Commercial real estate worker and political advocate Caleb Slater officially began his campaign Thursday for a state Senate seat in Central New York.

Slater is running for the Republican and Conservative Party nomination for the 48th state Senate District seat, currently held by Democrat Rachel May, who has been in office since 2019.

Slater grew up in the village of Dundee, in Yates County, and attended Cayuga Community College and Ithaca College. He has worked in commercial real estate and helped with the campaign for Republican Rep. Brandon Williams in 2022.

He joins YWCA of Syracuse and Onondaga County Executive Director Fanny Villarreal — who on Thursday was endorsed by John DeFrancisco, the former state Senate officeholder who served as deputy Senate majority leader — in the GOP race for the seat.

The 48th District includes the city of Syracuse; the southern and western parts of Onondaga County; and all of Cayuga County.