Democratic War veteran Max Rose scored a stunning upset last night in beating incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan to take the New York’s 11th Congressional District seat representing Statin Island and parts of Southern Brooklyn.
Rose’s win was part of a Blue Wave sweep that saw Democrat Andrew Gounardes also oust longtime State Senator Marty Golden in the 22nd Senatorial district covering a good portion of the Brooklyn part of the district that Rose will represent in Congress.
According to the unofficial tally with 100 percent of the vote counted, Rose garnered 93,762 votes or 52.6% of the electorate to Donovan’s 83,925 votes or 47.1 percent of the electorate.
“Four-hundred-and-sixty-two days ago, we launched this campaign with a commitment to doing things differently. We weren’t going to just try and win votes of Staten Islanders and South Brooklynites; we were going to earn their trust too. We wanted to show the country that you don’t need money from the special interests, in fact, they could keep their damn money,” said Rose “The pundits laughed at us when we said ‘They all gotta go.’ They didn’t understand what we’ve always known: that our leaders had failed us and we weren’t going to take it anymore.”
Rose proved a gracious winner and thanked Donovan for his service to the country, but noted it’s time for a new beginning.
“The story of this country has always been that no matter our differences, no matter the challenges in our way – we do what others say is impossible. It has never been about what party you are. On Staten Island and in South Brooklyn, we put country first,” said Rose. “We believed in an America where the government has got our backs. An America where it doesn’t matter your color, gender, sexual orientation, rich or poor – the American dream is a dream we can all share. We believed. And we won.”
Rose came to the race as a longtime healthcare professional, who served in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan from 2012-2013, and earned a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman Badge. He continues his service today in the National Guard, and is also Ranger-qualified.
After his military service, Rose worked as Director of Public Engagement and Special Assistant to the late Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson. There, he helped lead in the development of several nationally recognized programs aimed at restoring trust between communities and the criminal justice system. One such program, Begin Again, has allowed thousands of New Yorkers the chance to resolve outstanding low-level offenses without fear of arrest.
Rose received a B.A. in History from Wesleyan University and M.S.C. in Philosophy and Public Policy from the London School of Economics. He has also studied at Oxford University.
