Pam Helming

Pam Helming is the Senator for the 54th District of the New York Senate. She is a Republican. The district includes Seneca and Wayne counties, as well as portions of Cayuga, Monroe, Ontario and Tompkins counties.

A graduate of Hiram College, 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 raised their two daughters in the area.

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.

In 2016, twenty-four year incumbent Michael Nozzolio decided to retire due to health concerns. The seat, although competitive on paper, was seen as friendly to Republicans, and as such five candidates sought the GOP nomination. In a tight race with very low turnout, Helming won the nomination with a plurality of 33% of the vote, or 210 votes.

Moving to the 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 decided to continue on the Reform ticket. She easily won with over 60% of the vote.