Western New York Election Races Draw Focus
A WXXI Connections podcast episode discusses projected winners and competitive races in Western New York ahead of the November 4, 2026 election.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Elections
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WXXI broadcast a Connections podcast episode featuring projected Western New York election winners discussing the November 4, 2026 election. The episode covers competitive races, including New York's 25th Congressional District and several Assembly districts.
Why it matters
The discussion highlights how competitive contests across Western New York could shape representation in Congress and the State Assembly. Candidates from both major parties and the Working Families Party are involved in the races covered.
The episode features candidates in New York's 25th Congressional District and Assembly Districts 133, 134, 135, 136 and 138. No vote totals, margins or polling figures are provided, so the competitiveness of each race is not quantified.
The players
Joe Morelle
Morelle is a Democratic U.S. Representative from New York who is running as a Democrat and Working Families candidate in the 25th Congressional District.
Jenn Townsend
Townsend is the Perinton town supervisor who is running as a Democrat and Working Families candidate.
Jen Lunsford
Lunsford is a Democrat and Working Families candidate for New York State Assembly District 135.
Josh Jensen
Jensen is a Republican and Conservative candidate for New York State Assembly District 134.
The details
The Connections episode features projected winners discussing competitive races, New York Republicans, rural representation, Medicaid funding, U.S. policy toward Israel and local accountability. Participants include Rep. Joe Morelle, Assembly candidates and Perinton Supervisor Jenn Townsend.
Timeline
November 4, 2026: Election day for the races discussed.
November 7, 2026: Episode published on fingerlakes1.com.
Political Context
The episode follows WXXI's Connections format of bringing local officials and candidates into public discussion of regional politics. Its focus on rural representation and state-level funding issues places the races within broader debates over New York's upstate political priorities.
Voters in the districts covered will have representatives chosen on November 4, 2026. The episode gives residents a preview of candidate positions on Medicaid funding, rural representation and local accountability before they cast ballots.
The takeaway
Competitive races across Western New York make the November 4, 2026 election a meaningful test of local priorities. Residents can use candidate discussions like this one to compare positions before voting.
Further reading
Explore more coverage in the Elections section for context on New York's races.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Fingerlakes1.
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