Two votes divide Democrats in tight Queens Assembly race headed to recount

The race between Patrick Martinez and Shamsul Haque in District 30 is now down to two votes. Photos via campaigns

By Ryan Schwach

Only two votes separated a pair of Democrats running to represent a portion of western Queens in the Assembly this week after a vast majority of ballots had been counted by the Board of Elections in the week since Election Day.

Patrick Martinez led Shamsul Haque by two votes in the race for Assembly District 30 on Thursday afternoon, leaving the race far too close to call.

Though the race is headed toward a recount, there remain outstanding votes to be counted, and both campaigns still have the opportunity to cure ballots and raise legal objections.

The official manual recount isn’t expected to begin until after the July 4 holiday.

The tight, two-vote margin was narrowed from a 13-vote difference separating the two Democrats on Election Day.

Martinez was ahead with 2,703 votes, with just under 99 percent of precincts reporting, followed by Haque with 2,690 votes. Nepali community leader Somnath Ghimire appeared to play spoiler in the paper-thin race, bringing in 689 votes on Election Day.

Since the difference separating the two candidates was less than 20 votes, an automatic recount was triggered.

Ali Najmi, a prominent Queens election attorney representing the Haque campaign, said on social media that he believes that through legal maneuvering, the vote differential between his candidate and Martinez will be reduced to one before the BOE begins its recount.

“Right now we're going to make sure every vote is counted,” Najmi told the Eagle. “We understand there will be a manual recount as the law requires it, and we look forward to making sure every vote counts, and we believe having the manual recount that Shamsul Haque can prevail as the victor in this race.”

In a statement posted to his campaign’s social media accounts, Martinez thanked his supporters for their patience as the process played out.

“As we said on election night, this was a very close race,” he said. “After the Board of Elections completed their official canvass of absentee and affidavit ballots, our campaign has maintained a lead. As we head into a recount, our campaign is focused on ensuring that every vote is counted and every voice is heard.”

The race for District 30 nearly evenly split between Shamsul Haque (green) and Patrick Martinez (yellow). Screenshot via Atlasizer

In a busy election cycle with open congressional races at the top of the ballot, the District 30 race to fill the seat being vacated by Assemblymember Steven Raga – who lost his bid for the State Senate last week – didn’t draw the same level of interest or attention.

The race began in earnest when State Senate Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, whose district overlaps with District 30, announced his retirement. Raga decided to run to replace the longtime senator, opening his seat up.

Ghimire had filed to run in the race in October, long before Gianaris’ retirement announcement.

But both Haque and Martinez jumped into the race not long after the seat became one a new face could win.

Haque filed to run in February as a political contradiction – a former cop running with deeply progressive backing.

“We have to look at the whole criminal justice system in a way that would be beneficial for New York,” he told City & State at the time. “I cannot fathom how we are the richest nation, the strongest nation, and how we have so many people incarcerated.”

Like many other Queens candidates, Haque ran with the promise of pushing Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s agenda in Albany. He had helped the mayor gain Bengali support in western Queens during last year’s mayoral race, despite having a history of pushing for conservative causes.

While Haque didn’t get the support of Mamdani or the Democratic Socialists of America, he was endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Mamdani’s heir in the Assembly, Diana Moreno.

With broad support from progressives and the Bengali community, Haque significantly outraised his opponents, and pulled in more money than any non-incumbent candidate in the borough.

Martinez filed to run just a few days after Haque. A sitting Queens Democratic district leader, community board member, former educator, and the nephew of former Queens political boss Joe Crowley, Martinez ran with the strength of the party establishment.

He was backed by the Queens County Democratic Party and powerful unions like DC37, 32BJ and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council.

He also raised significant funds as a first-time candidate, and outraised Haque down the stretch.

On election night, Haque and Martinez largely split the district along Queens Boulevard.

Haque won most of the precincts north of the borough’s eponymous thoroughfare, characterized by the diverse communities in Elmhurst and Jackson Heights and along Roosevelt Avenue. Martinez dominated south of Queens Boulevard in the more moderate parts of Maspeth and Elmhurst bordered by the boulevard and the Long Island Expressway.

Ghimire pulled in double-digit percentages in the central part of the district, which is home to a significant Nepali community – areas almost entirely won by Haque.

It likely will take some time before the winner of the Democratic primary will be determined.

The last time a Queens legislative race was even remotely this close was 2022, when Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato prevailed over Republican Thomas Sullivan in the Rockaway-centered District 23.

In that race, it took more than a month after Election Day for a winner to be declared.