harry bronson

Assembly member Harry Bronson held on to the Democratic line in defending his seat representing the 138th District, according to unofficial primary election results released Wednesday.

Bronson garnered 7,074 of the 12,726 votes cast, or roughly 57%.

His opponent, Alex Yudelson, an upstart candidate who had the backing of the Monroe County Democratic Committee and Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, whom he serves as her chief of staff, captured nearly 43% of the vote.

The Monroe County Board of Elections is expected to certify the results in the coming days.

Assembly member Harry Bronson, who is fighting for the Democratic nomination in Tuesday’s primary election, has filed a lawsuit in state court seeking the impoundment of all machine, absentee, and affidavit ballots cast in the race.

Bronson, a five-term legislator, challenged Alex Yudelson to a primary after Yudelson won the party’s endorsement this year through an internal election process regarded by some party faithful as controversial. Yudelson is the chief of staff to Mayor Lovely Warren.

Candidates in the June 23 Democratic primary for the 138th Assembly District squared off Thursday night in a Voice of the Voter debate held at the WXXI studios.

Incumbent Harry Bronson is facing a challenge Alex Yudelson. Bronson is running for a sixth term, but this time around, the Monroe County Democratic Committee has endorsed Yudelson.

Assemblyman Harry Bronson and his primary challenger for the 138th District seat, Alex Yudelson, have nothing but good things to say about incoming Rochester City School District Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small. Multiple sources tell WXXI News that she is the board’s choice for the role. 

Bronson said he knew for a while that Myers-Small was in the mix for the top job at the district. He’s discussed her resume with education experts. 

There were some tense moments Saturday as local Democrats gathered for making decisions on backing candidates in upcoming elections. And that tension mainly surrounded the 138th district Assembly seat now held by Harry Bronson.

The Monroe County Democratic Committee is backing  Alex Yudelson in that race, rather than the incumbent. Yudelson is currently Chief of Staff at City Hall.

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal released on Tuesday makes one brief reference to the Rochester City School District, indicating that he would like to see legislation establishing a monitor for the district. 

Assemblyman Harry Bronson has been among the area officials pushing for someone to keep track of the district’s finances, after problems with the prior budget and the current spending plan have caused a potential $65 million budget gap.

The Democrat was pleased to see Cuomo put some language in the budget plan about a state-appointed monitor. 

There is a Democratic Primary shaping up for the 138th Assembly District next June, the seat currently held by Harry Bronson.

City of Rochester Chief of Staff Alex Yudelson announced Monday night that he will run for that seat next year, in the district that includes Henrietta, the town of Chili and parts of the City of Rochester.

As Mayor Lovely Warren has continued her push for a state takeover of Rochester city schools, state Assemblymember Harry Bronson has dug in, saying he opposes removing the elected school board. And he's mentioned that he's preparing legislation to improve student outcomes and the district's general functioning.

On Thursday morning, Bronson released a draft of the bill, the Rochester City School District Empowerment Act. The legislation, which he plans to introduce this session, targets a few areas of district operations: