Cooney defeats VanBrederode for a second term in State Senate

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It was a close senate race for New York State Senator in the 56th District, but it appears Democratic Sen. Jeremy Cooney has held onto his seat.

Republican Jim VanBrederode, the former chief of Gates Police, garnered 46 percent of the vote, while Cooney took 54 percent. That’s according to unofficial results from the Monroe County Board of Elections.

Cooney has declared victory. VanBrederode has not conceded.

Tuesday, a glitch delayed election results from being posted online. VanBrederode called the problems with the Monroe County Board of Elections a “disappointment.”

Here’s what both candidates had to say.

Challenger Jim VanBrederode: “To this point, our campaign has not had any direct communication from the Board of Elections and it is just inconceivable that in 2022 we here in Monroe County cannot run an election. It’s embarrassing and we deserve some answers.”

Sen. Jeremy Cooney: “I think one thing that’s really important is that we know that the Democrats are going to maintain control of the State Senate so its important that Rochester have a seat at the table in the Democratic majority.”

You can see the latest updates on election results here.