UB Law Professor Monica Wallace won the Democratic primary with 76 percent of the vote Tuesday night, defeating Kristy Mazurek.
"I'm glad that the voters decided to elect me, and I pledge to restore integrity and dignity to the 143rd," Wallace said.
Mazurek, meanwhile, says the result will not deter her resolve moving forward.
"I'm not going to stop going and doing things for my neighbors, stop the charity work I do, the Polish Festival will be bigger and better in Cheektowaga, and I hope that those that are elected in the area want to take part," Mazurek said.
Wallace says she plans on focusing on support for public schools, crafting smart policies that lead to job growth and ethics reform. She says a lot of people have also vented frustration to her after the terms of the past two Assembly members in the district were marred by scandal.
"I met a lot of voters who were losing confidence in our system, and I think for our democratic institutions to survive, we need to have confidence in them, so this race has been all about restoring that confidence," Wallace said.
Wallace now moves on to the general election, where she will take on Lancaster Village Trustee Russell Sugg.