VoterLens
State University of New York at Delhi—Bachelor's degree
Data last updated 10/27/2026
Oberacker is a Republican/Conservative New York state senator for District 51 who first took office in 2021, after serving in local government as a Maryland town council member, Maryland town supervisor, and Otsego County legislator. Before elected office, he worked as a food scientist/research chef and founded FormTech Solutions; his official Senate biography says he began working in his family's meat market in Schenevus and later built a career specializing in beef, pork, and poultry ingredient formulations.
Committee Assignments: Alcoholism and Substance Use Disorders (Ranking Member) · Transportation (Ranking Member) · Agriculture · Finance · Higher Education · Labor
Peter Oberacker’s healthcare positions emphasize rural access, workforce recruitment, EMS capacity, school-based health centers, telehealth connectivity, and addiction/mental-health treatment, while opposing COVID-era mandates and supervised injection sites. He generally frames healthcare around rural service delivery, staffing shortages, and reducing state red tape rather than broad federal coverage expansion.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Oberacker supported a Senate Republican healthcare staffing package and proposed a Healthcare Workforce Innovation Fund to improve training and recruitment of healthcare workers amid shortages in hospitals, facilities, and home care.
SourceOberacker supported expanding telehealth services but said rural broadband must be improved so residents without connectivity do not lose access to medical care.
SourceOberacker called for increased state support for local first responders, including adjusted EMS training requirements, funding for countywide EMS systems, and defining EMS as an essential service.
SourceOberacker supported protecting school-based health centers from managed-care red tape and described the effort as part of his commitment to rural healthcare services.
SourceOberacker opposed the confirmation of New York Health Commissioner Mary Bassett, citing her support for COVID mandates, healthcare-worker firings, and government-supervised drug injection sites, while saying he supports education and treatment for opioid addiction.
SourcePeter Oberacker’s Economy & Jobs platform emphasizes affordability, lower taxes, reduced energy and utility costs, and a more business-friendly climate. He supports tax relief for motorists, utility ratepayers, small businesses, and middle-class families, while opposing budgets he characterizes as high-spending and tax-raising.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Oberacker supports a utility-focused affordability package calling for itemized bills, stronger customer protections, and a one-year utility bill tax and surcharge holiday plus a two-year green-energy gas tax holiday.
SourceOberacker supports an economic agenda to lower taxes, reduce energy costs, cut red tape, reduce small-business taxes, and cap unemployment taxes for businesses recovering from the pandemic.
SourceOberacker supports suspending state gas taxes to provide relief at the pump and praised budget provisions accelerating middle-class tax cuts, providing small-business tax relief, and extending the Hire-A-Vet Tax Credit.
SourceOberacker supports a budget approach focused on affordability, including protecting businesses from unemployment insurance tax hikes and opposing plans he says overspend, hike taxes, and drive people out of New York.
SourceOberacker supports the One Big Beautiful Bill’s tax-related provisions such as no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, and tax rebates and reductions, describing them as positive for workers and affordability.
SourcePeter Oberacker's public immigration-related statements emphasize opposition to New York City and state-led migrant relocation or housing policies, support for local control and transparency, and concern about vetting and public-safety implications. He says he supports legal immigration but criticizes sanctuary policies and taxpayer-funded services or housing arrangements for undocumented migrants when local communities object or existing residents could be displaced.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Oberacker supports allowing local governments to override conflicting state emergency orders, a proposal framed as restoring local authority when counties are asked to house migrants without sufficient resources.
SourceOberacker supports barring hotels and homeless shelters from displacing vulnerable residents, including veterans and domestic-violence survivors, in order to house non-citizens or non-lawful permanent residents.
SourceOberacker called for more transparency from state and federal officials on migrant housing, said rural communities should not be forced to accept undocumented migrants, and supported letting local officials decline placements when resources are insufficient.
SourceOberacker backed a Senate Republican education package that included prohibiting permanent or temporary housing of migrant populations in K-12 schoolhouses or on school grounds outside New York City.
SourceOberacker criticized New York's state budget for expanding housing vouchers for illegal migrants while families were struggling with costs, positioning the spending as disconnected from local needs.
SourcePeter Oberacker’s Climate & Energy stance emphasizes energy affordability, utility-bill transparency, reliability, and local control over renewable-energy siting. He generally supports a diverse energy mix and consumer protections while opposing state climate policies he says would raise costs, including all-electric mandates, higher gas and heating-fuel costs, and centralized renewable siting that can override local communities.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Oberacker called for a diverse energy policy focused on affordability and reliability, saying New York should protect the environment without leaving residents and businesses with unaffordable energy costs or reliability risks.
SourceOberacker opposed Albany Democrats’ all-electric proposals, arguing that their costs would be astronomical and especially painful for rural areas.
SourceOberacker said policies that would drastically raise taxes on gas and home heating fuel are non-starters and argued that driving people and businesses out of New York is not a feasible environmental strategy.
SourceOberacker supports a Ratepayer Bill of Rights approach requiring clearer, itemized utility bills, customer access to live representatives, and accountability measures aimed at reducing unexplained utility charges.
SourceOberacker called for defunding New York’s renewable-energy siting office, arguing that the state’s approval process for large wind and solar projects is too heavy-handed and undermines local control in rural communities.
SourcePeter Oberacker emphasizes preserving and increasing support for public education, especially rural school districts, while opposing state-level school-aid cuts and burdensome mandates. His education stance also includes support for upstate higher education resources, school transportation access, and school safety grants.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Oberacker opposed Governor Kathy Hochul's proposed elimination of the school-aid hold-harmless provision and argued that all schools should receive their fair share of state education funding.
SourceOberacker supported a Senate Republican education package that sought to reverse proposed school funding cuts, reduce burdensome state mandates, and ensure schools receive fair state aid.
SourceOberacker said the only 2021-22 state budget bill he supported was the one containing education aid for rural school districts, BOCES programs, and college students.
SourceOberacker said he would advocate for upstate higher education institutions and work to secure the resources they need to succeed.
SourceOberacker backed requiring certain Sullivan County school districts to provide transportation after 4 p.m., saying no child should be left without a way to get to and from school.
SourcePeter Oberacker’s public-safety platform emphasizes tougher criminal-justice rules, support for police, stronger penalties for illegal gun crime, and expanded resources for emergency responders. He also opposes New York gun-control measures he says burden lawful gun owners without improving safety.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Oberacker supports ending what he calls the failed cashless bail experiment and restoring judicial discretion so judges can detain defendants in serious cases.
SourceOberacker backed a Senate Republican public-safety package that would add law-enforcement resources, roll back bail and discovery laws, increase penalties for illegal firearm crimes, and expand protections for crime victims.
SourceOberacker supports classifying emergency medical services as essential services for state-aid purposes, arguing that rural EMS and volunteer departments need more state support.
SourceOberacker supports providing tuition aid and other incentives to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters, EMS providers, and auxiliary police officers.
SourceOberacker opposed additional New York gun-control measures after the Supreme Court’s Bruen ruling, saying they overburden lawful gun owners and do not improve public safety.
SourceBallotpedia
https://ballotpedia.org/New_York%27s_19th_Congressional_District_election%2C_2026Fetched: biography, education, professional background, political offices
NYSenate.gov
https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/peter-oberacker/aboutFetched: biography, location, professional background, committees
BallotReady
https://www.ballotready.org/people/peter-oberackerFetched: professional background, education
FEC API
https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/candidate/H6NY19268/totals/Fetched: totalRaised, totalSpent, cashOnHand
Ballotpedia News
https://news.ballotpedia.org/2026/07/24/riley-oberacker-face-off-in-ny-19-general-election-on-nov-3-district-decided-by-fewer-than-three-points-in-each-of-the-last-two-elections/Fetched: endorsements
NRCC
https://www.nrcc.org/2026/03/17/nrcc-announces-peter-oberacker-to-first-round-of-additions-to-maga-majority-program/Fetched: endorsements
Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts
https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/uploads/filer_public/af/44/af443976-e40e-4f37-9bd3-4622156c08e2/ppesa_2024_senate_scorecard.pdfFetched: ratings
Freedom Index
https://thefreedomindex.org/ny/legislator/21914/votes/ny-scorecard-2025/pdf/scb/Fetched: ratings
New York League of Conservation Voters
https://nylcv.org/wp-content/uploads/NYLCV_2022_StateScorecard_FINAL_WEB.pdfFetched: ratings
NYSenate.gov — Healthcare Staffing Shortage Must Be Addressed
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/peter-oberacker/healthcare-staffing-shortage-must-be-addressedFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov — Senator Oberacker Joins Budget Conference Committee on Health
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/peter-oberacker/senator-oberacker-joins-budget-conference-committee?page=0Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov — Senator Oberacker Questions Health Commissioner on Rural EMS Concerns
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/peter-oberacker/senator-oberacker-questions-health-commissioner-rural?page=9Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov — Senator Oberacker Highlights Legislative Wins as 2025 Session Concludes
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/peter-oberacker/senator-oberacker-highlights-legislative-wins-2025-0?page=4Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov — Statement from Senator Oberacker
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/peter-oberacker/statement-senator-oberacker-0?page=0Fetched: issuePositions
Radio Catskill — Election 2026: Peter Oberacker Discusses New York’s 19th Congressional District Race
https://radiocatskill.org/election-2026-peter-oberacker-discusses-new-yorks-19th-congressional-district-race/Fetched: issuePositions
Branch — Peter Oberacker platform & website
https://www.branch.vote/races/2026-new-york-general-election-ny-state-us-representative-ny-congressional-19/candidates/peter-oberackerFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov
https://www.nysenate.gov/questionnaires/peter-oberacker/utility-ratepayer-bill-rightsFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/peter-oberacker/senator-oberacker-advances-economic-agenda-end-exodusFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/peter-oberacker/senator-oberackers-push-relief-pump-included-state?page=2Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/peter-oberacker/senator-oberacker-calls-affordability-state-budgetFetched: issuePositions
WAMC
https://www.wamc.org/news/2026-10-08/ny-19-candidate-peter-oberacker-discusses-issues-at-the-center-of-his-campaignFetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Bill S6995
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/S6995Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Bill S7009
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/S7009Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Senator Oberacker Calls for Transparency on Migrant Crisis
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/peter-oberacker/senator-oberacker-calls-transparency-migrant-crisis?page=3Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Senator Oberacker Presses for Education Priorities
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/peter-oberacker/senator-oberacker-presses-education-priorities?page=9Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Senator Peter Oberacker: $254 Billion Budget Misses the Mark for Upstate New York
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/peter-oberacker/senator-peter-oberacker-254-billion-budget-misses-mark?page=11Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/peter-oberacker/senator-oberacker-calls-affordable-reliable-energyFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/peter-oberacker/senator-oberacker-calls-affordable-reliable-energy-planFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/peter-oberacker/senator-oberacker-calls-public-make-their-voices-heardFetched: issuePositions
Radio Catskill
https://radiocatskill.org/election-2026-peter-oberacker-discusses-new-yorks-19th-congressional-district-race/Fetched: issuePositions
AOL/WIVT-WBGH
https://www.aol.com/articles/oberacker-calls-defunding-renewable-energy-212438000.htmlFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov
https://www.nysenate.gov/petitions/peter-oberacker/hey-governor-leave-our-kids-school-funding-aloneFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/peter-oberacker/senator-oberacker-presses-education-prioritiesFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/peter-oberacker/statement-2021-22-state-budgetFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/peter-oberacker/senator-peter-oberacker-announces-committee?page=7Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Statement from Senator Oberacker on bail reform and public safety
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/peter-oberacker/statement-senator-oberacker-3Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Senator Oberacker Presses for Public Safety Reforms
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/peter-oberacker/senator-oberacker-presses-public-safety-reformsFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Senate Bill S4586
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/S4586Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Volunteer First Responders Tuition Aid
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/peter-oberacker/senator-oberacker-joins-bi-partisan-call-help-0?page=8Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Statement on Gun Control Legislation
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/peter-oberacker/statement-senator-oberacker-2?page=2Fetched: issuePositions