Voters returned incumbents to several area state Senate seats Tuesday.
54th District
There was a rematch between incumbent Republican Pam Helming and Democrat Kenan Baldridge in the 54th District.
Helming defeated Baldridge two years ago, and did so again Tuesday.
The district includes part or all of six Finger Lakes counties, including the town of Webster in Monroe County.
55th District
Voters appeared to give Republican incumbent Rich Funke his third term on Tuesday. He led Democrat Jen Lunsford, a Penfield attorney and first-time candidate by about 3-percent.
After initially saying that it was a very tight race and the absentee ballots need to be counted, Lunsford released a statement on Wednesday morning saying that after assessing the number of outstanding absentee and provisional ballots left to count, she has conceded the race to Rich Funke:"I am very proud of the race that we ran.” said Lunsford. “This was an almost entirely volunteer effort. We overcame enormous deficits in fundraising and name recognition. We motivated people to get involved in politics for the first time in their lives. I hope we have helped inspire other first-time candidates. Thank you to my team, my volunteers and my supporters. You are my inspiration. This may be a loss, but it is not a defeat.”
The district covers parts of Monroe and Ontario counties.
56th District
Joe Robach, a Greece Republican who has been in the Senate since 2003, was re-elected.
He had been challenged by Democrat Jeremy Cooney, a first-time candidate who previously was Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren’s chief of staff.
The district is contained entirely within Monroe County. It includes the towns of Brighton, Clarkson, Gates, Greece, Hamlin, Parma, and part of the city of Rochester.
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