Numbers were low in Wayne County for the Republican Primary held on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. 

Although a highly visible and intensely nasty race for the Congressional seat in the 24th District raged on for over a month. Candidates Claudia Tenney, the incumbent, and Mario Fratto,  were only 100 votes apart in Wayne County. Out of 3472 votes cast in Wayne County, Tenney had 1770 to Fratto’s 1664. Twenty-two voters in Wayne County chose write-in candidates instead.

Locally, Tenney was officially endorsed by the Conservative Party. She went on to win the overall Primary vote state-wide, and will be on the ballot in November.

The only other races to be determined in this Primary, were the local Town Justice seats in the Sodus. With less than 400 votes cast, the wins went to incumbent judges Robert Fratangelo and Jay DeWispelaere with 220 and 230 votes respectively. A challenger, Tom Hughes garnered 152 votes in a losing effort. 

In a race not highly publicized in the Town of Macedon, two candidates, new to politics, ran for a three year vacant Town Board seat. Macedon Republicans do not hold a caucus. Candidates must collect signatures to be on the ballot. Candidates Earl Lergner IV, an East Rochester Police Sergeant and former Macedon police officer and Dianne Dorfner, a former Pal-Mac School board member and Air Force veteran, ran their campaigns through letters of support and good old-fashioned door-to-door interaction with the voters. Dorfner boasted that, in order to get her message out to as many residents as possible, she exceeded the number of signatures required by over 300 more. 

Without an officially-endorsed candidate through the Macedon Republican Committee, the insight for voters was low key. Only 404 votes were cast in that battle, with Dorfner winning the spot 218 to 151 in unofficial tallies.

In other local political news, upcoming caucuses are set in Wayne County to nominate candidates for a place on Town/Village ballots in November.

On July 11 at 6:30 pm at the Lyons National Bank’s Community room, the Macedon Democrats will hold a caucus to fill the 3-year vacancy for a Macedon Town Council (1 seat).

On July 11, the Sodus Democrats will hold a caucus at 7 pm in the Sodus Village Hall to nominate candidates for Mayor (4 year term), and  two trustee positions for 4 year terms.

On July 9th at 7:00pm, the Clyde Democrats will hold their nominating caucus at the Lauraville Landing Park on Walter Street, for filling the positions of Village Mayor (4 year term), and two trustee seats (4 years)