Brooklyn Dems set count in two tight races
The Brooklyn Democratic Party has set the count for two tight races in the southern part of the borough, stating that while election celebrations erupted over the weekend and a new page has been turned in the nation’s history, there’s still work to be done.
“The soul of the nation can rest easier, but our work is not over,” said Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte.
“Today, we must transition our enthusiasm and support into counting votes in two critical races in southern Brooklyn for state Sen. Andrew Gounardes (SD-22) and Assemblymember Mathylde Frontus (AD-46),” added Bichotte, who represents the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn. “We are confident that, once all the votes are counted, our Democratic candidates will emerge victorious.”
Bichotte said the Brooklyn Democratic Party, together with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), has assembled “a robust team of volunteers,” including members of political clubs and specialized election attorneys, to help count votes in the two races in southern Brooklyn.
In Sen. Gounardes’ race, Bichotte said tens of thousands of mail-in ballots have not been counted, processed or received.
She said the New York City Board of Elections will begin counting mail-in ballots this week.
“There are over 19,000 votes yet to be counted in my district, and I will ensure that every vote is counted,” said Sen. Gounardes. “I thank the Brooklyn Democratic Party for their support, and look forward to getting this important process underway as soon as possible.”
Bichotte said the 22nd Senatorial District – which includes Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend, Marine Park and Gerritsen Beach – is severely gerrymandered.
Despite the configuration of the district, she said the people brought an end to two decades of Republican leadership there in 2018, when they declared Gounardes the winner of that election in what was also a hard-fought race.
“The people of the 22nd District have stood up before to demand leadership that reflects their values, and that is what we will see again, once all the votes are counted,” said Bichotte.
Despite preliminary results from the New York State Board of Elections (BOE) Election night showing that Haitian American Frontus lost to newcomer Republican Mark Szuszkiewicz’ in the 46th Assembly District, Frontus is still holding out hope that she could eventually be declared the winner.
“I received so many calls and text messages today about my race,” said Frontus, the daughter of Haitian immigrants in a statement. “I’d like to clarify that the results for the 46th district have not been finalized.
“As you can see, my Republican opponent did receive 2,882 more in-person votes than I did. However, there are thousands of absentee ballots which have to be counted,” she added, pointing to preliminary data from the BOE revealing that most absentee ballots for the 46th district were requested by Democratic voters.
“It is, therefore, within the realm of possibility that I can still end up with more votes than my opponent,” Frontus continued. “Either way, we must wait until every single vote is counted before we can say with certainty who won the race.”
The Brooklyn Democratic Party said over 16,000 absentee ballots were requested in the 46th Assembly District and that Democrats had requested the overwhelming majority.
The 46th District includes Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights.
“The people will decide the outcome of the election,” Frontus said. “Fortunately, our state Legislature provided New Yorkers with options to safely exercise their right to vote, and I am grateful to those who are marshaling volunteers to help count those votes this week.”
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