On July 14, 2023, Daniel Rosenthal who represented the 27th Assembly District in Queens resigned to take a position at UJA-Federation of New York. He was the youngest member of the Assembly, representing Flushing, Kew Gardens Hills, and College Point since 2017. Rosenthal said his resignation filled him “with a mix of emotions,” but “after much contemplation, I have come to the conclusion that it is time for me to embark upon a new chapter.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a special election on September 12 to replace the departing Assemblyman in a district that has been safe for Democrats for decades, until Republican Lee Zeldin won it by 12 points last November, in his failed bid to defeat Hochul.
As these things often turn out, the seemingly marginal special election quickly morphed into a referendum on the Democrats’ rule in NY State, the Democratic candidate, Sam Berger, was forced to run an expensive, no holds barred campaign, fearing that the Republican, David Hirsch, would run away with the vote based on New Yorkers’ broad frustration over the huge influx of asylum seekers who are curbing the city’s ability to deal adequately with its social problems (See: Mayor Adams Warns Asylum Seekers Will ‘Destroy New York City’).
In the end, Berger won by a landslide; with 99% of the polls reporting, he received 2,447 votes, or 55.14%, compared to his opponent’s 1,979 votes, 44.59%.
Democrats far outnumber Republicans in the 27th Assembly district: 34,357 to 10,386, which also means that Hirsch managed to get a much bigger share of his voter base to the polls than Berger. The DNC should add Flushing, Kew Gardens Hills, and College Point to the list of purple districts come November 2024.
Hirsch called Berger to concede around 9:30 PM Tuesday.
