Working Families Party Candidate Diana Richardson soundly defeated three other candidates yesterday to win the open 43rd Assembly District seat covering the neighborhoods of Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Lefferts Gardens and Wingate.
According to the unofficial results, Richardson garnered a little more than 50 percent of the votes or 4,176 to Independence Party Candidate Shirley Patterson, who had about 25 percent or 2,030 votes. Republican Party Candidate Menachem Raitport received 1,691 votes or 20 percent and Love Yourself Party Candidate Geoffrey Davis had 308 votes or 3.75 percent.
“Tonight’s win shows people power can still beat big money and developers don’t own New York. We the people do. This win is a mandate for protecting and building affordable housing and making sure working families can make ends meet,” said Richardson in a statement.
Richardson’s win was the first statewide win for the Working Families Party, considered the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. She also had the strong backing of almost all the unions and several prominent elected officials including Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, State Senator Kevin Parker, Assemblymembers Latrice Walker and Rodneyse Bichotte and City Council members Jumaane Williams and Brad Lander.
“This race was a referendum about the role of real estate money,” said Bill Lipton, director of the New York Working Families Party. “Diana’s refusal to accept a penny of developer or landlord money showed working families, seniors, and youth in Central Brooklyn that she can’t be bought and will always put working families first.”
