Democrat Ian Phillips declared victory on Tuesday night despite an ultra-narrow lead in his battle against incumbent Republican John Lemondes for the New York State Assembly’s 126th District race.
With 100% of votes counted, Phillips led his opponent by a mere 223 votes, according to the New York State Board of Elections unofficial results. Those results don’t include mail-in ballots.
If his lead holds, Phillips’ victory will flip the 126th district blue, establishing a stronger Democratic stronghold in Albany.
“I am honored to be able to serve my neighbors and my community in the assembly, and I look forward to delivering for them,” Phillips told Central Current at his watch party Tuesday evening.
The district includes the towns of Camillus, Elbridge, Fabius, Lysander, LaFayette, Marcellus, Otisco, Pompey, Skaneateles, Spafford and Tully in Onondaga County. The district also spans several towns in the west and north as well as the city of Auburn in Cayuga County.
Phillips, an Auburn resident, said that he unseated Lemondes in a rematch of a 2024 race that favored the LaFayette Republican.
“I’ll get more done in one term than he has gotten in three, or I won’t run again,” Phillips said. “It’s a simple, very clear-cut promise. He passed two bills in six years, and he passed none in the last three. And if I don’t get at least that much done— hopefully a lot more— I will not run for re-election.”
Phillips, a former teacher and the president of the Auburn school board, is a political organizer with the New York State United Teachers union. He once chaired the Cayuga County Democratic Committee.
Lemondes, a retired U.S. Army colonel, a farmer and businessman, was running for a fourth term in Albany. He has served on the Assembly’s committees on Banks, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry, Economic Development, Corporations, Authorities and Commissions and Environmental Conservation and Agriculture.
Editor’s note: This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.
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