Berger wins in AD27
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Democrat Sam Berger (center) was elected to succeed Daniel Rosenthal in the Assembly on Tuesday. Photo via Berger/Twitter
By Ryan Schwach
Democrat Sam Berger has been elected to succeed Daniel Rosenthal as the assemblymember for Northeastern Queens’ 27th District, handedly defeating Republican David Hirsch in the special election on Tuesday.
Results came in quickly Tuesday night, with Berger reaching a wide enough margin to be named the unofficial winner within half an hour of the polls closing. At the end of the night, Berger won by 11 percentage points, beating Hirsch 55 percent to 44 percent.
Berger, a 25-year-old recent law school graduate and father of two, was nominated by his predecessor, and quickly backed by Democratic institutions to keep Republicans from flipping the seat which covers parts of Beechhurst, Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, College Point, Malba, Pomonok and Whitestone.
Despite good performances by Republicans in the district in recent years, Berger boasted a far larger war chest than Hirsch in the shortened election and picked up a much larger coalition of support.
Berger celebrated his victory at his parent’s home, where he received a call of congratulations from Governor Kathy Hochul and a concession from Hirsch.
“I’m deeply moved by the overwhelming support we have received from our community in the race for New York State Assembly District 27,” Berger wrote in a victory statement on Twitter, “From day one, our campaign focused on addressing the unique needs of this community.”
“Whether it's strengthening our children’s education, ensuring neighborhood safety, or tackling the affordability crisis in our city, I’m immensely proud of the work we have done to turn our vision into a reality,” he added.
Rosenthal also congratulated Berger on his victory after the results were all but finalized.
“Congrats to the residents of the 27th NYS Assembly for electing an outstanding person to succeed me in Albany,” he said. “I am proud of [Berger’s] hard work, he will accomplish great things for the community.”
Rosenthal was the first to endorse Berger to fill the seat, and backed him prior to taking a governmental affairs job at the Jewish non-profit, the UJA Federation.
Rosenthal’s chief of staff, Ricky Malone, served as Berger’s campaign manager.
Hirsch conceded early on Tuesday night, and released a statement on Wednesday morning.
“I would like to thank all those who helped out our campaign, this campaign was all of ours together,” he said. “Over 120 different people came down to show support and volunteer. This was as much your campaign as it was mine, and we did better than expected.”
“This district is 55.2 percent Democrat, and only 16.3% Republican, and lost 55-45,” he added. “Showing that everyone but the Democrats wanted change.”
Hirsch was backed by the Queens County GOP, former gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin and City Councilmember Vickie Paladino, who’s district overlaps the 27th.
A decision made by few
Turnout for the election, which was held shortly after a holiday weekend in September, was extremely low. Only 4,438 Queens voters cast ballots in the election.
For comparison, in Rosenthal’s last election in 2022, where he defeated Republican challenger Angelo King, more than 23,000 people voted.
It’s not the first time there’s been a September special election for the seat – there have been two in AD27 since 2010, and yesterday's turnout was the lowest thus far.
In 2011, when Democrat Michael Simonwitz was elected to succeed Nettie Mayershon after her retirement, 9,400 votes were cast.
Then, in 2017, when Rosenthal was elected unopposed to succeed Simonowitz after his death, 10,400 votes were cast.
The low turnout, however, was not entirely unexpected. While campaigning on Union Turnpike at the edge of the district Tuesday morning, Berger passed out palm cards that featured a stock image of a shocked woman with the text, “Wait, there's an important election in September? And it's this Tuesday?”
Berger received heavy support from the preexisting Democratic stalwarts in Queens, including Assemblymember David Weprin, who campaigned with him on Tuesday. Eagle photo by Ryan Schwach
“[Turnouts] have been low, but the people that have been coming are showing a lot of community support,” he told the Eagle early on Tuesday. “I've been getting flooded with pictures of people at the poll sites.”
The vote was split between the north and the south of the district.
Hirsch won all but one election district north of Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Whitestone and College Point, however his margins were tighter in the latter, and one College Point district split 50-50.
However, the districts where Hirsch performed well had a lower total turnout than the ones where Berger prevailed.
Berger won most of the orthodox Jewish communities in the southern section of the district, while Hirsch won the northern parts of Whitestone. CUNY Graduate Center
Berger, like his predecessor, secured the Orthodox Jewish communities in the southern section of the district, specifically Kew Gardens and Kew Gardens Hills.
Once he is sworn in, Berger will join an already heavily Democratic legislature.
