A series of Democratic primaries for federal and state lawmakers in the city Tuesday night that had been billed as a referendum between centrists and leftists yielded wins for both sides but few immediate upsets or surprises in races that drew only a handful of eligible voters to the polls.
Among the notable results and contests:
In a heavily covered Congressional race for a seat representing Westchester along with some of The Bronx, Rep. Jamaal Bowman became the first “Squad” member to be defeated at the polls, by Westchester County Executive George Latimer, in a campaign where outside groups spent a record $18 million to unseat the prominent critic of Israel elected during the George Floyd protest wave of 2020.
In the 70th Assembly District, Jordan Wright — the son of Manhattan party boss and former Assemblymember Keith Wright — led a four-way race by more than 1,500 votes out of 8,479 casts as of 10:30 Thursday night to apparently claim the Harlem seat held by Inez Dickens, who announced her retirement last year and who is herself the daughter of former Assemblyman Lloyd Dickens.
“It means so much to be out here today, running because I love my community,” said Jordan Wright, whose father held the seat for a quarter century, while speaking to voters on the corner of 138th and Malcolm X Boulevard in the afternoon.
As Jordan spoke to his supporters on Tuesday evening, Keith praised his son as a “homegrown candidate, a candidate that lived and grew up in the district, a candidate that was able to bring everybody together and make it one Harlem.”
Next door in the 69th Assembly District, Micah Lasher — a longtime government hand and former aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul, former Attorney General Eric Scheiderman and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg — seemed poised to win the five-candidate race for an open seat covering Morningside Heights and the Upper West Side on Tuesday evening. Lasher, aided by an endorsement by the district’s popular Rep. Jerry Nadler, had a 2,400 vote lead out of 12,493 cast as of Thursday evening over Eli Northup, who had the endorsement of the retiring Assemblymember, Danny O’Donnell.
Lasher was joined by former city Comptroller Scott Stringer and City Council Member Shaun Abreu on the corner of Columbus and 97th as they caught the post-work crowd at the polls.
“Micah Lasher is the most qualified person going into the assembly tonight,” said Stringer, who represented the district in the Assembly for 13 years. “His lived political experience is going to serve this district and this city well.”
“This is the community that has been my home my entire life, it’s deep in my bones,” Lasher told THE CITY. “The opportunity to serve this community in government is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Assembly incumbents who faced challenges largely held on, regardless of their political positioning, with the exception of Juan Adrila in the 37th Assembly District, who ran a very low-profile campaign after his supporters abandoned him amid serious sexual misconduct accusations. He lost his seat in Western Queens to Claire Valdez, one of two challengers.
“Today has been really good and really energizing,” Valdez told THE CITY as the was campaigning on Tuesday afternoon, and that was the mood at her victory party at the Lowery Bar in Sunnyside, Queens, packed with jubilant supporters wearing her yellow campaign shirt.
In Brooklyn’s 50th Assembly District, Democratic Socialist Emily Gallagher appeared likely to fend off a centrist challenge from Anathea Simpkins, leading by more than 3,000 votes with 90% of poll sites counted by 10 p.m. Tuesday evening.
The hyperlocal issue of a street redesign of McGuinness Boulevard stalled by the Adams administration hung heavily over the race, with opponents of the plan attempting to oust Gallagher, a staunch defender of the city’s original plan. Simpkins outfundraised Gallgher by about $42,000, while a pro-charter school PAC spent another $127,000 on Simpkins behalf.
In the 56th Assembly District representing Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, incumbent Stefani Zinerman, with the backing of party regulars all the way up to New York Attorney General Letitia James and House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn), narrowly bested DSA-backed challenger Eon Huntley.
As Huntely campaigned promising more tenant protections, Zinerman also found support from real estate and pro-charter PACS who spent $212,000 to support her and attack her challenger, along with backing from some of central Brooklyn’s most powerful political players.
“It’s been absolutely joyous to be outside today,” Zinerman told THE CITY as she campaigned shortly before the polls closed on Tuesday. “My family moved here and for the three generations that we’ve been here, we are public servants. We are community stewards.”
Huntley, for his part, told The City after conceding on Tuesday night that Zinerman “is someone that is known in the community and I can’t deny that,” while stressing that “I came very close considering the amount of money that was dumped in here.”
In the 40th Assembly District in Western Queens, socialist Ron Kim declared victory on Tuesday night as he led centrist challenger Yi Andy Chin by 421 votes out of 3,811 cast as of 10:30 p.m, while Eddie Gibbs was ahead of his closest challenger Xavier A. Santiago by 438 votes out of 5,264 cast in a four way race for the 68th Assembly District covering East Harlem and parts of the Upper East Side.
In The Bronx’s 82 Assembly district, Michael Benedetto credited his work ethic Tuesday night for his third consecutive win over persistent socialist challenger Jonathan Soto.
“I’ve always wanted to work hard for them,” Benedetto said of his constituents as he spoke to dozens of supporters at the Chippewa Democratic Club in Westchester Square. ”And I think I always have worked hard for them. And this kind of shows it.”
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June 26, 2024 at 10:00AM
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A Low Turnout Election in NYC Yields Few Surprises as Most Incumbents Hold Seats - THE CITY
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