Here’s the latest on the incredibly close battle for City Council District 1 in yesterday’s Democratic Primary.
City Council member Margaret Chin leads challenger Christopher Marte by just 200 votes. A final result won’t be available until the Board of Elections tallies absentee ballots during the next week.
According to unofficial election night results, Chin won 45.77% (5220 votes), while Marte garnered 44.02% (5020 votes). Aaron Foldenauer was third with 6.13% (699 votes) and Dashia Imperiale came in last with 3.90% (445 votes).
This morning, a spokesperson for Council member Chin said she has declared victory. Meanwhile, Marte tells The Lo-Down his team is regrouping today and “making sure that all of the votes have been counted.” Marte said poll watchers reported some irregularities during the voting yesterday, although he was not specific. Marte is represented by election law attorney Sarah Steiner. In a tweet last night, Steiner wrote, “Christopher Marte makes it a likely recount against Margaret Chin in #CD1.”
The Board of Elections’ threshold for recounts is .05 of 1% of the vote.
UPDATE 9/14 Margaret Chin’s campaign put out the following statement yesterday afternoon:
After months of politically motivated attacks and lies, our vision for a more affordable and equitable Lower Manhattan remains triumphant. As a result of the support of everyday people, we will have affordable and accessible housing for our seniors, more opportunities for our young people, and a strong advocate for women, people of color and immigrants in the City Council. I thank all of my supporters for being with me every step of the way. I look forward to continuing our work in the community I was raised in, worked in, and which I love with all my heart.
The candidate’s spokesperson, Paul Leonard, reiterated in a brief interview yesterday that the campaign is confident their lead will hold up when the absentee ballots are counted.
Meanwhile, Aaron Foldenauer tells the Villager he plans to run against Chin on the Liberal Party line during November’s General Election. But outspoken downtown politico Sean Sweeney, a Marte backer, calls Foldenauer a jerk who acted as a spoiler and potentially cost Marte the election.
