSA claims to champion.

New York needs practical, conservative solutions. We should restore judicial discretion for bail in cases involving repeat or high-risk offenders, support effective policing and officer recruitment, expand proven focused deterrence programs, clear case backlogs for serious crimes, and reject prison abolition that ignores the need to remove dangerous people from the streets.

DSA-style policing policies ignore basic realities of public safety. They risk more victims, more disorder, and less opportunity for working families. Upstate New York and every community need accountability and strong enforcement. We should reject these failed socialist ideas at the ballot box this November.

07/28/2026

Over the past few weeks, many people have asked me who I will be running against this November.

On Monday, it became official. There are now two Democrats running for the 130th Assembly District: Williamson Democrat Joe Lamanna and Webster Democrat Carl Fitzsimmons.

The Democrat primary was an extremely close race. In fact, it was only recently certified by the Wayne and Monroe County Boards of Elections, weeks after the June 23 primary. In the end, it came down to just 54 Democrat votes.

It appears that this close Democrat primary result encouraged both candidates to stay in the race. In November, Democrat Carl Fitzsimmons will be on the official Democrat line, and Democrat Joe Lamanna will be on the “Common Sense” third-party line. My name will be on both the official Republican and Conservative Party lines.

While I don’t know either of them personally, Joe and Carl both seem like nice guys. I respect the hell out of anyone willing to step forward and run for office. It’s tough. Google Teddy Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech. I love that speech, and I’m sure it’ll mean a little more to Joe and Carl when this is all through.

With that said, I have heard again and again during my campaign that the voters of Wayne County and Webster are looking for change in Albany. They are frustrated with the ruling Democrat Party that has made New York less safe and less affordable. I know that I will be a much stronger advocate for that change than either of my Democrat opponents. That is a big reason why I am running.

Another reason is, like it or not, Joe and Carl are members of that older generation of Democrat leadership that is quickly losing ground to the far-left Democratic Socialists of America. We have seen this wave in recent elections all across New York State.

These DSA folks do not want to listen to grocery store owners about how to lower grocery prices; they want government-owned grocery stores. They have no interest in discussing the merits of particular policing techniques; they are prison abolitionists. They do not care how expensive a new house is, or how high your utility bill has gone, because the base of the DSA is not the working-class upstater.

And this is why the Republican Party has become the party of working people. I hope to bring a new kind of practical, conservative leadership to the 130th Assembly District. I will always put our communities first. I will stand up to both the old Albany Democrat leaders and the growing threat of extreme left-wing socialism. I believe this is best for Wayne County and Webster.

You might not agree with me. If you think New York is already going in the right direction, then one of my two Democrat opponents might be a better choice for you. I understand that. Still, I hope to change your mind before November!

I’d sincerely like to wish my two Democrat opponents well. I’ll be praying for you both, and for your families. Primaries are tough. Now it is time for the general election. Let’s show the voters of the 130th Assembly District what a good, clean debate of ideas looks like.

All the best,

George

07/27/2026

HELP GEORGE KICK OFF HIS GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN!

New York is at a crossroads. We can either double-down on the same policies and politicians that have led so many of our neighbors to flee, or we can fight for lower taxes, safer communities, stronger schools, and more opportunity.

George Dobbins is running for the New York State Assembly to bring in the next generation of common-sense conservative leadership to Albany.

Every donation makes a big difference because of the public matching funds program. Qualifying donations of up to $250 can be matched, multiplying the impact of your support.

Please donate today and help us win this fight for our upstate community. Thank you!

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07/26/2026

George spent Saturday morning ringing the Salvation Army bell during Lyons’ “Christmas in July” celebration, hosted by the Lyons Main Street Program and Evolve: The Christmas Store of New York. It was great to see shoppers from far and wide flock to Lyons’ downtown, including this mysterious traveler from the North Pole!

07/25/2026

Thank you to the Walworth Republican Committee for the kind invitation to march in the Lions Club of Walworth’s Grand Parade on Friday! It was an honor to join you and celebrate with the Walworth community.

07/22/2026

WHY WEDNESDAYS: WHY SOCIALIST HEALTHCARE PROPOSALS WILL HURT WORKING PEOPLE

As I have reminded my audience in previous weeks, socialist candidates are on the rise in New York State. That is why I started a series called “Why Wednesdays.” Each week I take a closer look at a socialist policy, explain why it fails to solve the problem it promises to fix, and offer a conservative, common sense alternative that puts working people, families, and small businesses first.

This week we look at Democratic Socialists of America proposals for universal healthcare, including the New York Health Act.

Our goal should be simple. We want high quality, affordable healthcare that is available when people need it. We want care that does not bankrupt families or drive jobs and doctors away from Upstate New York. DSA-backed plans promise free coverage with no copays or deductibles. But government-run single payer systems often lead to longer wait times, fewer choices, and much higher taxes.

The New York Health Act would replace private insurance with a statewide single payer plan. Supporters say it would save money through efficiency. Yet the RAND Corporation estimated it would require about $139 billion in new state revenue in 2022. That was about a 156 percent increase over state tax collections at the time. Costs could rise even higher if more benefits are added. So will your taxes.

Higher spending does not guarantee better care. The Congressional Budget Office has warned that single payer systems with little or no cost sharing increase demand for healthcare. If the number of doctors and healthcare workers does not keep up, patients can face much longer waits for appointments, surgeries, and other treatment.

We have seen these problems in other countries. In Canada, patients often wait about 28 to 30 weeks between a specialist referral and treatment. Some wait even longer. The United Kingdom also struggles with long backlogs that delay crucial care.

Working people and small businesses would also feel the impact. Higher taxes raise the cost of doing business and can make it harder to hire workers. Lower salaries for doctors could discourage students from entering medicine and encourage experienced doctors to leave New York or retire early. That would make healthcare shortages even worse, especially in rural Upstate communities.

New York needs practical, conservative solutions. We should expand health savings accounts, promote price transparency, encourage competition, reduce the influence of Pharmacy Benefit Managers, expand telemedicine, reform outdated regulations, and make it easier to train more healthcare workers.

DSA-style universal healthcare ignores basic economic realities. It risks longer waits, fewer choices, and higher taxes. Upstate New York needs more competition, innovation, and patient-choice. We should reject these failed socialist ideas at the ballot box this November.