2024 Election Highlights: Joe Morelle, Demond Meeks, Samra Brouk and Jeremy Cooney All Reelected

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for president of the United States came to a halt Tuesday as Donald Trump claimed a decisive victory in the presidential election and will become the 47th President of the United States.

The voters have spoken and with the current trajectory Republicans will control the White House, Senate, House and the Supreme Court, giving the 47th President the ability to execute his agenda with little difficulty.

Trump's victory has helped put the Senate in Republican control—Republicans flipping seats in West Virginia, Ohia and Montana. The House is still undecided, but Republicans are expected to maintain their majority—Republicans need to win 12 more seats, while Democrats need 33 more to take control.

Democrats are left scrambling and soul-searching as they will most-likely be powerless for the next two years; some blaming President Joe Biden for not stepping aside sooner, giving Harris only three-months to try and stop Trump and the MAGA Movement.

In the New York State Race for U.S. Senate, Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand defeated Republican newcomer and retired New York City police detective Michael Sapraicone to maintain her seat.

The House Races are still underway, with Democrats currently winning 17 seats and Republicans winning 7 seats. Two seats are still undecided.

Some Local Highlights

Jamie Romeo easily defeated her opponent and will be keeping her post as Monroe County Clerk for four more years. Democrat Joe Morelle will maintain his spot in the U.S House. Samra Brouk and Jeremy Cooney won their re-election campaigns for the NYS Senate. Harry Bronson, Jen Lunsford, Brian Manktelow and Demond Meeks defeated their challengers in the State Assembly race and Proposition 1 will become a part of the NYS Constitution.

Long-time Democrat Joe Morelle defeated Republican businessman Gregg Sadwick 65% to 35%, and will gain his 4th term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Sadwick, 58 and president of Solid Surfaces and Flower City Collision, worked on La’ron Singletary’s campaign against Morelle in 2022. He was optimistic that he could defeat the 67-year-old Morelle who has been in political office since 1983.

His campaign manager, former city councilmember Jose Peo says he remains committed to effect positive change in Rochester. Peo, host of ‘Politically Correcting with Jose Peo & Lavelle Lewis’ on WYSL, issued the following statement:

“We have failed yet again to change the direction of our county, and allowed (mostly) wealthy, white, liberal women from the suburbs to make abortion the biggest threat in our lives (there is no threat of it going away in NY), all while we live in a city that has rampant crime, illegal drugs and guns pouring in, young girls constantly going missing, cars and businesses being broken into daily, and many don't have enough money in their accounts to pay for both rent and RG&E this month. Everybody wants change, but when it comes to voting, they vote for the same people who got us in this mess, and don't have to live with the ramifications of their decisions.”

Meeks, a former Union organizer, first came to political office in 2020 after Assemblyman David Gantt retired—Gantt passed away later that year. He was primaried by former Rochester Firefighter and City Councilmember Willie Lightfoot. Meeks defeated Lightfoot in June by 66.4% to 33.5%.

Meeks, 45, easily won his re-election bid in Tuesday’s general election, defeating Entrepreneur Marcus Williams, a Republican, with 71% of the vote. Williams, 42, also challenged Meeks in 2022 and lost by 68% to 32% in that contest.

Voters voted YES to the highly contested Prop 1 amendment that will enshrine more protected classes in the state constitution adding ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes, as well as reproductive health care and autonomy.

Opponents say Prop 1 will pave the way to give males a constitutional right to use women’s safe spaces such as bathrooms, locker rooms, showers etc.; and erode parents' rights to be involved in decisions regarding their children like gender transitioning medical treatments; while advocates say these concerns are overstated at best. The result is yet to be seen.

State Supreme Court Race

In the four-way race for two seats on the New York State Supreme Court in the Rochester area, Stacy Romeo, a Family Court judge has secured a spot on the trial court. The outcome of the second seat remains uncertain as of now and may not be known till sometime next week.

Currently, Democrat Erin Skinner leads Republican Ed White by roughly 2,000 votes for the second judgeship, but thousands of absentee ballots are still pending across the eight-county region.

The 7th Judicial District covers Monroe, Cayuga, Livingston, Ontario, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne and Yates counties.

Other Races

Democrat Ella Marshall was elected to Family Court. Marshall, a former Monroe County District Attorney, did not have a challenger. Her term is 10-years.

Michael Ansaldi, a Pittsford Town Court judge, was elected to the Monroe County Court for the next 10-years.

Michael Geraci won his bid for Rochester City Court Judge. Geraci defeated former Mayor Lovely Warren in the Democratic primary earlier this year. He did not have a challenger in Tuesday's general election. The City Court Judgeship is a 10-year term.

Read 2024 Election results below: