Republican incumbent John Lemondes retained his seat in the New York State Assembly’s 126h District on Tuesday night, holding off a Democrat challenger.
Lemondes, 59, defeated Ian Phillips and earned just more than 55% of the vote tally. He will serve his third term in the Assembly. A former U.S. Army colonel and a local farmer, Lemondes first won the Assembly seat in 2020 and has now secured his third term.
“We don’t get here alone,” Lemondes said in his victory speech. “We always have to remember that we’re here to serve the people, and I am honored to be able to continue to do that.”
The Associated Press called the race just after midnight.
The newly drawn district now includes more of Onondaga County, adding areas like Lysander, Camillus and Skaneateles, along with parts of Cayuga County, including Auburn. The district has about 34,000 Republicans, 30,000 Democrats and 26,000 unaffiliated voters.
Lemondes campaigned on issues he said were central to the district, including public safety, agriculture and supporting small businesses. Following his victory, he said his main priorities for re-election include public safety reforms, reducing inflation and addressing what he called the “diversion of taxpayer dollars to illegals,” which he said was necessary to prevent illegal border crossings.
Despite Phillips outpacing him nearly three to one in campaign donations, Lemondes benefited from Republican Party support. The Republican Assembly Campaign Committee spent $56,500 on his behalf, while Phillips received just $6,000 from his party’s equivalent.
Phillips raised $200,000 in private donations and received $175,000 in public financing, compared to Lemondes’ $70,000 in donations and $107,000 in public funds.
In a post-victory interview with Central Current, Lemondes said he hoped New York’s Proposition 1 does not pass, calling it “the worst thing (he has) ever seen.” He specifically said he took issue with the inclusion of the transgender-inclusive policies bundled within it. Prop 1 passed Tuesday night. He also said voter ID issues were a primary concern of his, advocating for more strict identity checks at the polls to ensure election integrity.
In his victory speech, Lemondes thanked his campaign team, family and supporters for their dedication over the last year.
“Thank you to every single person that helped,” he said. “Being able to stand here and declare victory for the third time on your behalf is a really good thing.”
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