Anderson wins primary for vacant Southeast Queens Assembly seat
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Khaleel Anderson observes the absentee ballot count at Queens Borough Hall Tuesday. Eagle photo by David Brand
By David Brand
Community organizer Khaleel Anderson maintained a sizable lead in the six-candidate Democratic primary for Southeast Queens’ vacant Assembly District 31 seat following an absentee ballot count Tuesday. The likely victory in the heavily Democratic district positions Anderson, 24, to become the state’s youngest assemblymember.
Anderson, a Community Board 14 member, led Democratic District Leader Richard David by more than 750 votes following the mail-in ballot count Tuesday. The unofficial count was 3,527 votes for Anderson and 2,738 for David. The results must be certified by the Board of Elections.
Four other candidates trailed the two leaders in the race to replace ex-Assemblymember Michele Titus.
“I’m feeling good and I’m happy that people took advantage of the absentee ballots,” Anderson said.
Small ballot errors disqualified more than a third of the mail-in ballots in the district, however, according to data provided to observers by the BOE.
“I’m mad minor things hurt people’s ability to vote,” Anderson said. “But that’s our job to reform the process once we get into the Assembly.”
Anderson, a progressive backed by the Working Families Party, is a member of the Rockaway Youth Task Force board of directors. His campaign focused on food justice, environmental racism and issues affecting young people. In a series of letters to the editor published by Eagle, Anderson also condemned the Queens Detention Center, a private jail operated by the corporation GEO Group in Springfield Gardens, located within District 31. COVID-19 surged inside the facility with little oversight.
Khaleel Anderson. Photo courtesy of Anderson
The primary race was complicated by the COVID-19 crisis, which prompted Gov. Andrew Cuomo to cancel a March special election to replace Titus, who became a Civil Court judge on Jan. 1.
David trailed by about 10 percent after machine ballots were counted June 23 and narrowed the gap during the absentee count, but could not overcome the initial deficit.
“We made up some ground, but not enough to make up for the Election Day mountain,” he said.
David, 34, praised his volunteer-driven campaign and said he will continue representing his community as district leader.
“He ran a furious campaign and he has a bright political future,” said Bibi Nesa, David’s mother, who monitored the ballot count. “I’m very proud of him.”
Richard David (left) with his mother, Bibi Nesa. Eagle photo by David Brand
Anderson and David maintained a collegial relationship during the absentee ballot count inside Queens Borough Hall, with the two candidates standing near each other while observing the proceedings “He’s a nice man,” Nesa said when Anderson offered her a bottle of water.
David, who had the backing of the Queens Democratic Party, was attempting to become the first person of South Asian descent to win a state or city election in Queens, but district demographics challenged that path.
The gerrymandered Assembly District 31 is split into two sections: Southeast Queens, including JFK Airport, Springfield Gardens and South Ozone Park, which has a significant South Asian population; and the eastern portion of the Rockaway Peninsula, including Far Rockaway and Edgemere, where the population is predominantly Black and African American. Voters tended to cast their ballot along racial lines, according to preliminary data. Anderson and the four other candidates are Black.
The other candidates to replace Titus included Derrick DeFlorimonte, a Community Board 13 member and National Guard combat medic; Titus’ former Chief of Staff Tavia Blakley; Lisa George, a staffer for State Sen. James Sanders; and Chiedu “Shea” Uzoigwe, another former Sanders staffer who has worked with NYPIRG and the Riders Alliance.
Before Titus, Assembly District 31 was represented by Pauline Rhodd-Cummings and Rep. Gregory Meeks.
