The race between Democratic Onondaga County Legislator Chris Ryan and Republican Salina Town Supervisor Nick Paro to fill the open seat in New York’s 50th state Senate District remained too close to call Wednesday.

Ryan, with all districts reporting, leads Paro by 548 votes.

Officials say a decision in the race could be approximately 10 days away.

“There's probably 10,000 to 15,000 ballots between the two counties to actually count after the election: the late arriving absentees and the affidavits,” Onondaga County Board of Elections Democratic Commissioner Dustin Czarny said.

After that is done, if the race is not separated by more than a half a percentage point, it could go to a hand count, meaning it may not be decided until December.

Democrats had pointed to this race as being critical in their goal of reaching a supermajority within the Senate. However, that will not be the case. Even if Ryan were to win, the Democrats still need wins in other as-yet-uncalled State Senate races.

Ryan served on the Geddes Town Board before being elected to the Onondaga County Legislature in 2011. He currently serves as minority leader in that chamber. Paro has worked as a legislative aide and analyst for the Onondaga County Legislature before being elected to the Salina Town Board. He has been the Salina town supervisor since 2021.

The 50th state Senate District includes Syracuse’s northern, western and eastern suburbs, as well as Central Square and the cities of Fulton and Oswego.