BRIC
Jesse Hamilton, senator-elect from the 20th district.
In Brooklyn and throughout New York, most Democrats stayed away from the polls on Tuesday. But races in the borough appeared to draw a larger crowd than came out elsewhere in the Empire State.
According to preliminary vote tallies reported by NY1, the gubernatorial primary featuring Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Zephyr Teachout and Randy Credico posted turnout around 9.7 percent.
Seven of the 10 legislative races in Brooklyn posted slightly better turnout numbers.
State Senator John Sampson managed to win re-election in spite of an indictment on corruption charges and Mayor de Blasio’s endorsement of his chief opponent, Dell Smitherman. Sampson took 54 percent to Smitherman’s 30 percent in a four-man field that attracted 9.9 percent of voters in the 19th district.
Next door, the race to fill the seat vacated when Eric Adams ascended to the borough presidency saw 10.5 percent turnout, according to preliminary figures. Jesse Hamilton, with 65 percent, posted a decisive victory over Rubain Dorancy and Guillermo Philpotts in the 20th.
A lower-key matchup between incumbent Sen. Martin Dilan and Debbie Medina, which Dilan won 58-42, seems to have generated turnout around 6.9 percent. Fewer than 10,000 people voted in a district with some 133,000 registered Democrats.
On the Assembly side:
• Rodneyse Bichotte beat three other candidates in the 42nd district, which posted 10.4 percent turnout.
• Incumbent Steve Cymbrowitz eased past Ben Akselrod in the 45th; 13.2 percent of voters showed up.
• Another sitting Assemblymember, Felix Ortiz, also survived a challenge in the 51st. Turnout looks to have been about 10.3 percent.
• Jo Ann Simon’s victory in the 52nd district (now represented by the retiring Joan Millman) over Pete Sikora and Doug Biviano was the hottest race of the night. Just under 16 percent of registered Democrats cast ballots.
• Former City Councilman Charles Barron, running for the Assembly seat vacated when his wife won election to the Council post Barron had to leave because of term limits, trounced Chris Banks in a contest that drew 10.5 percent of eligible voters.
Two other races received less interest. Despite a crowded field, the battle to replace the convicted William Boyland, Jr. in the 55th district saw 8 percent turnout; Latrice Walker won. Erik Dilan’s easy victory over Kimberly Council drew only 6.5 percent of voters.
