Two Democrats are facing off on primary day for New York’s 137th Assembly District.<\/p>\n
Incumbent Democrat Demond Meeks is facing a challenge from fellow Democrat and Monroe County Legislature Vice President Mercedes Vazquez Simmons.<\/p>\n
The 137th District covers downtown Rochester, the northeast and west side of the city and the town of Gates.<\/p>\n
Meeks, a former labor organizer, is seeking his fourth term.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we look toward the future, our fight continues,\u201d Meeks said in a statement released earlier this year. \u201cWe have made meaningful progress, but there is still work to be done to ensure every family in our district and across New York has opportunity, stability and dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to serving as the county legislature vice president, Vazquez Simmons is president of the local homeless shelter, La Madonna Della Strada. Homelessness is an issue that she says she wants to tackle at the state level.<\/p>\n
“Many of our homeless crises are because of the stringent sanctions that the state has imposed and that the county fulfills,\u201d Vazquez Simmons said previously. \u201cSo, I want to address that.”<\/p>\n
“It has always been my dream to represent the community that I grew up in, and that our children are now part of, and who deserve a future they can rely on,” she said in a statement earlier this year.<\/p>\n