With 216 of 217 districts reporting by 12:24 a.m., incumbent State Senator Lea Webb declared victory in New York’s 52nd Senate District, securing 59 percent of the vote over Republican challenger Mike Bolles, WSKG reported. The win keeps the Tompkins and Cortland-based seat in Democratic hands, extending Webb’s tenure that began when she was first elected in 2022 and cementing her role as chair of the Senate’s Women’s Issues committee.
Across the Southern Tier, voters largely returned familiar faces to Albany and county courthouses Tuesday night, though several races brought new leadership to Chemung County and the Broome County Sheriff’s office. All results remain unofficial until certified by election officials, according to the Times Union, which noted that vote totals may continue to shift as mail and affidavit ballots are counted in the days following the election.
State Senate Races Solidify Partisan Control
Webb faced Bolles in a district covering Tompkins and Cortland counties plus part of Broome. Her 59 percent showing came as nearly all precincts had reported, giving her a commanding margin in the race.
Republican Chris Tague claimed victory in the adjacent 51st District—a constituency extending from the Southern Tier into the Catskills that encompasses all of Delaware and Otsego counties plus portions of Broome and Chenango—securing approximately 52 percent of the vote against Democrat Michele Frazier at 12:26 a.m., with 289 of 292 districts reporting. Tague, who has served as a state Assemblymember representing the 102nd Assembly District since 2018, will move to the Senate chamber. The seat opened when current Senator Peter Oberacker announced a bid for New York’s 19th Congressional District, a race he lost to Democratic incumbent Josh Riley Tuesday night.
Further south, incumbent Republican Tom O’Mara retained his 58th District seat with 63 percent of the vote over Democratic challenger Jim Bobreksi. O’Mara, first elected in 2010, represents a vast swath of the Southern Tier covering Tioga, Chemung, Schuyler, Seneca, Yates, and Steuben counties plus parts of Allegany County.
Democrats Gain Seats in Key Upstate Districts
Democrat Dan Norton announced victory in the 123rd Assembly District, covering the City of Binghamton, the Villages of Johnson City and Endwell, and the Towns of Union and Vestal, capturing nearly 57 percent of the vote. Norton faced Republican Lynn Parker and Independent candidate Heather Micha in the race to replace longtime Assemblymember Donna Lupardo, who announced she would not seek reelection. As of 12:29 a.m., 83 of 84 districts were reporting.
Incumbent Christopher Friend secured another term in the 124th District with roughly 58 percent of the vote over Democratic challenger Andy Fagan’s 39 percent, with all districts reporting. Friend, first elected to the Assembly in 2010, represents Tioga County and parts of Broome and Chemung counties. In the 133rd District covering Livingston County and parts of Ontario, Monroe, Wyoming, and Steuben counties, incumbent Republican Andrea Bailey won reelection with 61 percent against Democrat Gladys Flores.
County Executive and Sheriff Races Shake Up Local Leadership
In Chemung County, Republican Mark Margeson defeated incumbent Chris Moss in the race for County Executive, taking more than 58 percent of the vote to Moss’s 41 percent. Margeson, who won the Republican nomination in June, currently serves as the District 5 legislator and chairs both the county legislature and Industrial Development Agency. Moss had stayed in the race by running on the Conservative Party line after losing the GOP primary. Margeson also owns a private insurance agency and was first elected to the legislature in 2018.
In Broome County, Sheriff Fred Akshar won a second term, defeating former Binghamton mayor Matt Ryan 58 to 40 percent. Akshar, first elected in 2022, will continue leading the county’s law enforcement agency.
Legislative Chambers Maintain Republican Majorities
Republicans maintained their majorities in both the Chemung and Broome county legislatures. In Chemung, Republicans won in six districts with challengers, with two incumbents winning reelection and three seats going to newcomers. One Democrat held onto District 12 against a Republican challenger. Every uncontested race was won by the incumbent save for District 6, where newcomer Republican Kyle Wieder secured both the June primary and the seat on Election Day. Legislature positions there are term-limited to three consecutive four-year terms, with eligibility to run again after four years out of office.
In Broome County, where the entire legislature was up for reelection and most candidates ran unopposed, Republicans kept control. Incumbent Stephen Flagg won District 1 with 61 percent over Jennings Terrell, Kelly Wildoner retained District 3 with 57 percent over Kevin Alford, and Dan Reynolds took District 5 with 53 percent over Scott Wager. Democrat Autumn Lester flipped District 6 with 53 percent of the vote over incumbent Republican Greg Baldwin. Incumbent Matthew Pasquale won District 7 with 56 percent over Matt White, Republican Louis Augostini took District 12 with roughly 53 percent over Chris Moore, and incumbent Democrat Timothy Ames retained District 15 with 62 percent against Phillip Strawn and Peoples Choice candidate Peter Savage.
Republican Charles Scaptura led Democrat Scott Burnside by 328 votes, or 68 percent, in District 5, which covers parts of Dix and Montour and parts of Montour Falls. Democrat Craig Bond held a 60-vote lead over Republican Louis Perrazini in District 6, covering parts of Dix and Reading and parts of Watkins Glen. Unofficial results for the county are available through the Schuyler County Board of Elections.
Mail Ballots and Recount Rules Keep Final Tally in Flux
The Times Union cautioned that New York triggers an automatic recount if the margin of victory is 0.5 percent or less, or within 20 votes—or within 5,000 votes for races with one million or more ballots. That means some of Tuesday night’s closer races, particularly in Schuyler County where Bond leads by just 60 votes, could face additional scrutiny as officials tally remaining mail and affidavit ballots. With certification still pending and hundreds of districts statewide yet to finalize counts, the full shape of the Southern Tier’s political landscape won’t be official for days.
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