Democrat Andrew Gounardes declared victory against longtime Republican State Sen. Marty Golden in southern Brooklyn Tuesday night.
Gounardes won 1,129 more votes than Golden, with all precincts reporting, according to the Board of Elections’ unofficial results, but the race wasn’t officially called.
There are about 1,400 absentee ballots that still need to be counted, Gounardes said Wednesday morning. The 33-year-old community advocate and counsel to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said he is confident his margin will hold.
"We feel pretty comfortable that we will have a strong showing in the absentee tally, so the final margin may shift a little bit, but we feel very comfortable and confident with where we are right now," he said.
Gounardes predicted it would take about a week for the results to be certified.
Golden, who has represented District 22 since 2003, has not yet conceded. The district, which includes Bay Ridge, Marine Park and Dyker Heights, has been one of the few red state Senate districts in the city.
"Sen. Golden is not conceding, as we are assessing the ballot situation — machine and absentee — to ensure that every vote is counted," Golden’s campaign spokesman, Michael Tobman, said in a statement.
Golden, a former police officer, sought to cling to his seat despite the drama that beset his campaign. He shouldered the blame for a brief termination of the city’s school-zone speed cameras and was accused of impersonating a police officer during an altercation with a cyclist. Gounardes tried to seize on these issues, focusing on ideas to improve pedestrian safety and promising to work toward bringing speed cameras to all city schools.
The margin between Gounardes and Golden fluctuated throughout the night with the gap at one point narrowing to less than 60 votes.
Even without knowing the official results of this election, State Senate Democrats went home with a victory Tuesday by winning at least 35 of the 63 seats.
"We can finally start passing the bills that have been languishing in Albany for years," Gounardes said about the Democratic majority. "Whether that’s the Reproductive Health Act, the Child Victims Act, the New York Health Act, or even something much more local like speed cameras in every school zone in the city of New York."
His first priority, should he take office, will be to push for campaign finance reform, he said.
"If we get money out of politics, we can then start to address all of the deeper issues that need resolution," he said.
With Vincent Barone and Ivan Pereira
