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QUEENS WEEKLY, JUNE 28, 2020
With about half the votes counted, Queens
Democratic primary races take shape
BY JACOB KAYE
While more than 175,600
absentee ballots in Queens
have yet to be counted,
most of Tuesday’s primary
races are beginning to take
shape.
Several challengers have
an advantage over incumbents
following Tuesday’s
election, including Jessica
Gonzalez-Rojas in the 34th
Assembly District and Jenifer
Rajkumar in the 38th
Assembly District.
Across Queens, races
are tight, with no way to declare
victory until absentee
ballots are counted.
The Board of Elections
will begin to tabulate absentee
ballots on June 30.
About 50 percent of all votes
have been counted.
Voters were encouraged
to vote by absentee ballot
because of the COVID-19
pandemic and about half
of those who cast a ballot
this election cycle, took the
Board of Elections up on the
offer.
Here’s where Queens’
Democratic primary races
stand following Tuesday’s
in-person voting.
Queens borough
president (96.53
percent of scanners
reported)
Councilman Donovan
Richards was in the lead,
holding a little over 37 percent
of the vote. Former
Councilwoman Elizabeth
Crowley held second place
most of the night Tuesday,
finishing with about 28 percent
of the votes counted by
Wednesday morning.
Councilman Costa Constantinides
and retired
NYPD Sergeant Anthony
Miranda gathered about 15
percent of the counted votes
each and businessman Dao
Yin got a little over 5,000
votes for about 5 percent of
the total.
Third Congressional
District (99 percent of
scanners reported)
Incumbent Thomas
Suozzi received just over 55
percent of the vote on Tuesday.
Challenger Melanie
D’Arrigo received a little
over 31 percent of the votes
tallied.
Fifth Congressional
District (98.61
percent of scanners
reported)
Eleven-term Congressman
Gregory Meeks received
over 78 percent of the vote
Tuesday, showing a strong
performance against challenger
Shaniyat Chowdhury,
who received a little over 21
percent of the votes counted.
Sixth Congressional
District (98.37
percent of scanners
reported)
Congresswoman Grace
Meng appears to be heading
back to Washington as
she won nearly 61 percent of
the vote on Tuesday. Challenger
Melquiades Gagarin
holds 21 percent of the votes
tallied.
Seventh Congressional
District (98.33
percent of scanners
reported)
Incumbent Nydia Velazquez
beat out challenger
Paperboy Love Prince on
Tuesday, receiving nearly 80
percent of the votes counted.
12th Congressional
District (97.68
percent of scanners
reported)
Longtime Congresswoman
Carolyn Maloney
held a narrow lead over
challenger Suraj Patel. Patel
gave a strong showing
in 2018, when he challenged
the congresswoman for the
first time. The incumbent received
a little over 41 percent
of the vote on Tuesday, while
Patel received nearly 40 percent
of the votes counted.
Maloney’s two other challengers,
Lauren Ashcraft
and Peter Harrison, finished
third and fourth in the race,
respectively. Ashcraft got
about 13 percent of the vote
and about 5 percent of voters
went with Harrison.
14th Congressional
District (96.21
percent of scanners
reported)
Voters in the 14th Congressional
District showed
up for Congresswoman Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez,
who received a little over 72
percent of the vote. Her biggest
challenger, Michelle
Caruso-Cabrera, got a little
less than 20 percent of Tuesday’s
votes.
12th State Senatorial
District (99 percent of
scanners reported)
Incumbent Michael Gianaris
bested his challenger
Iggy Terranova Tuesday,
receiving nearly 74 percent of
the votes.
13th State Senatorial
District (93.20
percent of scanners
reported)
State Senator Jessica Ramos
had a decisive lead over
challenger Diana Sanchez
Tuesday. The incumbent received
over 84 percent of the
votes counted.
24th Assembly
District (98.63
percent of scanners
reported)
Incumbent David Weprin
beat out progressive
challenger Mahfuzul Islam
Tuesday, receiving over 46
percent of the vote. Islam
garnered support from about
30 percent of the electorate
and Albert Baldeo received
about 24 percent of the votes
counted.
31st Assembly
District (99 percent of
scanners reported)
In one of the more crowded
Queens races, Khaleel Anderson
holds a narrow lead
over his five opponents.
Anderson received 38
percent of the vote; Richard
David received nearly 28 percent;
Lisa George garnered
18 percent of the votes; Shea
Uzoigwe got 7 percent of the
vote; and Derrick Deflorimonte
and Tavie Blakley received
less than 5 percent of
the vote each.
33rd Assembly
District (99 percent
of scanners reported)
Incumbent Clyde Vanel
won Tuesday’s vote count
handily over challenger Oster
Bryan. Vanel received 86
percent of votes counted to
Bryan’s 13 percent.
34th Assembly
District (99 percent of
scanners reported)
Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas
holds a commanding lead in
the 34 Assembly District following
Tuesday’s vote, one of
the few Queens races where
the incumbent was clearly
bested.
Gonzalez-Rojas holds
over 40 percent of the vote
while incumbent Michael
DenDekker holds about 23
percent of the votes counted.
Joy Chowdhury received
about 15 percent of the vote,
Nuala O’Doherty-Naranjo
received about 14 percent of
the vote and Angel Cruz got
about 8 percent of the votes
counted.
35th Assembly
District (99 percent of
scanners reported)
With about 65 percent of
the vote, incumbent Jeffrion
Aubry held a commanding
lead. Hiram Monserrate, a
former state Senator who
pleaded guilty to federal corruption
charges, received
nearly 35 percent of votes
counted.
36th Assembly
District (91.30
percent of scanners
reported)
One of the most interesting
races Tuesday comes out
of northwest Queens. DSAbacked
candidate Zohran
Kwame Mamdani held a
narrow lead over incumbent
Aravella Simotas Wednesday
morning.
Mamdani received nearly
54 percent of votes counted,
compared to the 46 percent
that went to Simotas.
To make matters more
interesting, more voters in
the 36th Assembly District
requested absentee ballots
than voters in any other
Queens district.
37th Assembly
District (95.59
percent of scanners
reported)
Incumbent Cathy Nolan
held the lead over challengers
Mary Jobida and Danielle
Brecker Wednesday
morning. Nolan received 52
percent of votes, Jobida received
33 percent and Brecker
received about 15 percent
of the votes counted.
38th Assembly
District (99 percent of
scanners reported)
Upstart challenger Jenifer
Rajkumar bested incumbent
Michael Miller, who
was also almost beat out by
a second challenger, Joseph
de Jesus, on Tuesday.
Rajkumar got 52 percent
of the votes counted, de Jesus
received nearly 22 percent of
the vote and Miller received
about 26 percent of the votes
counted.
39th Assembly
District (92.11 percent
of scanners reported)
Incumbent Catalina Cruz
holds a strong lead over challenger
Ramon Ramirez following
Tuesday’s in-person
voting. Cruz received nearly
84 percent of the vote.
40th Assembly
District (96.88
percent of scanners
reported)
Incumbent Ron Kim bested
challenger Steven Lee in
what became a contentious
battle between campaigns
late in the race. Kim received
nearly 70 percent of the vote
while Lee received about 30
percent of the votes counted.
Judge of the Civil
Court (96.53 percent
of scanners reported)
Jessica Earle-Gargan
holds a commanding lead
over opponent John J. Ciafone.
Earle-Gargan received
about 72 percent of the votes
counted Tuesday.
Photo by Dean Moises