By Ti-Hua Chang, AsAmNews Staff Writer
12:06 AM Eastern Time
With the clock past midnight and 100% of the precincts reporting, the latest vote results have Assembymember Yuh-Line Niou trailing Dan Goldman 25.63% – 23.62%.
Niou told AsAmNews in an interview earlier this month that she would support the Democratic candidate for New York’s 10th Congressional District. Tonight AsAmNews asked her if she still would do this; Niou would not commit saying, ” I don’t know yet We have to see.” There have been news reports that she may run on the Working Families Party ticket in the November election.
But New York State Senator John Liu expanded on why he believes the election is not over. He noted, “In any election that would be a recount. We have to count every vote.” Liu Told AsAmNews that might take up to two weeks. This would include absentee ballot votes, the last of which could be mailed in just this past Friday.
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Liu went on to say, “Regardless of the outcome, this election far exceeded any expectations. Yuh-Line was pooh-pawed by the old guard and given no chance. Millions were spent against her in what turned out to be one of the closest elections in recent memory (in New York City).”
When this reporter noted Goldman spent $2 million of his own money, Liu immediately corrected this saying, “No it’s $4milion. He added $2milion more in the last few days. Google it.” We did and Liu is correct. The latest report from Gotham Gazette lists Goldman spending $4 million of his own money in his campaign to be a member of Congress for this recently redrawn 10th Congressional District of New York City from Lower Manhattan to parts of Brooklyn including Chinatown and Sunset Park both majority Chinese and Chinese American areas.
With millennial favorite music from Jay Z and Black Eyed Peas blaring in the background; Liu noted the age of Niou’s supporters. “Look at them, they are all young. High school and college. They are younger than other campaigns. This is the future.”
With many of her supporters leaving, Assemblymember Niou told AsAmNews that she would wait for the results and now spend time with her family. By Midnight East Coast time, most of the Niou supporters had left while the candidate conferred with some of her key advisors.
10:54 pm Eastern Time
At 10:20pm East Coast time, Niou backer NY State Senator John Liu told AsAmNews. “It ain’t over!” Liu is a historic figure in New York Asian American politics. He was the first Asian American elected to any New York State office and was elected New York City Comptroller.
At 10:45 pm the New York Times results have Goldman with 25.7% for the Democratic primary vote for New York’s 10th Congressional District and Niou with 23.9%.
New York Working Families party introduced Assemblymember Niou to her supporters which had grown to some 65 people.
Niou thanked her volunteers, which she claimed numbered 1000 members.
Niou then thanked two major supporters NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Actress Cynthia Nixon from Sex in the City fame.
Niou shouted to her cheering supporters, “Our district is not for sale.” A reference to Goldman as an heir to the $7.9 billon Levi Strauss company.
Niou continued, “Today we showed them that betting on people is always the right choice…. We will not concede until we count every vote. … We showed we can fight and win back our democracy.”
Her supporters then chanted “Yuh-Line, Yuh-Line, Yuh-Line.”
State Senator Liu then hugged Niou and the dj turned on the rap song Empire State of Mind Jay Z and Alicia Keys.
10:23 pm Eastern Time
The last big contested contest for Congress in New York State comes down to Dan Goldman, Levi Strauss heir, and leading Asian American Candidate Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou. She arrived at 9:50pm at her election night headquarters in upscale Brooklyn Heights to the cheers of some 55 supporters. As is her style Niou hugged several of her supporters as she entered.
The mood is noisy and tense with most here looking at their phones and a TV monitor with the Democratic primary results for the newly redrawn 10h Congressional district of lower Manhattan and NorthEast Brooklyn with a 40% Asian population .
The race is now Goldman 25% and Niou 24%. Absentee ballots are yet to be counted. They are separated by some 1000 votes.
There were 12 candidates in this race and at first Niou was discounted by pundits. But backed by the Working families party and Sunrise progressive groups Niou and her strong canvassing organization pulled close to Goldman who spent $2 million of his own money on the his campaign.
Asian American political leaders were split in their support for Niou, Goldman and Manhattan City councilmember Carlina Rivera and Assembly member Jo Anne Simon.
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