Voice of Business Blog

As the voice of business for over 1,300 members in the Greater Rochester region, Greater Rochester Chamber aims to keep our members active and informed on the impact of the legislative process on the Greater Rochester region and New York State.

Chief of Staff Marc Cohen drafted the below brief to summarize the results from the June 25th New York State Primary Elections. Click here to view the brief as a PDF.

To: Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce Members
From: Marc Cohen, Chief of Staff
Date: June 26, 2024
Re: 2024 Primary Election Overview

The 2024 Primary election in New York was one watched closely as Democrats and Republicans fight for control of the United States Congress.

Below is an overview outlining key races in New York and their results. Winners are identified in GREEN.

New York

Races Local to Rochester

In the race for New York’s 137th Assembly District, Incumbent Assemblyman Demond Meeks beat challenger Willie Lightfoot, a Rochester City Councilman, 66-34.

Former Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren was defeated by attorney Michael Geraci for the Rochester City Court Judge seat.

Several Monroe County Democratic Committee (MCDC) seats were contested in Brighton, Irondequoit, and Rochester. The candidates working with current Committee leadership were overwhelmingly victorious.

Congressional

Jamaal Bowman vs. George Latimer: In the most expensive race for the House of Representatives in history ($25 million in ad spending), Westchester County Executive George Lattimer beat incumbent Congressman Jamaal Bowman in the Democratic Primary. Lattimer will face former Scarsdale Mayor Miriam Flisser in the General Election.

Claudia Tenney vs. Mario Fratto: Incumbent Congresswoman Claudia Tenney beat challenger Mario Fratto in the Republican Primary for the wide spreading 24th Congressional District House race. Tenney will face Democrat David Wagenhauser in November.

John Avlon vs. Nancy Goroff: Former CNN anchor John Avlon bested chemist Nancy Goroff in the Democratic Primary race for the 1st Congressional District (Long Island). Avlon will face incumbent GOP Congressman Nick LaLota in the General Election.

John Mannion vs. Sarah Klee Hood: State Senator John Mannion defeated DeWitt Town Councilor Sarah Klee Hood in the 22nd Congressional District Democratic primary and will face off against incumbent Republican Congressman Brandon Williams in the Syracuse area.

In less contentious Primary races:

Democratic Incumbent Congressman Dan Goldman beat challenger Evan Hutchison by a wide margin.

Democratic Incumbent Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez easily beat challenger Martin Dolan.