Democrat Jen Lunsford is headed to a second term representing the 135th Assembly District, according to the unofficial results of Tuesday’s elections.
Lunsford pulled in 55 percent of the votes to the 45 percent received by her challenger, Joseph Chenelly.
The 135th Assembly District covers Penfield, East Rochester, Pittsford, Perinton, and Mendon.
Lunsford, a Perinton resident, defeated a 10-year incumbent in 2020 to flip an Assembly seat long held by the Republican Party, but she did so by a narrow margin. This year, the 135th District seat has been redrawn and it has a stronger Democratic enrollment.
As an Assemblymember, Lunsford has advocated for and supported legislation that tightened state gun laws, provided a property tax rebate to homeowners, increased child care funding, bolstered state environmental laws, and expanded children’s eligibility for early intervention services and increased funding for the programs. She also sponsored legislation that would increase funding for career and technical education aid.
Chenelly is also a Perinton resident. He served in the Marines for seven years and has worked on veterans' issues for much of his professional career. He’s currently national director of the veterans’ service organization AMVETS.
He campaigned on cutting state spending and lowering taxes, increasing state investment in roads, implementing term limits, and giving parents a larger role in shaping the school environment. He’s referred to himself as the “tough on crime candidate” and has called for rolling back state bail reform laws.
