Braunstein trails Republican challenger in Queens Assembly race
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Assemblymember Edward Braunstein (left) trails Republican challenger John-Alexander Sakelos (right) in the race for Assembly District 26. More than 14,000 absentee ballots have yet to be counted. Photos via NYS Assembly and Sakelos campaign
By David Brand
Queens contains multitudes.
On the western edge of the borough, voters overwhelmingly picked a socialist, Zohran Mamdani, to represent them in the state Assembly.
On the northeast side, residents may soon send a Republican to Albany.
John-Alexander Sakelos leads incumbent Democratic Assemblymember Ed Braunstein by nearly 1,800 votes in Northeast Queens’ District 26, which includes Little Neck, Whitestone and Bayside. Braunstein has represented the district since 2011.
More than 14,000 absentee ballots have yet to be counted and both campaigns say they are confident they will prevail. The count begins Monday.
Sakelos, a professional actor and drama professor, said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the outcome. Many District 26 voters who usually choose Democrats were motivated to vote Republican this election because they feel alienated by the leftward drift of the party, he said. Sakelos said he voted for Donald Trump and Republicans down the ballot.
“We believe the math is in our favor,” Sakelos said. “Historically absentee ballots lean the same way that the machines lean.”
But this election is without historical precedent. A record number of residents mailed in their ballots, and Braunstein’s campaign says they think they have the votes to overcome the deficit. Registered Republicans account for just 15 percent of the absentee ballots mailed in the district, they said.
“Once the thousands of Democrats have their votes counted and their voices heard, we are confident Edward Braunstein will be returning to the Assembly," the campaign said in a statement.
Republican candidates in adjacent Nassau County performed well on Election Day and President Donald Trump leads the in-person vote there, however.
Political strategist Doug Forand said the same GOP enthusiasm may have bled into Northeast Queens, though he thinks Braunstein has a “better than even chance” of making up the deficit based on enrollment numbers in the district, where Republicans account for about 20 percent of registered voters.
The tight race likely came as a surprise to Braunstein, Forand said.
Sakelos did not file his campaign committee with the Board of Elections until the spring and raised less than $25,000 overall, according to campaign finance reports.
Braunstein raised about $45,600 since mid-January, but spent little on his campaign until dropping nearly $33,000 in the final month, according to his 11-day pre-election financial disclosure report.
Forand, who runs the firm Red Horse Strategies, said the race is a warning for incumbents around New York City.
“You can never take these races for granted and say ‘I’ve been in office. I haven’t had any scandals, I’m a decent person.’ Because that’s not enough,” Forand said.
“Whether the [opponent] is out campaigning or a name on the ballot, those elected officials who have gotten comfortable and don’t campaign aggressively every two years are going to face challenges that they don’t expect,” he said.
