Seawright Leads Puliafito In Race For NY's 76th Assembly Seat

This story was last updated at 9:18 a.m. Wednesday.

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — One day after polls closed in New York, vote counts showed a relatively close race for the 76th Assembly District general election where incumbent Rebecca Seawright is trying to defend her seat against challenger Lou Puliafito.

Seawright, a Democrat, has represented the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island in the State Assembly since 2015. This year, however, she is running as an independent on the "Rise and Unite" ticket, after being kicked off the Democratic line this spring due to a filing error.

Puliafito, her opponent, is a Republican also running on the Liberal Party line. The abnormally competitive race in what is typically a Democratic stronghold has brought an unusual amount of attention to the election, with NY1 naming it one of five races to watch around the city.

With all precincts reporting by Wednesday, Seawright led with 55.1 percent of the vote, with Puliafito trailing at 44.9 percent, according to NY1. The network still had not declared a winner as of Wednesday morning.

The results did not include absentee ballots, which New York will begin counting next week. Reached by phone Wednesday morning, Puliafito said he did not plan to concede, citing the outstanding mail-in votes.

"We still have a lot of absentee ballots to count. It’s a close race," he said.

More than 35,000 ballots were mailed to voters in the 76th District, according to the Board of Elections, with over 23,000 ballots sent to registered Democrats and nearly 3,500 going to Republicans.

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Seawright has been boosted by a $100,000 donation from the state Democratic Party, seeking to protect its incumbents, according to a report by Newsday. Party leaders including presidential nominee Joe Biden and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have also endorsed Seawright in recent days.

Puliafito was endorsed last month by the New York Post. He has repeatedly declined to say whether he plans to cast a vote for President Trump, saying he is dissatisfied with both major parties.

A third candidate, progressive activist Patrick Bobilin, was ruled ineligible in September due to residency issues and formally ended his candidacy last month. He has pledged to run again in 2022.

The race hasn't been pretty. Puliafito knocked Seawright in September after she opened a campaign office in the building where he works as a doorman, and Seawright has accused Puliafito and the GOP of using "Soviet Union-style" methods to challenge her eligibility.

About the candidates

In a Patch candidate profile, Seawright emphasized her work distributing medical supplies and meals during the pandemic and hosting virtual town halls to keep residents informed.

She has also touted her legislative record in Albany, sponsoring a 2017 law that requires insurance companies to cover 3-D mammograms and several environmental protection acts.

"I have a proven record of fighting for and obtaining resources for the Upper East Side, Yorkville, and Roosevelt Island," she wrote. "In the years since I was elected I have worked tirelessly to provide essential constituent services to the people of my district."

Puliafito told Patch last month that his key issues included affordability and safe streets, personal debt in the wake of the pandemic, as well as "rampant corruption and mismanagement in our state and local governments."

He accused Seawright of being insufficiently independent, writing that she "rubberstamped all democratic bills without argument" and criticizing the Democratic Party's heavy spending in the race.

"I can cross the aisle to facilitate responsible laws and I will call out wrongdoings of both parties," Puliafito said.

Patch candidate profiles:

• NYC General Election 2020: Rebecca Seawright Seeks Re-Election
  
• NYC General Election 2020: Lou Puliafito Challenges For Assembly

Previous coverage of the 76th Assembly District election:

• Challenger Drops Out Of UES Assembly Race With Voting Underway
• Upper East Side Assembly Race Turns Turbulent: What To Know
  
• UES Incumbent Kicked Off Ballot Will Run As Independent: Report