August 23rd Senate & Congressional Primaries and Special Congressional Elections Results

August 23^rd Senate & Congressional Primaries and Special Congressional Elections Results

The New York State Senate and Congressional Primaries, as well as two Special Elections for Congress, were held on Tuesday August 23^rd. In the Senate, it was a good night to be an incumbent. Every single Senate incumbent who faced a primary challenge managed to fend off their challengers. In the Congressional Primaries, all but two incumbents emerged victorious. Rep. Carolyn Maloney lost to fellow incumbent Rep. Jerrold Nadler, and Rep. Mondaire Jones lost the crowded Democratic Primary for NY 10 to Attorney Dan Goldman. The full results of the night include:

NYS Senate Primaries

• SD 4 Democratic Primary: Former Democratic Senator Monica Martinez, who lost to Republican Alexis Weik in the 2020 general election after just one term in the State Senate, beat Assemblyman Philip Ramos 66% to 34%. Assemblyman Ramos will likely remain in the Assembly come January, as he is also running for re-election to his Assembly seat in the November General Election because of unique rules applying due to redistricting and the bifurcated primaries.

• SD 7 Democratic Primary: Incumbent Senator Anna Kaplan easily defeated her challenger, Jeremy Joseph 86% to 14%.

• SD 15 Democratic Primary: Incumbent Senator Joseph Addabbo won his primary with 57% of the vote. Senator Addabbo’s two challengers, Japneet Singh and Albert Baldeo ended the night with 29% and 14% respectively.

• SD 21 Democratic Primary: In what was one of the closer Senate primaries of the night, incumbent Senator Kevin Parker emerged victorious over David Alexis and Kaegan Marie Mays-Williams. At the end of the night, Senator Parker had 46%, while Alexis and Mays-Williams finished with 37% and 16%.

• SD 23 Democratic Primary: In the Democratic primary for outgoing Senator Diane Savino’s seat, Jessica Scarcella-Spanton easily defeated her three challengers – Sarah Blas, Bianca Rajpersaud, and Rajiv Gowda. The Savino-endorsed candidate gained 60% of the vote.

• SD 23 Republican Primary: On the Republican-side of Senator Savino’s district, Joseph Tirone beat Sergey Federov 79% to 21%. Tirone will face-off against Jessica Scarcella-Spanton in November with the hopes to flip the long-held Democratic seat.

• SD 25 Democratic Primary: DSA-backed incumbent Senator Jabari Brisport cruised to victory against Conrad Tillard and Renee Holmes, winning with 70% of the vote.

• SD 26 Democratic Primary: NYC Councilman David Yassky failed to defeat incumbent Senator Andrew Gounardes. Senator Gounardes easily won the night with 66% of the vote.

• SD 27 Democratic Primary: Senator Brian Kavanagh fended off primary challenges from Vittoria Fariello and Danyela Souza Egorov. Senator Kavanagh won with 54% of the vote while Fariello and Souza gained 27% and 11.5% respectively.

• SD 30 Democratic Primary: Senator Cordell Cleare, who succeeded former Senator Brian Benjamin after he was appointed Lieutenant Governor, defeated Shana Harmongoff 67% to 28%.

• SD 31 Democratic Primary: Incumbent Senator Robert Jackson easily won his primary, besting three challengers. Senator Jackson defeated Angel Vasquez, Francesca Castellanos, and Ruben Dario Vargas with 57% of the vote.

• SD 33 Democratic Primary: One of the most competitive primaries of the night was that between Senator Gustavo Rivera, who is currently the Senate Health Committee Chair, and Miguelina Camilo, who was backed by the Bronx Democratic Party. At the beginning of the night, Senator Rivera and Camilo each spent time in first place, with the results being incredibly close. However, at the end of the night Senator Rivera emerged victorious, gaining 52% of the vote over Camilo’s 48%.

• SD 34 Democratic Primary: Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez won the primary for the seat being vacated by Alessandra Biaggi, who ran in a Congressional Primary against Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney. Fernandez defeated Christian Amato and John Perez with 60% of the vote.

• SD 44 Republican & Conservative Primaries: Senator James Tedisco easily beat Senator Daphne Jordan in both the Republican and Conservative primaries for the 44^th Senate District. The two Republicans were placed into the same district after the redistricting. Tedisco’s victory is not a surprise because earlier this year, Senator Jordan announced she would remain on the primary ballot, but would not actively campaign. 

• SD 47 Democratic Primary: Senator Brad Hoylman, who briefly flirted with a Congressional run, but ultimately decided to run for re-election to the State Senate, won his primary against Maria Danzilo 69% to 26%.

• SD 48 Conservative Primary: It currently appears that the Conservative Primary for the 48^th Senate District may be headed for a recount, since only 17 votes separate candidates Justin Coretti and Julie Abbott, with Coretti currently ahead. Regardless of the results, Abbott will appear on the Republican line in November, where she will challenge Democratic incumbent Senator Rachel May. If, after the recount, Coretti is determined the winner, the November general election could become a three-way challenge.
• SD 51 Republican Primary: For most of the night, it appeared that incumbent Senator Peter Oberacker was going to lose his primary against challenger Terry Bernardo. However, late into the night, the numbers began to change and ultimately, Senator Oberacker emerged victorious, winning 53% to 47%

• SD 52 Democratic Primary: Former Binghamton City Council member Lea Webb defeated Leslie Danks Burke in the Democratic Primary for the new 52^nd Senate District. Webb will face off against Republican Rich David in November, with the hopes of flipping the seat held by outgoing Senator Fred Akshar.

• SD 59 Democratic Primary: In the Democratic primary for the brand new 59^th Senate District, which is a newly drawn district in New York City that includes portions of Queens and Manhattan, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidate Kristen Gonzalez beat out four other candidates, including Elizabeth Crowley. Gonzalez won handily with 57% of the vote.

• SD 61 Democratic Primary: Incumbent Senator Sean Ryan easily defeated challenger Benjamin Carlisle 81% to 13%.

• SD 61 Republican Primary: Incumbent Senator Ed Rath fended off a challenge from Joel Giambra, winning with 78% of the vote. The win was expected because Giambra dropped his campaign earlier this year, although when he did, it was too late for him to be removed from the primary ballot. Rath will face off against Democrat, and fellow incumbent Senator, Sean Ryan in November after redistricting placed the two Senators in the same district.

 

New York Congressional Primaries

• NY 1 Republican Primary: Nicholas LaLota defeated Michelle Bond and Anthony Figliola, winning with 47% of the vote.

• NY 2 Republican Primary: After starting the night behind challenger Robert Cornicelli, incumbent Andrew Garbarino pulled ahead and won his primary with 51% of the vote. Garbarino also defeated a second challenger, Mike Rakebrandt, who came in third with just 9% of the vote.

• NY 3 Democratic Primary: Robert Zimmerman came out on top in the Democratic Primary for the seat being vacated by Rep. Tom Suozzi, who unsuccessfully ran for Governor in June. Zimmerman defeated four other candidates with 35% of the vote. Zimmerman is hoping to keep the 3^rd Congressional District under Democratic control come November.

• NY 4 Democratic Primary: Laura Gillen easily won the primary for the 4^th Congressional District, which is being vacated by Rep. Kathleen Rice. Gillen beat three challengers with 62% of the vote.

• NY 7 Democratic Primary: Incumbent Nydia Velazquez easily won her primary against Paperboy Love Prince, winning 82% of the vote.

• NY 8 Democratic Primary: Incumbent Hakeem Jeffries cruised to victory against Queen Johnson, gaining 86% of the vote.

• NY 10 Democratic Primary: In one of the most closely watched and competitive congressional primaries of the night, it appears that attorney Dan Goldman has won the Democratic Primary for the 10^th Congressional District, defeating several challengers, including Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, incumbent Rep. Mondaire Jones, NYC Councilmember Carlina Rivera, Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon and former Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman with 26% of the vote. As of this writing, Yuh-Line Niou, who placed second with 24% of the vote, has not yet conceded.

• NY 11 Democratic Primary: Former Rep. Max Rose easily won his primary against Brittany Ramos Debarros and Komi Agoda-Koussema with 74% of the vote. Rose is hoping to defeat Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis in a November rematch.

• NY 11 Republican Primary: Incumbent Nicole Malliotakis easily fended off a challenge from John Matland, winning with 78% of the vote. Malliotakis, who defeated former Rep. Max Rose in 2020, will face him again in November and hopes to keep her seat. However, after redistricting, it appears that the race may be more difficult for Malliotakis this time around.

• NY 12 Democratic Primary: In what was perhaps the most closely watch primary of the night, Jerrold Nadler emerged victorious over his three primary challengers, which included Rep. Carolyn Maloney. The redistricting earlier this year placed the two longtime Democratic Congressmembers in the same district, forcing them to primary each other. At the end of the night, Nadler won with 55% of the vote, while Maloney came in a distant second with 24%.

• NY 13 Democratic Primary: Adriano Espaillat easily defeated his two challengers, winning the primary with 78% of the vote.

• NY 14 Republican Primary: Tina Forte defeated Desi Joseph Cuellar with 67% of the vote. Forte will face off against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in November.

• NY 16 Democratic Primary: Incumbent Jamaal Bowman defeated challengers Vedat Gashi and Catherine Parker with 55.5% of the vote.

• NY 17 Conservative Primary: Freshman Assemblyman Michael Lawler easily defeated William Faulkner in the Conservative Primary for the new 17^th Congressional District, winning with 87% of the vote. Lawler is also running on the Republican line in November where he hopes to oust Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney.

• NY 17 Democratic Primary. Incumbent Sean Patrick Maloney easily won his primary against State Senator Alessandra Biaggi. Maloney won 66% to 33%.

• NY 17 Republican Primary: As mentioned above, Michael Lawler also won the Republican Primary, where he beat out four other candidates with 75% of the vote.

• NY 18 Democratic Primary: Pat Ryan cruised to victory against Moses Mugulusi and Aisha Mills with 83% of the vote. Ryan was in a unique position on Primary night, since he also ran in, and won, a Special Election for the current 19^th Congressional District. However, redistricting from earlier this year placed Ryan in the new 18^th So, come November, Ryan will be running for re-election to Congress in the 18^th district.

• NY 19 Democratic Primary: Josh Riley defeated Jamie Cheney in the Democratic primary for the new 19^thCongressional District.

• NY 20 Democratic Primary: Paul Tonko easily claimed victory against Rostislav Rar with 88% of the vote.

• NY 21 Democratic Primary: Matt Castelli beat Matt Putorti with 80% of the vote in the Democratic Primary for the 21^st Congressional District. Castelli will face off against Rep. Elise Stefanik in November, where he hopes to oust the powerful Republican Congresswoman.

• NY 22 Democratic Primary: Francis Conole defeated three other challengers in the Democratic Primary for the 22^nd Congressional District, which is being vacated by Republican Rep. John Katko. Conole will face off against Brandon Williams in November with the hopes to flip the Central New York seat.

• NY 22 Republican Primary: Brandon Williams won his primary against Steve Wells with 58% of the vote. Williams is hoping to keep the 22^nd Congressional District under Republican control after Rep. John Katko announced his retirement earlier this year.

• NY 23 Republican Primary: For much of the night, controversial businessman Carl Paladino held a commanding lead over New York Republican Chair Nick Langworthy in the Republican Primary for the 23^rdCongressional District. However, around 11:15, Langworthy managed to pull ahead of Paladino and went on to win the primary with 51.13% of the vote. Paladino, who ended the night with 46.93% of the vote, conceded the following afternoon.

• NY 24 Republican Primary: Claudia Tenney defeated challenges from Mario Fratto and George Phillips with 53% of the vote.

• NY 26 Democratic Primary: Brian Higgins cruised to victory, winning with the 90% of the vote.

 

Special Congressional Elections

• NY 19: In what was a close race that is now being considered a potential game changer for the upcoming midterm elections, Democrat Pat Ryan defeated Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro 51.1% to 48.9%. Ryan is also running for re-election in November. However, in November, he will be running for the 18^th Congressional District due to redistricting. 

• NY 23: Democrat Max Della Pia spent much of the night far ahead of Republican Joseph Sempolinski in the Southern Tier Special Election. However, the race tightened significantly late in the night, and eventually Sempolinski pulled ahead of Della Pia by a slim margin. Then, once results from Schuyler and Yates counties came in, Sempolinski’s lead widened, and he ended up winning the election with 53.3% of the vote. Sempolinski will only be in office for four months, as he previously dropped out of the General Election, where he was running in the 24^th Congressional District, and endorsed Rep. Claudia Tenney. Max Della Pia, however, is running in the General Election for the 23^rd Congressional District. He will face off against Nick Langworthy and hopes to flip the district to Democratic control.