New York held its Democratic Primary elections on Tuesday, June 25. This election determines who will be on ballots for the general election on Election Day — Tuesday, Nov. 5. Many Congressional, state and local districts already had their primaries canceled due to incumbents going unchallenged or candidates having withdrawn or been disqualified. This automatically advanced remaining candidates to the ballots in November.
On Long Island, few Democratic congressional, state Senate, and Assembly elections remain open. These include elections for:
- Congressional District 1 between John Avlon and Nancy Goroff
- Senate District 6 between Siela Bynoe and Taylor Darling
- Senate District 7 between Kim Keiserman and Brad Schwartz
- Assembly District 4 between Skyler Johnson and Rebecca Kassay
- Assembly District 18 between Noah Burroughs and Lisa Ortiz
- Assembly District 21 between Judy Griffin and Patricia Maher
Here are the results:
NY-1: John Avlon beat Nancy Goroff to become the Democratic candidate in the race for New York’s first congressional district.
Avlon, who resides on Long Island’s East End, is a former CNN commentator and author of several books including 2021’s “Lincoln and the Fight for Peace.” He campaigned against Goroff saying he seeks to be a “voice of reason” in modern politics in the House and hopes to help curb the influence of former President Donald Trump. Goroff, an award-winning chemist at Stony Brook University, previously ran for the NY1 seat but lost to then-incumbent Republican Lee Zeldin in 2020.
Avlon will challenge freshman Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) on Election Day.
SD-6: Nassau County Legislator Siela Bynoe claimed victory over Democrat Taylor Darling.
Bynoe will face Republican Thomas Philip Montefinise on Election Day. State Senator Kevin Thomas, Democrat representing Garden City and parts of the Town of Hempstead, vacated the seat in a failed attempt to run for Congress.
SD-7: Kim Keiserman beat former TV producer Brad Schwartz to become the Democratic candidate to challenge Republican Senator Jack Martins in November.
Keiserman, of Port Washington, is a former high school social studies teacher and commissioner on the North Hempstead Housing Authority Board, chairwoman of the Baxter Estates Planning Board, and a board member of the Come to Believe Network.
Schwartz will remain on the November ballot on the Working Families line.
AD-4: Port Jefferson Village Deputy Mayor Rebecca Kassay beat Skyler Johnson to become the Democratic candidate to challenge Republican Assemblymember Ed Flood in November.
Flood represents the Port Jefferson, Setauket and Coram communities.
Kassay is a co-founder and proprietor of the The Fox and Owl Inn bed-and-breakfast. During her tenure as village trustee, she focused on environmental protection and coastal resilience, as well as ways to support small business — especially by providing protective equipment and care items to essential workers during the pandemic.
Johnson, who last won the Democratic nomination for Senate District 1 in 2022, is expected to remain on the November ballot on the Working Families line.
AD-18: Hempstead Village Trustee Noah Burroughs claimed victory over child care provider Lisa Ortiz in the seat left vacant by Darling.
During his tenure as trustee, Burroughs has focused on acquiring grant funding for village projects and initiatives, including for sewer and water improvement projects in Hempstead.
Burroughs will face Republican Danielle Smikle on Election Day.
AD-21: Former Assemblymember Judy Griffin won the Democratic primary against attorney Patricia Maher. Griffin held office between 2019-2022. She unseated Republican Brian Curran, who later re-won his seat.
J.D. Allen contributed reporting…
