In 2010, Harry Bronson won a Democratic primary for an Assembly seat that he would ultimately win in the general election. Bronson hasn’t had to run a primary campaign since then — until this year when former journalist Rachel Barnhart stepped up to challenge him.
Bronson is now 2-0 in Assembly primaries. Bronson won Tuesday's Democratic primary and will face the Republican primary winner, either Peter Vazquez or Bob Zinck (that race is too close to call and absentee votes will be counted Tuesday, September 20), in the Nov. 8 general election for the 138th Assembly District seat. The final vote count was 2696-2242 in favor of the incumbent.
Bronson is seeking his fourth term as assemblyman. The attorney, business owner and former county legislator fought off Barnhart and her claims of wasteful spending, sexism and unresponsiveness to constituents, citing his accomplishments in the Assembly, including fighting for LGBT rights and tax reductions.
“No matter who you are, where you come from, who you love, what you look like, we all deserve full equality in New York State," Bronson exclaimed to his supporters.
Bronson also touched on the region's poverty problem.
"We have to do something about the poverty situation in this city and across the county so my work on anti-poverty initiatives is going to continue."
Barnhart says besides being disappointed with the ultimate outcome of the primary election, she's proud of the campaign they ran and the ideas they contributed to the race.
"We talked about the need in this district for better representation in terms of ethics, policy, and accessibility. We focused on issues."
Barnhart says she is not sure whether she will run for future office, though she says she won't rule it out.
"I do know this: I've been serving this community for 17 years. And I'm not gonna stop serving this community."
The 138th Assembly District includes a portion of the city of Rochester, along with the towns of Henrietta and Chili.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUal3zxJyxE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUal3zxJyxE
