Slaughter Declares Victory Over DeStefano In Nail Biter Race

SHIRLEY, NY — Democrat Josh Slaughter declared victory Wednesday in a major political upset in Suffolk County, appearing poised to unseat four-term Republican Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano in New York's 3rd Assembly District amid Democratic gains across Long Island in a stunning upset.

The apparent defeat would mark a dramatic reversal for DeStefano, a longtime public servant who has represented the district since 2019 and won reelection by more than 11,000 votes just two years ago.

According to unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections, Slaughter was ahead by a thin margin, receiving 19,948 votes, or 51.13 percent, compared with DeStefano's 19,040 votes, or 48.80 percent. All 75 election districts had reported, giving Slaughter a 908-vote lead with absentee votes still to be counted.

In 2024, DeStefano defeated Democrat Trina Miles with 60.3 percent of the vote to her 39.7 percent, a margin of 11,183 votes. The latest results represent a nearly 23-percentage-point shift in the margin between the Democratic and Republican candidates in the district.

Slaughter's apparent upset was part of a broader, blue-wave Democratic surge that reshaped several Long Island political contests Tuesday. Democratic challengers also led Republican incumbents in the 1st and 9th State Senate districts, threatening to flip seats previously held by the GOP.

DeStefano, a Medford Republican first elected to the Assembly in 2018, has a public service career spanning decades. He began volunteering with the Medford Fire Department in 1980 and served for 30 years as a fire district commissioner, as well as 27 years in public safety communications with the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office.

"I knew the race was going to be close," Slaughter told Patch by phone. "Polling showed all along that it was a neck-and-neck race, and it was going to just come down to pulling out every last voter and having a strong turnout."

An attempt by Patch to reach DeStefano by telephone on Wednesday for comment was unsuccessful.

Slaughter, a Shirley resident and labor leader, said his campaign focused on concerns affecting specific communities throughout the district, including transportation infrastructure in Mastic-Shirley.

"For me, I believe that our message resonated on putting working people back at the center of our politics, and we really ran on local issues that communities here feel have been neglected for far too long," he said.

He pointed to the need for an overpass or underpass at the William Floyd Parkway railroad crossing, saying traffic congestion has worsened as development has increased on the peninsula.

Slaughter said residents have requested improvements to the crossing for decades, but the area still lacks sufficient routes across the railroad tracks.

The Brookhaven landfill and the potential environmental effects of contamination spreading toward nearby waterways were another nother major concern for the campaign.

"We talked a lot about the Brookhaven landfill," Slaughter said, citing "the plume emanating from that landfill that is not being addressed" as an issue he believes requires action.

Economic pressures facing working- and middle-class families also played a central role in his campaign, particularly rising insurance costs, Slaughter said.

"Across the board, whether it's health insurance, home insurance, car insurance, the rates have been going through the roof, and people can't afford it," Slaughter said. "We really focused on holding insurance companies more accountable and bringing those costs down."

Slaughter said he believes working people need greater representation in state government.

"Being a labor leader and a union member — we need more union members in office — and having a seat at the table to speak and fight for working people, especially for this working-class district, is critical," he said.

Slaughter said he believes voters want representatives who understand the challenges of living paycheck to paycheck and who have personal connections to the communities they serve.

DeStefano was seeking another term representing the district, which includes portions of Brookhaven Town.

Slaughter said he had not spoken with DeStefano since Election Day.

"Party is not important to me, and I'm going to focus on improving the needs of our community, and addressing the economic issues that everybody faces throughout the district, whether they're Republican or Democrat," Slaughter said. "People of all parties face the same economic challenges."

The election results remain unofficial, and additional ballots may be counted before the outcome is certified.