Insurgents Win Democratic Nominations For NY State Legislature

Moya won over voters in the 39th NY Assembly district - Photo: Catalina Jaramillo

Moya won over voters in the 39th NY Assembly district. (Photo: Catalina Jaramillo)

Results are in after New York’s primary night, and the message from voters is clear: they want a change.

Catalina Jaramillo reports on the Moya/Monserrate battle:

At 11:20 on Tuesday night, Moya, an Ecuadorian-American, gave a victory speech in the race to represent the 39th Assembly district in Queens.

“He hasn’t called me yet,” he said referring to Hiram Monserrate. “But the battle is won. We will bring dignity and integrity back.”

Monserrate didn’t answer his phone, but Ramón Ramírez from his campaign conceded on his behalf. “Hiram lost,” he said.

With 100% of precincts reporting, Moya had 66.66% of the votes and Monserrate 33.34%.

Monika Fabian reports on the Espada/Rivera race:

Melinda Hennerberger of Politics Daily said it best during WNYC’s primary coverage last night: “Enthusiasm matters; the ‘no’ vote always turns out.”

Although she was talking about the Tea Party-backed candidate wins in Delaware and New York, she might as well have been referring to State Senator Pedro Espada Jr.’s defeat in the 33rd district

While the lion’s share of the district’s 100,000 plus Democratic electorate stayed home, it’s still worth noting (and celebrating) the 23% increase in voter turnout yesterday. According to published reports, 11,044 total ballots were cast, as compared to 8,352 total votes in 2008. Rivera, and former candidate Dan Padernacht–who dropped out too late to be removed from the ballot–received 62% and 5% percents, respectively, or, 7,437 votes. Espada garnered the remaining 33 percent, or 3,607 votes. Clearly residents who turned out yesterday were intent on saying ‘no’ to their scandal-ridden incumbent.

***

Larry Tung reports on the local races in which Asian-American candidates were running in Queens:

S.J. Jung won his quest to become Part B Male Democratic District leader in Flushing, Queens, obtaining 889 votes, while his opponent Terence Park, received only 545. However, Mabel Law, a Chinese-American who was formerly the executive director of the Flushing Business Improvement District, lost her battle to become Part B Female Democratic District Leader to incumbent Julia Harrison, who won with 742 votes over Law’s 568.

Mohsin Zaheer reports on the atmosphere on primary day in Midwood, Brooklyn, home to a Pakistani-American community:

For Pakistani-Americans in Midwood, there was little interest in the local political races, and that was visibly reflected in low-turnout at the polls. Among residents, there seemed to be a lot of confusion about who was running, coupled with little to no outreach by candidates.

However, for the first time in the election season, Fi2W saw a campaign flier in the neighborhood. It was from incumbent State Senator Kevin Parker, and was tucked under the windshield wiper of a car parked close to a polling station at PS 217. Parker won his battle against opponent Wellington Sharpe.

Feet in Two Worlds coverage of the New York Primary is supported, in part, by the New York Community Trust. Read more coverage here.

 

AboutFeet in Two Worlds
Feet in 2 Worlds (Fi2W) is an independent media outlet, journalism training program, and launchpad for emerging immigrant journalists and media makers of color. Our work brings positive and meaningful change to America's newsrooms and has a broader impact on how immigration is reported and the ethnic and racial composition of news organizations.