By: Dan Cummings | WSYR-TV Syracuse

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An independent candidate for the open 22nd District Congressional seat insists he’ll be on the ballot come November.

Little Falls native Martin Babinec is planning to pass nominating petitions for a second time later this month.

Babinec tried, and failed, earlier this month, to file enough valid signatures to win the Independence Party line in November.

But now, if he can gather 3,500 signatures on a new set of petitions, he could yet secure a place on the general election ballot.

Babinec, on June 21, plans to begin circulating federal independent nominating petitions.

He has until August 2 to file those petitions and they must contain 3,500 valid signatures.

A spokesman for the campaign told NewsChannel 9’s Dan Cummings that “Martin will be on the ballot in November.”

Democrat Kim Myers of Broome County has secured her ballot line.

Three Republicans who want the seat will square off in a June 28 primary for the 22nd District— sprawling district that covers all of Madison, Cortland, Chenango and Oneida counties, and parts of Oswego, Broome, Herkimer and Tioga counties.

The seat is open this year with the retirement of Republican Richard Hanna.

In 1988, Babinec founded a cloud-based human resource company, Tri-Net, in Silicon Valley.

He relocated his family back to Little Falls 11 years later, and now runs a non-profit that helps start-up companies and entrepreneurs find capital and other resources.