Morelle wins in 25th despite strong support for Singletary in Orleans
Joe Morelle won the 25th Congressional District race in a redrawn district that includes Monroe County and about half of Orleans.
Joe Morelle
Morelle of Irondequoit has been in Congress for about four years. He succeeded the late Louise Slaughter. He faced former Rochester Police Chief La’Ron Singletary, who ran with the Republican and Conservative lines.
Singletary topped Morelle in Orleans, 4,850 to 1,567. But Orleans only accounts for about 2 percent of the district. The portion of the district in Orleans includes the towns of Carlton, Clarendon Dist. 1, Gaines, Kendall, Murray and Yates.
In Monroe County, Morelle received 147,114 votes to 123,652 for Singletary, or 54.3 percent to Singletary’s 45.7 percent.
“Thank you to everyone who cast a ballot and made their voices heard in this critical election,” Morelle tweeted today. “I am humbled and honored to continue serving the community I love in Congress. As we move forward, with open minds and open hearts, I have no doubt our best days lie ahead.”
Singletary ran a campaign to fight a “crime crisis” especially in Rochester. Morelle made abortion rights a key issue saying who would stand up to “extremists” looking to limit and even end women’s access to abortions. He also said he would fight any efforts to “dismantle” Social Security and Medicare.
Singletary has not conceded in the race. He is questioning the validity of some of the ballots in Monroe County.
“Until every ballot is accounted for and recorded appropriately, this congressional race is far from over,” Singletary said in a statement. “Every vote should be counted and every voice should be heard.”
