State Senator Rich Funke is officially announcing his re-election bid. The Republican from Perinton says with three of his Senate colleagues announcing their plans to retire, there has been a lot of speculation about who might be next.
But Funke says he wants to reassure his constituents that he will run for a third term this fall in the 55th Senate District.
Funke says one reason he is running because he is concerned about the possibility of downstate Democrats taking control of the Senate. He contends that a state government heavily influenced by New York City lawmakers will result in higher taxes and tougher times for people in upstate areas.
A local attorney, Jen Lunsford, has already announced that she is seeking the Democratic nomination for that seat.
The 55th State Senate District has around 80,000 voters who are registered as Democrats and about 60,000 who are registered as Republicans. Around 49,000 voters have not identified with a particular political party.
The district includes part of the City of Rochester as well as several towns in eastern Monroe and western Ontario Counties.
