Yuh-Line Niou has won the primary battle for the New York Assembly race once held by convicted former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
Niou won with 32% of the vote over incumbent Alice Cancel who won a special election to take over Silver’s seat in April after he was forced out of office. Cancel received just 12 percent of the vote and placed fourth in a six person field.
Niou is a former Chief of Staff of Queen’s Assemblyman Ron Kim and is now favored to become the first Asian American in the state legislature in the heavily Democratic district ever to represent Manhattan Chinatown.
“I’m humbled to be the first Asian American to represent Chinatown, or any part of Manhattan, in the state legislature,” Niou told cheering supporters Tuesday night, reported New York City Patch
Niou withstood a racist campaign mailer which tied her to “Chinatown crooks” and declared she wasn’t a “right fit” for the neighborhood.
In Flushing, SJ Jung lost a bid to defeat now eight-time incumbent Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Flushing).
Stavisky won easily with 56 percent of the vote to Jung’s 44%.
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