For the first time in a decade, there will be someone new representing the 145th Assembly District.
Republican Becky Wydysh has taken almost 55% of votes in the race, and at the end of the night she led Democratic candidate Nate McMurray by a little more than 6,000 votes. Having such a high turnout is a sign residents are utilizing their voting rights, she said.
“We watch the trends in the different municipalities throughout the district, and they fell pretty closely to where we expected," she said. "You know, the Niagara County portion, most of the rural areas we know tend to vote more Republican. More of them turn out, so I felt very strong going in in those areas.”
Democratic nominee Nate McMurray led the race early and even remained within a few percentage points after more than half of ballots had been counted. Staying competitive in an uphill battle is a matter of pride, he said.
“I mean, if you look at the demographics, I can almost guarantee you young people voted with me in huge numbers. And I think there's a lot of older people who are, you know, for whatever set in their ways, and they don't want to change," McMurray said. "But you know, for future generations who are going to run here, they should be aware that this campaign and what's happening in the country is showing that things are changing.”
Wydysh will fill the seat currently held by Angelo Morinello, who is retiring after a decade as assemblymember, and many years of service before that as a judge.
