In a stunning upset, Republican challenger Mark Szuszkiewicz yesterday defeated freshman incumbent Assemblywoman Mathylde Frontus (D-Coney Island, Bay Ridge, Brighton Beach, Sea Gate).
According to the unofficial city Board of Elections results with 99 percent of the scanned vote counted, Szuszkiewicz garnered 17,852 voters or 52.23% of the electorate to Frontus’ 15,030 votes or 45.66% of the electorate.
“I don’t think anyone else expected me to win, but I was expecting to win,” Szuszkiewicz told KCP.
Sources say there are roughly 8,000 absentee votes to be counted, but many of them are from elderly voters as there are many seniors in the district and that these voters are likely to swing with Szuszkiewicz. It would be hard for Frontus to overcome the nearly 3,000 vote disadvantage from the election day count, said Szuszkiewicz campaign manager Liam McCabe.
In campaign spending, Szuszkiewicz had a paltry $413 in his latest filing according to the state Board of Elections while Frontus has $12,203.
One source said Frontus was particularly hurt by the Russian vote – a large part of her constituency – and her failure to hire even a part-time liaison from the Russian speaking community
According to the Szuszkiewicz campaign website, he was born in Coney Island and has lived and continues to live in Bay Ridge for most of his life.
“I am not focusing on Republican or Democratic typical ideology. I have some new ideas on how to fix multiple problems in our society,” Szuszkiewicz wrote on the site.
“Although I am the Republican and the Conservative Party nominee, I realize that over 70% of the state assembly members are Democrats and promising to implement Republican ideas that aren’t going to pass would mean that I’d be making promises that I can’t keep just like every other politician. Most of my ideas are non-partisan and I believe that most people of all parties can agree on them,” he added.
