Seawright Declares Victory In Hard-Fought UES Assembly Race

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Incumbent Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright declared victory Monday after a bruising State Assembly race on the Upper East Side, saying absentee ballot counts had cemented her win over Republican challenger Lou Puliafito.

With all in-person and absentee ballots counted in the 76th Assembly District, Seawright was victorious with 58.8 percent of the vote, according to an unofficial tally from her campaign.

That represents a slight uptick from the Election Day results, when Seawright led with about 55 percent of the in-person vote.

Puliafito conceded defeat in a statement Monday, congratulating Seawright on winning a fourth term in Albany.

The victory is something of a comeback for Seawright, whose political future seemed in doubt this spring after she was removed from the Democratic Party line due to a filing error. She managed to make the General Election ballot on the independent "Rise & Unite" line, and prevailed in the heavily Democratic district.

“We won because the voters responded so positively to our year-round advocacy for constituents and our highly visible district office services. They made the campaign a historic one, without precedent,” Seawright said in a statement.

“The voters overcame the challenges of the pandemic and all its terrible upheavals. I am deeply grateful they voted for me on a new party line, over long-established major party lines.”

Puliafito, who also ran on the Liberal Party line, thanked his volunteers and said he looked forward to working with Seawright on neighborhood improvements.

The race attracted significant attention from outside the district amid speculation that Puliafito, a doorman, could score a rare Republican win in Manhattan. Heavy-hitters including then-candidate Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Gov. Andrew Cuomo all endorsed Seawright, and her campaign spent more than $500,000 supporting her re-election bid.

Seawright's fourth term in Albany will last another two years. Patrick Bobilin, a progressive who was disqualified from the 76th District race earlier this fall, has vowed to challenge her from the left in 2022.

Puliafito, too, told Patch Monday that he would consider running again.

Related coverage:

• Seawright's Office, Posters Vandalized, Prompting Police Probe
• Here's How Much Money Poured Into Upper East Side Elections
• 1 Race Remains Uncalled On Upper East Side: Election Rundown
• Seawright Leads Puliafito In Race For NY's 76th Assembly Seat