By Stephen Stirling
Grace Meng soundly defeated state Assemblywoman Ellen Young (D-Flushing) in the Democratic primary Tuesday, an upset that put her within reach of the Flushing seat her father was elected to just four years ago.
Meng pulled in more than 55 percent of the votes cast with 2,568 in Tuesday's contest, good enough for a 14 percentage point victory over Young, who had just 41 percent with 1,792 votes, according to the New York State Board of Elections. The unofficial results were based on returns from 98 percent of the polling sites.
Meng thanked Young for a competitive race and the community for “the honor” of being elected as the Democratic nominee for the 22nd Assembly District seat, which currently has no Republican challenger.
Young remains the nominee on both the Working Families and Independent tickets, but it was unclear as of press time if she would continue her campaign
“We'll celebrate tonight, but then we've got to get to work,” Meng said.
Young's campaign could not be reached for comment.
State Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) was victorious in her primary race Tuesday, fending off a surprisingly strong showing from retired Forest Hills businessman Robert Schwartz in the race for the Democratic nominee for the 16th Senate District.
Excitement and anxiety pulsed through the polling sites in Flushing Tuesday, where eager voters mixed with political posturing.
“It's exciting. Very exciting. To have two women — Asian women — going after the same seat in state government,” said Ming Li Hao, a Flushing resident, after voting in the primary. “Everybody's talking about it. You can see their posters all over.”
During the course of the day Tuesday, officials from the Young campaign accused Meng of electioneering, contending that several members of her campaign team had violated state laws by trying to influence voters at polling sites.
Reached for comment, Meng denied her campaign had broken any laws, but said her team had been out at polling sites in force to protect voter's rights.
“A lot of people have been turned away from the polls without even being given a Voter's Affidavit, including my own grandmother,” Meng said. “We are out here to make sure that everyone gets to vote. That's their right.”
The race between Meng and Young was the most competitive primary in Queens, with each candidate generating substantial fund-raising totals and snapping up endorsements over the summer.
According to campaign finance records filed 11 days before Tuesday's primary, Meng had spent more than $197,000 on her campaign thus far, far outpacing Young, who had spent $71,298.
Young, however, boasted a bigger war chest for the final week and a half headed into the primary with $219,743 on hand, compared with Meng, who had $179,705 at her disposal as of the Aug. 29 filing.
The primary marked the second time Meng and Young had faced off for the seat.
Meng ran for the seat in 2006 after he father decided not to seek re-election because of health problems, but she was forced off the ballot after Young challenged her residency status. Young went on to defeat former City Councilwoman Julia Harrison and Korean community organizer Terence Park, who are now running with Meng for district leader seats.
While the 22nd Assembly District exclusively covers Flushing, the 16th Senate District snakes from Bayside and Whitestone through Flushing and Forest Hills stretching as far west as Rego Park and east into portions of Oakland Gardens.
Stavisky won by a large margin, collecting more than 65 percent of the votes cast for a total of 4,603, according to unofficial totals from the Board of Elections. Schwartz, who rarely promoted his campaign in public, won a surprising 2,411 of the votes cast for 34 percent, based on unofficial results from 98 percent of the polling sites.
Schwartz's campaign was funded almost entirely through $130,000 he loaned to himself, according to campaign filings, virtually all of which was spent on elaborate mass mailings attacking Stavisky's record.
Campaign filings show Stavisky spent more than $49,000 in the weeks leading up to the primary.
With the win, Stavisky will face what is expected to be stiffer competition from Republican challenger Peter Koo, who has raised more than $224,000 for a November fight against the incumbent senator.
Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at Sstirling@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, ext. 138.
