By Michael V. Cusenza
In District 23, incumbent Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach) emerged Tuesday night with a lean 2.5-point, 1,000-vote lead over GOP challenger Tom Sullivan. According to published accounts, 97 percent of precincts had reported by the end of the evening.
Pheffer Amato declared victory late Wednesday afternoon.
“This win is a win for all of us – for the working families; for the cops and firefighters; for the teachers, nurses, trade unionists and city workers; for everyone who stood up to my opponent’s campaign of misinformation and extremism and voted their conscience in this critical election. In spite of it all, we stayed united and we won!” Pheffer Amato said. “We have an amazing district – we are diverse, we are of all faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds, and we know how to stand together when it’s important and I’m proud to be going back to Albany to keep fighting for the families of this district!”
In the first edition of Pheffer Amato v. Sullivan in 2022, the assemblywoman prevailed over Sullivan by just 15 votes following a manual recount and several court appearances. Pheffer Amato was declared the winner in January 2023—a full two months after Election Night.
Pheffer Amato ally State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Woodhaven) was re-elected. He has represented the 15th Senatorial District since 2009.
Addabbo characterized his return to Albany as “a testament to the dedicated work of my office to improve communities throughout the district and address the critical issues we face to ensure a brighter future for all.”
Following his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, borough native Donald Trump is headed back to the White House.
“Make no mistake, this election was a referendum on the political establishment,” said New York State Young Republicans Chairman Peter Giunta. “Republicans listened to voters throughout their ranks and put forward a vision for a stronger, safer, wealthier, and greater America. Democrats ignored the will of their voters by usurping Joe Biden and coronating Kamala Harris as their nominee for president while doubling down on the hateful and divisive rhetoric they’ve become so synonymous with.”
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. said that while the Harris loss hurts, the fight has just begun.
“In the words of Maya Angelou, we will encounter many defeats in life, but we must never be defeated. Today, all of us who believe in love over hate, tolerance over fear, respect over racism and democracy over authoritarianism may have suffered a defeat. But here in Queens, we damn sure won’t be defeated,” Richards wrote in a statement. “Another Trump presidency will bring with it daunting battles over justice in all its forms — from protecting immigrant rights to a woman’s body autonomy to nearly every other fundamental freedom we hold dear as Americans — but they are fights that I know Queens will never back down from.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Last week in The Forum our editorial (“A Clear Choice”) was mistakenly printed with the byline Bobby Eustace. The byline was accidentally carried over from the template of the prior issue. The newspaper’s editorial never includes a byline as it is solely the opinion of the newspaper and is composed by the editor or, in rare circumstances, by the publisher, where noted. We apologize for any confusion it may have caused our readers.