Alissa J. Ellman
Alissa Ellman is a U.S. Army veteran who served at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan and later worked as a military contractor there. She was a file clerk at the Buffalo VA until 2025. She won the June 2026 Democratic primary.
Bio: spectrumlocalnews.com · Photo: ellmanforcongress.com · Campaign site
About Alissa J. Ellman
Alissa J. Ellman is a combat veteran. She grew up in Houghton, in the Genesee Valley, and her campaign says she took an oath of service before she was old enough to vote. She served overseas, including at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, where she helped oversee flight operations. After returning, she taught young people from low-income backgrounds while raising her daughters in Lockport. In 2025 she was working at the Department of Veterans Affairs, helping veterans secure benefits, when she lost that job in federal workforce cuts. She then organized local town hall meetings before deciding to run for Congress. Her campaign says her priorities include expanding affordable child care, enlarging the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, improving rural transit and water systems, passing the PRO Act to protect workers who organize unions, and protecting LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights.
ClickNNY profile, written from the campaign’s biography and public records. Sources: ellmanforcongress.com, ellmanforcongress.com
