Here are three major takeaways from the most surprising, and not surprising, results of the 2018 New York state primary elections. 

Syracuse University staffer could be headed to Albany

New York state Sen. Dave Valesky, who was criticized by fellow Democrats for working with Republicans in Albany, was defeated by progressive Rachel May on Thursday. May, the coordinator of sustainability education at Syracuse University, ran an ambitious campaign against the entrenched senator, who had held the seat since 2004.

May defeated Valesky by 606 votes in the 53rd state Senate district, which includes Madison, Oneida and Onondaga counties. There are more than 600 absentee ballots outstanding, so results are still not official.

The Republican nominee for New York’s 53rd district is former Syracuse GOP Chairwoman Janet Burman. Valesky may still appear on the November ballot, having won the nomination of the Independent and Women’s Equality parties.

50th district will have new state senator

State Sen. John DeFrancisco (R-50th district) earlier this year announced his intention to retire. He had previously launched a bid to unseat Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in 2018, before dropping out of that race.

The senator currently represents much of western Onondaga County, including the northwest portion of Syracuse. The last time he faced a Democratic challenger was in 2012. At the conclusion of that race, DeFrancisco received a whopping 85.9 percent of the vote. But Democrats are now hopeful the national “blue wave” may help them carry the 50th.

The Democratic nominee to take DeFrancisco’s seat is John Mannion, a biology teacher at West Genesee High School. His Republican opponent is Onondaga County Comptroller Robert Antonacci. Both ran unopposed in Thursday’s primaries, so a new face will be representing a portion of Syracuse and Onondaga County in Albany.

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Cuomo squashes progressive insurgency

Cuomo decisively beat the challenge posed by progressive Cynthia Nixon. The race attracted national attention, and Nixon racked up support from prominent progressives including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), though, a nationally recognized progressive, did not make an endorsement in the race. Cuomo touted his achievements as governor and ultimately won with more than 60 percent of the vote Thursday.

May was just one of a half-dozen progressives to defeat Democratic incumbents on Thursday night. Andrew Cuomo may keep the governorship, but the balance of power in Albany has still shifted to the left.

James Pezzullo is a junior public relations major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at jpezzull@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @JamesPezzullo.

Published on September 16, 2018 at 6:53 pm