State Sen. Robert Jackson Holds Primary Lead Over Pina

UPTOWN, MANHATTAN — Incumbent state Sen. Robert Jackson held a clear lead late Tuesday in his bid to become the Democratic nominee for Manhattan's 31st district.

But the state senate primary race — as with most others facing votes Tuesday — couldn't be called because of a glut of absentee ballots yet to be counted.

Results as of 11 p.m. showed Jackson with just about 78 percent of the vote and his opponent, Tirso Santiago Pina, with 22 percent, according to NY1.

It could take days, though, for the Board of Election to count up to 700,000 absentee ballots citywide. New Yorkers requested the ballots as the new coronavirus crisis kept them at home.

In the 31st District in particular, more than 40,000 absentee ballots had been sent out to voters.

Voters had until Tuesday to postmark and mail in their ballots.

The slow results was only one of many factors that made for a chaotic day of primary races. New York City Democrats also dealt with snaking lines, broken scanners and incorrect ballots given out at their polling sites throughout the day.

Jackson has held the state senate seat since 2019. He also faced Pina in 2018.

The Washington Heights native previously held a seat on City Council and was president of Manhattan's Community School Board 6.

The 31st District spans much of Manhattan's west side, including parts of the Garment District, Hell's Kitchen, the Upper West Side, Washington Heights, Inwood, Harlem and a slice of Marble Hill in the Bronx.