Republicans make history in St. Lawrence County, official says

CANTON, New York (WWNY) - Tuesday was a big night for Republicans on the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators.

On the 15-member board, Republicans picked up two additional seats with the wins of Glenn Webster in District 11 and John Ginnett in District 13.

This leaves the board leaning right with 11 Republicans and 4 Democrats.

County Board of Elections Republican Commissioner Tom Nichols says this is the most dominant position for the GOP in the legislature, ever.

“It’s by far the most one-sided the board has been and of course, I had the honor of serving for 15 years, but even then we did not have this kind of a spread. It certainly shows a shift in the thinking of the people of St. Lawrence County,” he said.

Nichols also says this is the first time in almost 25 years that more Republicans than Democrats have registered to vote in St. Lawrence County.

He says since 2019, roughly 3,700 people have left the Democratic party in the county. That could mean they’ve moved away, passed away, or switched parties.

Nichols says in 2022, the advantage registered Republicans hold over Democrats is more than 1,100.

“Last night we saw Democrats vote Republican in a lot of races. There’s a lot of concern over the future of the state and the nation, and in St Lawrence County, people are not happy with the status quo and that’s why you saw a lot vote for deep red last night,” he said.

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