The dust is settling the day after the 2022 midterm elections as the final ballots are counted, the losers lick their wounds, and victors celebrate their new (or renewed) terms in office. Brooklyn saw a number of contentious races, from the nationally-watched contest between incumbent Republican Nicole Malliotakis and Democrat Max Rose in NY-11 to a neck-and-neck contest between Iwen Chu and Vito LaBella in the brand-new state Senate District 17.
Though some races remain too close to call, here’s a breakdown of the winners and losers in Brooklyn yesterday, according to the numbers provided by the New York City Board of Elections as of 12 p.m. on Nov. 9.
Statewide
A number of New York’s top Democrats won re-election to their respective posts last night — Governor Kathy Hochul, who stepped into the position after then-governor Andrew Cuomo resigned last year, became the first woman to be elected governor in New York State, defeating Republican congressman Lee Zeldin.
Attorney General Letitia James, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, and U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer — all Democrats — also won their re-election campaigns.
U.S. House of Representatives
There were few surprises in Brooklyn’s five contests for the U.S. House of Representatives — longtime incumbents Nydia Velázquez, Hakeem Jeffries and Yvette Clarke easily secured victory in NY-7, NY-8, and NY-9, respectively.
NY-10 – Sunset Park, Red Hook, Gowanus, Park Slope, Cobble Hill, parts of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, and Manhattan
In NY-10, congressional district, Democrat Dan Goldman took home more than 83% of the vote over Republican Benine A. Hamdan and Steve F. Speer of the Medical Freedom Party.
“Tonight’s result is a victory for all of us dedicated to protecting our fundamental rights and preserving our democracy,” Goldman said in a statement. “But we know this fight is just the beginning. The responsibility of representing this community, my home, and the city I love is not one I take lightly. Let’s get to work.”
Goldman was one of a dozen Democrats to compete for the party nomination over the summer — NY-10 had no incumbent, and, with a large population of Democratic voters, it drew congressional hopefuls like flies — and won the contest by just over 1,000 votes.
NY-11 – Fort Hamilton, Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Staten Island
Republican incumbent Nicole Malliotakis won nearly two-thirds of the vote in NY-11 and will continue her tenure as the city’s only Republican congressional representative. Her challenger, Democrat Max Rose, represented the district for one term before being toppled by Malliotakis in 2020.
“The people I met on this trail have faith in me,” Malliotakis said in her victory speech on Tuesday night. “And the first thing we’ll do is fire Nancy Pelosi. The work begins tomorrow.”
State Senate
SD17 – Parts of Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Kensington, and Sunset Park
The contest between Democrat Iwen Chu and Republican Vito LaBella is still too close to call the morning after Election Day — with more than 97% of votes counted, Chu has just 215 more votes than LaBella. If she wins, Chu will be the first Asian-American woman in the state Senate, where she will represent the state’s first district with a majority Asian population.
“We won’t know anything for a while, but I don’t need results to thank all of the great family, friends, volunteers and strangers who have encouraged and supported me over the last nine months,” LaBella wrote on Twitter on Tuesday night. “‘Thank you’ does not begin to express my gratitude.”
SD23 – Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Sea Gate
Democrat Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, a former staffer for state Sen. Diane Savino, will take over her old boss’s seat, having earned 51.31% of votes over Republican Joseph L. Tirone Jr., who took home 48.55%.
“I want to thank the voters of Staten Island and southern Brooklyn who have delivered us a decisive victory,” Scarcella-Spanton told Brooklyn Paper on Tuesday night. “It’s a tough year for Democrats and we were able to pull this out. I am truly humbled by the confidence you’ve placed in me to be your next state Senator.”
SD26 – DUMBO, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Gowanus, Red Hook, parts of Park Slope, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, and Dyker Heights
State Senator Andrew Gounardes, who decided to run in SD26 rather than his old SD22 after redistricting changed the boundaries of both districts, will officially become the district’s representative. Gounardes secured more than 48,000 votes than his Republican opponent Brian Fox, who last year nearly unseated Democrat Justin Brannan in the city council.
“As I prepare to go back to Albany, I’m excited to tackle the challengers our neighborhoods face and continue to fight to make our city and state safe, affordable, and reflective of our shared values,” Gounardes said in a statement. “Thank you to the voters who put their trust in me and thank you to the members of our campaign’s broad coalition. Now let’s get to work!”
State Assembly
AD44 – Parts of Prospect Heights, Park Slope, Kensington, and Borough Park
Incumbent Assemblyman Robert Carroll won re-election handily last night, securing more than 85% of the vote and a fourth term in the Assembly.
AD45 – Manhattan Beach, parts of Brighton Beach, Gravesend, and Sheepshead Bay
After 21 years in the Assembly, incumbent Democrat Steven Cymbrowitz was unseated last night by Republican challenger Michael Novakhov, who earned 4,315 more votes than the Cymbrowitz.
AD46 – Parts of Coney Island, Dyker Heights, and Fort Hamilton
Fourteen hours after the polls closed, Republican Alec Brook-Krasny is maintaining a slim lead over incumbent Democrat Mathylde Frontus — with 94% of votes counted, fewer than 800 votes separate the two candidates. Brook-Krasny represented the district as a Democrat for nearly ten years before retiring, but switched his party affiliation early this year and declared his candidacy as a Republican.
“Friends, my Republican opponent is leading by some 600 votes, so just as I did two years ago when I was down on election night, I’ll have to wait until every vote is counted,” Frontus wrote on Twitter on Wednesday morning. “Looks like there was a red wave in Southern Brooklyn tonight as had been predicted.”
AD47 – Parts of Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Gravesend, and Bensonhurst
As his colleagues fight for their seats, incumbent Democrat William Colton appears to have won another two years in the Assembly with 54% of the vote over his Republican challenger Dmitriy Kugel.
AD49 – Parts of Dyker Heights, Borough Park, Bensonhurst, and Sunset Park
With nearly 99% of ballots accounted for as of Wednesday morning, Republican challenger Lester Chang is holding a slim lead over incumbent Democrat Peter J. Abbate Jr., who has served as the assemblymember in District 49 for nearly 40 years. Chang, a former Board of Elections worker and military veteran, has amassed 668 more votes than Abbate so far.
AD51 – Sunset Park and Red Hook
Democratic incumbent Marcela Mitaynes will be headed back to Albany in January, having won nearly 80% of the vote with almost 95% of votes counted. Her opponent, Republican Timothy Peterson, earned 3,769 votes to Mitaynes’ 14,023. Both Mitaynes and Peterson ran on multiple party lines – Mitaynes on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines and Peterson on the Republican and Conservative. Mitaynes’ votes on the WFP alone — 3,383 — nearly matched Peterson’s votes as a whole.
“I’m honored to continue fighting for the people of AD51!” Mitaynes said on Twitter on Tuesday night. “Thank you to my friends, volunteers and supporters who made this resounding victory possible!”
AD52 – Navy Yard, DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, parts of Carroll Gardens and Gowanus
Jo Anne Simon, who has represented AD52 since 2015 and who unsuccessfully ran to become the Democratic candidate in the NY-10 congressional race, won a whopping 91% of votes in her deep-blue district on Tuesday.
AD54 – Parts of Bushwick, Cypress Hills, and Queens
Seven-year incumbent Democrat Erik Dilan is headed back to the statehouse after an easy win over Republican Khorshed A. Chowdhury. Dilan faced a competitive primary challenger in Samy Nemir-Olivares last summer, ultimately winning his party’s nomination by just a few hundred votes.
AD55 – Parts of Ocean Hill, Brownsville, and Bedford-Stuyvesant
Democratic incumbent Latrice Monique Walker won a stunning 93% of the vote in her contest on Tuesday night, easily fending off Republican Berneda W. Jackson and “Rent Is 2 Damn High” candidate Anthony T. Jones.
AD58 – East Flatbush, parts of Canarsie, Brownsville
Democrat Monique Chandler-Waterman, who has already won multiple election contests this year — a spring special election and the summer primary — once again secured victory and almost 95% of the vote in the general election, leaving Republican candidate Monique Allen-Davy in the dust.
Representatives for Chang, Colton and Cymbrowitz did not immediately respond to Brooklyn Paper’s request for comment on election results thus far.
