Former Yonkers Councilmember Anthony Merante
Former Yonkers Councilmember Anthony Merante is jumping into the race for New York State Senate in the 35th District, taking direct aim at Albany Democrats and longtime State Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins. A Republican and eight-year City Council veteran, Merante says he is ready to challenge what he calls a broken system dominated by one party and bring accountability back to state government.
“People told me this race would not be easy,” Merante said. “Nothing worth fighting for ever is. And right now, New Yorkers need someone willing to fight.” Running in a heavily Democratic district, Merante is positioning himself as a disruptor willing to take on the political establishment head on. “Albany is out of control,” he said. “One party rule has created zero accountability, and everyday New Yorkers are paying the price.”
Merante points to high taxes, rising costs, and an ongoing exodus of residents as proof the system is failing. “Working families are being pushed out. Seniors cannot afford to stay. Families are being split apart just to survive,” he said. “That is not progress. That is failure.” He also slammed state policies on housing, energy, and utilities, calling them disconnected from reality. “Albany keeps forcing top-down mandates on local communities while ignoring what those policies are actually doing to neighborhoods,” Merante said. “Meanwhile, Con Edison keeps raising rates and crushing families and small businesses, and no one in power is stopping it.”
Merante says his campaign will focus on restoring public safety, cutting spending, and putting taxpayers first. “This campaign is about the people who feel like nobody is fighting for them anymore,” he said. “I am running to bring common sense back to government and hold Albany accountable.” After nearly a decade on the Yonkers City Council, he says he is ready to take that fight statewide. “I have taken on tough fights before, and I am ready to do it again. New York has become the tax and spend capital of the country, and it is time to turn that around.”
Merante has secured backing from the Yonkers Republican Party, along with support from the Greenburgh and Mt. Pleasant GOP. With petitioning underway, his campaign is focused on getting on the ballot ahead of the April 2 deadline. “We are out there every day collecting signatures,” Merante said. “We will be on the ballot, and we are in this to win.”
