John Sharon waits for results on election night.
Tom Magnarelli
Republican John Sharon has lost his bid for the 128th State Assembly District.
“I think the campaign went well, we worked really hard, we did a really good job, I have no regrets,” Sharon said.
Sharon was challenging incumbent Democrat Sam Roberts. As of 11:40 p.m., with all 121 precincts reporting, Sharon had 15,575 votes – or 33 percent – compared to 31,146 votes – or 67 percent for Roberts, according to unofficial results from the Onondaga County Board of Elections.
The 128th Assembly District includes Salina, DeWitt, Onondaga and the city’s Southside neighborhood.
Heading into Tuesday’s election, Sharon was at a disadvantage in terms of voter enrollment. Of the district’s 79,933 registered voters, 44 percent are Democrats, 25 percent are Republicans and 24 percent are unaffiliated with a political party.
In fundraising, Sharon raised $19,886 as of Nov. 4.
At the Onondaga Town Hall polling place on Tuesday, some voters expressed support for Sam Roberts. Anne Smith, 71, of Homestead Rd is a registered Democrat and voted for Roberts. She said she liked Roberts because he was a good guy. Bernard Brown, 56, of Onondaga, works at the VA and is not registered with any political party but voted for all Democrats.
“We have to be very careful about who we vote for. Just don’t pick anybody because you will be sorry for who you get and it’s going to be too late,” Brown said.
At the Onondaga Free Library polling place, some voters voted along party lines. Crystal Vice, 50, of Onondaga is a registered Democrat and voted for Sam Roberts.
“It all depends on the candidate but this time it was just basically because he’s a Democrat,” she said.
Steve Trowbridge, 56, of Onondaga is a registered Republican and voted all Republican.
Marybeth O’Laughlin of Onondaga is a registered Democrat who said she votes for the candidate but sometimes finds herself voting down the line. She voted for Sam Roberts. “ He was a Democrat and I didn’t have any other information,” she said.
At the GOP’s vote-watching gathering Tuesday night, Sharon was optimistic.
“I feel fine, just fine, calm, confident, and carefree,” Sharon said.
(Tom Magnarelli is a graduate student in broadcast and digital journalism.)
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