Assembly member Peter Lawrence will not run for re-election 

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Peter Lawrence, a Republican who represents the towns of Greece, Ogden, and Parma in the 134th Assembly District, announced Wednesday that he will not run for re-election this year.

His announcement follows those of several Republican state legislators who are bowing out of political life amid a Democratic resurgence, including senators Joseph Robach and Rich Funke, who represents areas on the east and west side of Monroe County. 

The Assembly in which Lawrence served has long been dominated by Democrats, but the Senate had been the Republican Party's foothold of power in an increasingly blue state until Democrats seized control in 2018.

"I have truly enjoyed working to better the community that I love and call home," Lawrence said in a statement. "But now I feel the time is right for someone with new ideas to serve the people."

Lawrence was first elected in 2014 after a lengthy career in law enforcement with the New York State Police and the U.S. Marshals Service in the Western District of New York.

Monroe County Democrats recently endorsed Dylan Dailor to run in the 134th district. Dailor, 20, says that he will be the first openly autistic candidate for a state office endorsed by one of the two major parties in state history.

Bill Napier, the Chairman of the Monroe County Republican Committee, said there may be a candidate named to run for that seat as soon as Thursday.

David Andreatta is CITY's editor. Randy Gorbman is the news editor at WXXI Public Media, a media partner of CITY. They can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected].