Twists in the Conservative Party primary race for Onondaga County DA (2024)

Syracuse lawyer Chuck Keller makes no bones about it. He does not like what he sees happening in the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office.

“I’ve seen, over the last few years, a incredible downward spiral in the both professionalism and capability of the district attorney's office,” Keller said.

“The things I've seen are just so bad that somebody has to step up to do it. And I've decided that, you know, that's going to be me,” he added.

Keller, a Democrat, says everything from training and retention of staff, to work ethic is what the office needs and what he will bring.

“My intention would be to work as hard, if not harder, than anybody else in the office,” he said.

And while Keller clearly has his eyes set on current DA William Fitzpatrick, it's just not that simple.

There are some twists and turns here in this race that not many have— starting with the fact that Keller, again a Democrat, earned the Conservative Party nomination over Fitzpatrick, the Republican.

“The way I got it was I was honest. I told them there are things that I'm not going to agree with them on, but that's true of everybody,” Keller said.

But as you can imagine, that didn't sit well with all conservatives.

“I decided to run for district attorney because the Conservative Party Executive Committee had endorsed someone who was a career defense attorney. He also supported the so-called criminal justice reforms,” Christine Varga, a Conservative candidate for the District Attorney’s Office said.

Varga has spent 33 years working as a prosecutor in the DA's office. She says she just simply could not stand by and watch a Democrat run unchallenged on her party’s line.

“I felt that since I was a registered Conservative, I was the only one that could come forward. It was my duty to come forward and try to protect our line,” she said.

So Varga entered the race and has since been hitting the streets hard, talking with conservative voters about not only the party but about herself.

“I think that I'm dedicated and I really want to see this community be safe,” she said, while also mentioning her desire to protect victims of crimes.

But remember, with this race comes the twists. And another one is the question that some, including Chuck Keller, have, and that is whether or not Christine Varga actually wants this job — having worked with DA William Fitzpatrick for so long and knowing just how important that conservative line can be in a general election.

Is she serious about this or is she just looking to get on the line and then split votes away from Keller to help Fitzpatrick win again?

“I actually feel bad for her because she's just a pawn in this. Like, she's not somebody who is in it to win it. This isn't her idea,” Keller said.

“I had to do this,” Varga said, assuring us she wants the job. “It was, it was based on principle. It really wasn't looking at how the race was going to turn out for any of the candidates."

DA Fitzpatrick did not take Keller's accusations lightly. He said he gets why his opponent has to say what he says, but that’s all it is — talk.

He says he’s proven to the voters what he’s all about — as they’ve voted him in for more than 30 years.

And as for Christine Varga’s entrance into the race, he says she's doing her duty — and protecting the Conservative Party line— and predicts she will win.

“Well, Christie is running on principle. The Conservative Party leadership, which is essentially Tom Dadey, orchestrated a scam on the Conservative voters by nominating a lifelong public defender, Chuck Keller, to be the Conservative nominee. I've never heard the guy say a conservative thing in my life," Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick says this will be his ninth race for this seat, and after November, he does not plan to run again.

We’ll find out what conservative voters actually think.

Tuesday, June 27 is primary election day. Early voting runs through Sunday, June 25.