Well into the early morning hours of Friday, the 46th Assembly District primary race between Democrats Mathlyde Frontus and Ethan Lustig-Elgrably was too close to call.
As of press time, the unofficial election results show Frontus with a narrow 70 vote lead with 3,060 votes, or 40.68 percent of the vote, against Lustig-Elgrably’s 2,990 votes, of 39.75 percent of the vote.
Despite being anxious for the results of the election, Frontus was in high spirits at her results party at an Applebee’s in Coney Island. She said she is satisfied with how her campaign went and is looking forward to seeing how the voters decided.
“I’m here tonight at Applebee’s tonight with my friends and supporters and I am so excited, the mood in the room is so powerful, we’ve got the people of Coney Island here, we’ve got the people of Bay Ridge here. We are all waiting here for the election results, but from the bottom of my heart, it doesn’t even matter if we win or lose. Just look how far we came, the work we did,” Frontus said.
Lustig-Elgrably was also anxiously awaiting the results at his results party at Tom’s Coney Island, just a few feet away from Frontus’s party. Lustig-Elgrably had a more confident take on his place in the race.
“It is clear that this election is too close to call tonight with so many absentee and affidavit ballots left to be counted. The most important thing now is to make sure that every vote is counted. I am proud of the work of my campaign and am confident that we will be victorious after all of the votes are tallied.”
The race was centered around the two democratic candidates battling over housing. Lustig-Elgrably had a significant advantage in money raised between the two candidates. Frontus’s gained a strong following through grassroots efforts.
The district includes Coney Island, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and a portion of Brighton Beach.
The eventual winner will take on Republican Steve Saperstein in the Nov. 6 general election.
