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I woke up this morning to look at what happened in Tuesday’s local primaries and I see results that show a trend.
In Buffalo, Assemblymember Jonathan Rivera took down Sen. Jeremy Zellner in the Democratic primary.
That doesn’t have obvious implications for Niagara County, but considering Zellner as an Erie County party leader and machine candidate, it is a big deal because it shows Zellner, whose smarmy, Trump-slamming TV ads didn’t work even with the backing of the establishment.
It also is a big deal because Colin Ligammari, the Niagara Falls Democratic Party chairperson, was front and center on Rivera’s staff and worked hard on the victory.
Meanwhile Lockport’s Alissa Ellman knocked off Diana Kastenbaum in the Democratic Primary for the 24th District House Seat currently held by Republican Claudia Tenney.
For those who don’t like gas prices, the war in Iraq, inflation or the gutting of the Affordable Care Act, the disabled combat veteran offers hope against the decidedly MAGA Tenney who clings to her white privilege as if it were pearls.
Down in New York City, the House candidates backed by Mayor Zohan Mamdani swept their races.
As we consider that, think about the 145th State Assembly District where Angelo Morinello is retiring and Democrat Nate McMurray is running against Republican Becky Wydysh. As I’ve said before, Nate is a pain in the ass but he is our pain in the ass.
Wydysh is the establishment Republican endorsed by the MAGA machine. She’s good with the party that brought us war by whim, gas prices, inflation and my family’s largest bill being a high-deductible health plan that doesn’t cover anything. Trends show voters don't like that.
It is a gerrymandered district that includes Grand Island where they vote down school budgets, chase away Amazon so they can get all the traffic and none of the revenue and engage in lengthy, petty fights over splash pads but maybe, just maybe voters are awakening. Look at what just happened in the Lewiston Village elections where the Republicans got bounced.
There are reasonable voters who believe in the rule of law, Constitutional rights and the separation of powers. They are living in places in the 145th District (outside of Grand Island) like North Tonawanda, Niagara Falls, Wheatfield, Lewiston and the Town of Niagara. I will step out on a limb and predict that not only is McMurray going to win but Ellman will as well.
