A Syracuse University staff member on Thursday announced her New York State Senate candidacy in a bid to defeat incumbent Sen. David Valesky (D-Oneida), a longtime local political figure.

Rachel May, director of the university’s sustainability education, said she’s excited about her campaign and kicked it off at a party in Westcott Community Center on Euclid Avenue, a few blocks from Main Campus.

“There’s a lot of grassroot support for me,” she said Thursday evening. May has been an area activist for years and is a member of the CNY Solidarity Coalition, a social justice group formed after the election of President Donald Trump.

Valesky represents New York’s 53rd Senate District, which includes downtown Syracuse, the university’s campus and other sections of central New York, stretching east toward Utica. He’s a member of the Independent Democratic Conference. Valesky has served in the Senate since 2005.

As director of SU’s sustainability education, May “works with professors and students from all disciplines, as well as with staff in energy management, food services, parking and transportation, buildings and grounds, and waste management to promote understanding and research about the university as a whole system of resources and best practices,” according to a university webpage.

May has been an activist for years and launched True Blue NY-53, a group that backs progressive Democratic state Senate candidates.

“I’ve been involved for a long time,” May said.