Connections

Assemblymember Jen Lunsford on the 2026 State of the State address

By Evan Dawson,

Megan Mack, Julie Williams

Published February 18, 2026 at 4:31 PM EST

Two people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at left has long dark red hair and is wearing a green sweater with beige stripes; a man at right has short dark hair and is wearing glasses, a beige jacket, black shirt, dark jeans and sneakers. — Jen Lunsford with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Wednesday, February 18, 2026

State leaders have been outspoken about Governor Kathy Hochul's State of the State address.

This hour, we continue our series of conversations with members of the local delegation.

Assemblymember Jen Lunsford joins us in the studio to discuss issues pertaining to taxes, auto insurance, the role of ICE in her district, and more.

Our guest:

Assemblymember Jen Lunsford, District 135

Connections

Evan Dawson

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.

See stories by Evan Dawson

Megan Mack

Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.

See stories by Megan Mack

Julie Williams

Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.

See stories by Julie Williams