Jeremy Cooney has taken the Democratic primary for the 56th District Senate seat by a wide margin.
Cooney, an attorney and former congressional candidate, won 53.7% of the vote, according to unofficial results released Wednesday by the Monroe County Board of Elections.
He led a trio of candidates that included former Ibero-American Action League CEO Hilda Roasario Escher, who took 23.6% of the vote, and Greece Central School District Board member Sherita Traywick, who captured 22.6%.
The 56th District consists of parts of the city of Rochester, Greece, Brighton, Clarkson, Gates, Hamlin, and Parma. While the district largely skews Democratic, the seat has been held since 2003 by Joseph Robach, a Republican. Robach announced in December he would not be seeking a 10th term in office.
“Senator Robach, for years, did not represent the views of this community,” Cooney said. “We’re excited to finally have a seat at the table.”
Cooney faces Republican Mike Barry for the seat in November.
“The people of Rochester have said they wanted a change, and they believe in Democratic leadership in the state Senate, and I’m hoping we will get that opportunity to represent them,” Cooney said.
Gino Fanelli is a CITY staff writer. He can be reached at gino@rochester-citynews.com