1 Race Remains Uncalled On Upper East Side: Election Rundown

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — With virtually all Election Day votes counted, the only race in Manhattan that remained uncalled Wednesday took place on the Upper East Side.

In the turbulent 76th State Assembly District race, incumbent Rebecca Seawright led Republican challenger Lou Puliafito by about 10 points Wednesday. Seawright won 55.1 percent of the in-person vote to Puliafito's 44.9 percent with all precincts reporting, according to NY1, which is tracking all city elections.

The 76th District covers the Eastern part of the neighborhood between 61st and 92nd Streets, as well as Roosevelt Island.

But NY1 had not declared a winner in either race by Wednesday night — the last in the borough to be uncalled. That may be due in part to the thousands of absentee ballots that will remain uncounted until next week, possibly skewing the final results.

According to the Board of Elections, more than 35,000 ballots were mailed to voters in Seawright's 76th District. Far more registered Democrats received ballots than Republicans did.

Next door, a late call was made in incumbent Democrat Dan Quart's re-election bid in the 73rd Assembly District, which covers the western sliver of the Upper East Side as well as parts of Midtown East and Murray Hill.

NY1 did not affirm Quart's re-election until Wednesday afternoon, as he led Republican rival Judith Graham with 69.5 percent of the vote to Graham's 30.5 percent.

"I want to express my deepest gratitude to my community for once again putting their faith in me and our campaign," Quart said in a statement Wednesday.

In other races on the Upper East Side, incumbents won easily. Carolyn Maloney won another term in Congress, State Sens. Liz Krueger and José M. Serrano were re-elected, and Assemblymember Robert J. Rodriguez, who mostly represents East Harlem, easily defeated his GOP challenger.

"Life goes on"

The 76th District race appears to have been affected by Seawright's filing error this spring, which resulted in her being dropped from the Democratic Party ticket and forced to run as an independent on the "Rise and Unite" line.

After having cruised to re-election in past years — including trouncing Puliafito with 96 percent of the vote in 2018 — Seawright's margin appeared comparatively smaller this week.

Speaking to supporters Tuesday at her First Avenue campaign headquarters, Seawright declared victory, saying her campaign had gone "from the deepest valley to the highest mountain top."

"The voters found us on the ballot and honored us with their support," she said.

But Puliafito, who also ran on the Liberal Party line, told Patch on Wednesday that he did not plan to concede before the city began counting absentee ballots. No matter the final outcome, he said, he was heartened by the support he'd received in what is normally a Democratic stronghold.

"Even if I lose this, I think there’s something to build on," he said.

The affluent Upper East Side has long had a conservative streak compared to the rest of Manhattan, which was reflected in Tuesday's results: Quart and Seawright's leads were smaller than those held by their Democratic Assembly colleagues in Harlem and Lower Manhattan.

For Puliafito, who works as a doorman in an apartment building on East 70th Street, life was beginning to return to normal Wednesday after months of campaigning.

"I’m back at work tonight as a doorman," he said. "Life goes on."

Related coverage:

• Seawright Leads Puliafito In Race For NY's 76th Assembly Seat
• Challenger Drops Out Of UES Assembly Race With Voting Underway
• Voting On The Upper East Side: Everything You Need To Know