Longtime assemblyman Harry Bronson (D) fended off challenger Tracy DiFlorio (R) in his race to hold New York’s 138th Assembly seat.
Bronson, longtime incumbent and powerful Albany Democrat, won with 60.8% of the vote, according to the Monroe County Board of Elections. This was a vote share similar to Bronson’s 2022 election win against DiFlorio, when he garnered 59.5% of the vote for the same seat.
DiFlorio received 39.1% of the vote this year, compared to 40.5% of the vote in the previous election cycle.
Bronson’s win cements much of his legislative accomplishments in the New York State Assembly, and is an indicator of continued support by constituents in his district.
Since 2012, Bronson has won his re-election bids with around 65% of the vote. Now, 12 years later, Bronson has garnered popular appeal across demographics.
While DiFlorio did not see a large shift in demographics in her voter base, a shift occurred in New York’s 138th Assembly district — specifically in fundraising data.
In 2022, New York State launched a new campaign finance program, which matches in-district contributions up to 12 times their original value. This new program has helped many Republicans locally, such as DiFlorio, to make races more competitive.
As of the most recent filings to the New York State Board of Elections, DiFlorio was able to spend $109,557 this election cycle because of the program. About 25% of this money came from individual contributions.
During the same period, Bronson spent $90,847 on his re-election bid — approximately $9,000 less than he spent in 2023 before DiFlorio announced her candidacy.
“Our Monroe County Democrat party is strong,” Assemblyman Bronson said after the results came in. “My opponent used divisive rhetoric to try and win this district.”
Bronson attributed many of Monroe County’s local race successes to the passage of Proposition One on the New York state ballot, which would codify certain rights into the state constitution.
“Prop. one helped with many of our races […] and New Yorkers want to be protected so Republicans don’t strip protections from people,” said Bronson.
When asked about his support from organized labor and super PACs in Albany, Bronson explained their generous contributions.
“Before I was an assemblyman, I was an attorney who fought for labor. Naturally, unions would want to support me,” he said.
Seeing his opponent’s extensive use of New York State’s new campaign financing laws, Bronson addressed his concerns for the initiative.
“I am in support of amending the current law in Albany. It is not good to let candidates who don’t know how to fundraise take advantage of the program,” he said. “It is not the spirit of the law.”
DiFlorio, at the Republican watch party, echoed a different tone.
“I’m not gonna lie, I’m disappointed,” she said after her loss. “I feel I ran a great campaign […] I think I made a difference in the community, specifically in the city community.”
DiFlorio said that she felt her connections to city residents made her feel initially hopeful about the possibility of a win for her campaign.
“I have no regrets and there’s nothing else I could have done […] the people have spoken,” she said.
When asked to reflect on why her message failed to resonate with voters in the district, DiFlorio cited the demographics of the city. “Because of lack of Republican presence [in the city] for so long, it is ingrained in [residents] DNA to vote Democrat, and vote blue no matter who,” she said. “It is incumbent upon our party to show that there are choices out there.”
DiFlorio is currently in the Monroe County legislature. She is approaching her last term before being ineligible for re-election due to term limits.
When asked about the possibility of another run or involvement in Monroe County politics, DiFlorio said, “I’m not sure what tomorrow brings. I’m just not sure at this point.”
Bronson will return to the assembly this year with the Democratic supermajority in Albany most likely intact.
As for Monroe County, Republicans seem to be hard-pressed for a clear road to victory, as Democrats once again maintain their control of the upstate region.
