Brooklyn returns incumbents, goes heavily Democratic

The Republicans may have seized control of the U.S. Senate, but Brooklyn’s Democratic stronghold continued intact through the November 4 General Election.

Democratic incumbents retaining their positions, according to unofficial results compiled by the city’s Board of Elections, include Nydia Velazquez of the Seventh Congressional District (53,283 votes, 89 percent), Hakeem Jeffries of the Eighth Congressional District (71,280 votes, 91.90 percent), Yvette Clarke of the Ninth Congressional District (78, 157 votes, 89.52 percent), Jerrold Nadler of the 10^th Congressional District (82,880 votes, 87.55 percent), Carolyn Maloney of the 12^th Congressional District (83,870 votes, 79.85 percent), Simcha Felder of the 17^th Senatorial District (28, 674 votes, running unopposed), Martin Malave Dilan of the 18^th Senatorial District (19,607 votes, 81.24 percent), John Sampson of the 19^th Senatorial District (28,605 votes, 86.12 percent), Kevin Parker of the 21^st Senatorial District (40,130 votes, 95.88 percent), Diane Savino of the 23^rd Senatorial District (26,171 votes, running unopposed), Velmanette Montgomery of the 25^th Senatorial District (40,425 votes, running unopposed), Daniel Squadron of the 26^th Senatorial District (30,465 votes, 86.54 percent), Helene Weinstein of the 41^st Assembly District (11,676 votes, 87.33 percent), Karim Camara of the 43^rd Assembly District (14,670 votes, 95.89 percent), James Brennan of the 44^th Assembly District (12,991 votes, 84.70 percent), Steven Cymbrowitz of the 45^th Assembly District (6,208 votes, 54.36 percent), Alec Brook-Krasny of the 46^th Assembly District (8,512 votes, 58.30 percent), William Colton of the 47^th Assembly District (6,148 votes, 70.99), Dov Hikind of the 48^th Assembly District (12,031 votes, 78.44 percent), Peter Abbate of the 49^th Assembly District (4,573 votes, 76.22 percent), Joseph Lentol of the 50^th Assembly District (9,403 votes, 89.92 percent), Felix Ortiz of the 51^st Assembly District (7,430 votes, 88.03 percent), Maritza Davila of the 53^rd Assembly District (9,205, running unopposed), Erik Martin Dilan of the 54^th Assembly District (6,631 votes, 85.67 percent), Annette Robinson of the 56^th Assembly District (13,335 votes, 98 percent), Walter Mosley of the 57^th Assembly District (17,807 votes, running unopposed), and Nick Perry of the 58^th Assembly District (15,360, running unopposed).

In several races, there was no incumbent candidate. The Democrats swept this category, handing victories to Jesse Hamilton of the 20^th Senatorial District (31,053 votes, 95.72 percent), Rodneyse Bichotte of the 42^nd Assembly District (12,326 votes, 90.29 percent), Jo Anne Simon of the 52^nd Assembly District (17,293 votes, 69.65 percent), Latrice Walker of the 55^th Assembly District (10,362 votes, 92.54 percent), Roxanne Persaud of the 59^th Assembly District (11,106 votes, 73.84 percent), and Charles Barron of the 60^th Assembly district (12,658 votes, 94.13 percent).

Brooklyn’s Democratic disposition didn’t extend to the borough’s Southwest region, however. Incumbent Republicans retaining their positions included Michael Grimm of the 11^th Congressional District (56,221 votes, 55.35 percent), Martin Golden of the 22^nd Senatorial District (22,598 votes, 69 percent), and Nicole Malliotakis of the 64^th Assembly District (14,339 votes, 73.34 percent).

Besides voting for candidates, those who went to the polls cast ballots on three proposals, including the controversial Prop 1, which creates a bipartisan redistricting commission, with members chosen by both Democrats and Republicans, to redraw legislative district lines after each Census, rather than the current system in which the lines are redrawn by the majority parties in the state legislature’s two houses. While some reformers had supported the change, others believed that it did not go far enough.

Also passed were a measure allowing legislation to be distributed in digital form as opposed to print, and a bill authorizing New York State to borrow two billion dollars in order to upgrade technology in schools.