State Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter addresses the crowd during the Democratic election party Tuesday night.

Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter defeated challenger Patrick Becher on Tuesday night in the race for the New York State Assembly’s 128th District.

Hunter, a Democrat, won 68.7% of the vote with 100% of the votes counted, according to Onondaga County Board of Elections unofficial results. Becher had 31.2%.

Hunter has held the seat for over a decade. She said she looks forward to working with all of this election’s newly elected officials.

“I think my expectation is more than just the blue wave because I think that sounds too commercial. It’s having people in place to effectuate the change that we’re talking about, and that’s what they’ve been really working hard for,” Hunter said. “So it’s not just the wave; it’s the expectation that the people who put in all of this hard work are going to be elected to do the work that the community desperately needs.”

The 128th District spans parts of DeWitt, Salina, Syracuse, Onondaga and the Onondaga Nation.

Hunter is the only female veteran in the Assembly. She chairs the Female Veterans subcommittee and serves on the committees for Insurance, Rules, Veterans’ Affairs, Ways and Means, Black Task Force, Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus, the Legislative Women’s Caucus and the Task Force on Women’s Issues. 

Two bills will be the focal point of her term, Hunter said, including the bill to regulate the Flock Safety automatic license plate readers and another to update the state’s sex offender registry.

“I am not flocking around with these things, right?” Hunter said. “I am very serious about our violation of constitutional rights. It’s happening. Our Fourth Amendment rights. This is very serious. We need to all pay attention about that and the sex offender registry.”

Having served in the assembly for a while, Hunter is looking forward to being a resource to all the new elected officials.

“It is a culture change for sure,” Hunter said. “Even if you’re in elected office locally, it’s very different being at that level, so it’s just trying to shepherd how we’re going to move forward.”

Becher, a Republican, is a political newcomer. He recently served as the executive director of the Mohawk Valley Water Authority. He served multiple roles in city government while he was a Syracuse resident over two decades ago, including as budget director for former Syracuse Mayor Roy Bernardi. 

Editor’s note: This is a developing story. Check back here for updates. 

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Debadrita Sur is a multimedia journalist and Report for America corps member who reports on the I-81 project and public housing for Central Current. In 2023, Sur graduated with a master’s degree in journalism...