All seats in the state Senate are up for election this year. Below is a rundown of the candidates for the four districts that cover Monroe County.
54th DISTRICT
Riga, Chili, Wheatland, Rush, Mendon; Wayne, Ontario, and Livingston Counties
Pamela Helming
Republican, Conservative
helmingforny.com
Helming has represented the 54th District in the state Senate since 2017. A resident of Canandaigua, she previously served as town supervisor and, before that, a member of the Town Board.
During her time in the Senate, Helming has focused on bolstering agriculture and protecting water quality. She also co-sponsored legislation, signed by the governor in January, to create a state task force on rural ambulance services. Like other Senate Republicans, she’s called for state lawmakers to roll back recent bail and parole reforms.
Helming has an A rating from SCOPE and the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association. She’s also introduced legislation that would affirm competitive shooting sports clubs and events can continue under new state gun laws.
Kenan Baldridge
Democrat
baldridgeforsenate.com
Baldridge served as town supervisor of Rose in Wayne County for eight years starting in 2012 and he previously served an 11-year stint on the North Rose-Wolcott school board.
A volunteer firefighter for 45 years, Baldrige helped form a volunteer organization that brought advanced life support services to ambulance providers in northeast Wayne County. He has a professional background in health care administration and consulting, and has worked turning around underperforming nonprofits.
Baldridge has said that he wants the state to boost funding for child care programs, which he would like to see tied into public schools; dedicate more state funding for rural fire and ambulance departments; and address disparities in health care and insurance.
55th DISTRICT
Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Perinton, East Rochester, part of Rochester
Samra Brouk
Democrat, Working Families
samraforsenate.com
Brouk, who lives in the city’s Park Avenue neighborhood, is wrapping up her first term in the Senate. She won her 2020 race by a wide margin and this year she’s running in a redrawn district that’s friendlier to Democrats than the previous iteration.
Maternal health has been one of Brouk’s key focuses, as has mental health. This past session, the legislature passed a measure she sponsored intended to improve maternal mental health screenings, combining both focuses. She’s also called for the state to increase child care funding and has advocated for stronger gun laws. She supported a package of gun law reforms signed by the governor in June and a package of laws meant protect women’s access to abortion.
Len Morrell
Republican, Conservative
morrellforstatesenate.com
A Penfield resident, Morrell is the founder of Morrell Manufacturing, which makes precision engineered products for the automotive industry. He also founded a Christian concert venue, Worship Warehouse, and a company that owns and leases commercial and residential real estate, LCM Properties.
Throughout his campaign, Morrell has denounced the rise of violent crime in the city, blaming it on bail law reforms — which he wants to see repealed — and other new state policies. He has also said that the state Legislature needs to act to lower the cost of living and doing business in the state, as well as fix an educational system that is “failing” students.
RELATED: Cooney takes on VanBrederode in 56th Senate District
62nd DISTRICT
Hamlin, Clarkson, Sweden, Ogden, Parma; Orleans and Niagara Counties
Robert Ortt
Republican, Conservative
robortt.com
Ortt, who leads the Republican minority in the Senate, is running uncontested. He’s served in the Senate since 2015.
