New York State Elections, 2010 - State - State Assembly - Notable Races

Notable Races

• 1st District: Incumbent Democrat Marc Alessi was first elected to the traditionally Republican held district in a 2005 special election. He had recently come under fire for increases in state taxes, loss of state education aid, and the elimination of MTA services throughout his North Fork, Long Island district. Suffolk County legislature Republican minority leader Dan Losquadro challenged Alessi, defeating him by 900 votes.

• 2nd District: Incumbent Fred Thiele, a member of the Independence Party of New York, switched from the Republican Party in 2009 and currently caucuses with the Democratic Party. Until his switch the district had consistently had a Republican in office for several decades. Thiele won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 3rd District: Incumbent Republican L. Dean Murray was elected in a special election on February 9, 2010. He is the first Republican elected to the Southwest Brookhaven district in 13 years. Murray won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 4th District: Incumbent Democrat Steven Englebright faced a challenge from Republican Debbie McKee. Englebright won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 5th District: Incumbent Democrat Ginny Fields was first elected in a special election in 2004. In the September 13, 2010 primary, she was defeated by local Democrat Kenneth Mangan, but ran on the Working Families Party and Independence lines in the November 2, 2010 general election, facing challenges from Mangan and Republican Al Graf, in a district that borders a recent Republican pick up, in the 3rd Assembly District, and which is currently located within the 3rd Senate District, where Democratic State Senator, Brian X. Foley, lost his bid for re-election on November 2, 2010, to Lee Zeldin. Graf defeated Mangan and Fields, who ran as a third party candidate.

• 6th District: Incumbent Democrat Philip Ramos faced a primary challenge from Giovanni A. Mata, chair of the Hispanic Advisory Board for Suffolk County. Ramos won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 15th District: Incumbent Republican Michael Montesano was elected in a special election on February 9, 2010. November 2010 marked his first general re-election. Montesano won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 16th District: Incumbent Democrat Michelle Schimel was elected in a special election in the spring of 2007, replacing Thomas DiNapoli, who succeeded to the comptroller's office. She faced a challenge from Republican Scott Diamond, a former community affairs intern for Governor George Pataki. Schimel won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 20th District: Incumbent Democrat Harvey Weisenberg faced a primary challenge from former Nassau County legislator Jeff Toback. Weisenberg recently came under fire for retiring from the state, allowing for him to collect both his legislative salary and his state pension simultaneously. He has held the Long Beach-based seat since his election in 1988. Weisenberg won re-election on November 2, 2010, narrowly defeating Josh Wanderer, who led after initial returns came in.

• 24th District: Incumbent Democrat David Weprin was elected in a special election on February 9, 2010, succeeding his brother Mark Weprin and his father Saul Weprin. On November 2, 2010, he won his first general re-election.

• 28th District: Incumbent Andrew Hevesi, the son of former Comptroller Alan Hevesi (who resigned amidst a corruption probe) faces his own scandal surrounding his connections to the former New York State Liberal Party. In early 2010, he faced a primary challenge from Democrat Lilianna Zulunova until she dropped out of the race in May due to her recent marriage. Hevesi faced a challenge from Democrat Joe Fox, which Hevesi won. Hevesi faced Republican Aleksander Powietrzynski in the general election, which Hevesi won on November 2, 2010.

• 38th District: Incumbent Democrat Michael G. Miller was elected in a special election on September 15, 2009, succeeding Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, who was forced to resign after a criminal conviction. He defeated challenger Nick Comaianni for the Democratic nomination, but lost the Conservative party endorsement to write-in candidate Donna Marie Caltabiano. Miller won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 49th District: Incumbent Democrat Peter Abbate faced a challenge from the winner of the Republican primary, Peter Cipriano. The 49th District was the only district in Brooklyn to vote for John McCain for President in 2008, but Abbate won re-election over Cipriano on November 2, 2010.

• 60th District: Incumbent Democrat Janele Hyer-Spencer was first elected in 2006 in a close race for an open seat formerly held by a retiring Republican. Local republicans recruited Nicole Malliotakis, who defeated Hyer-Spencer in the general election on November 2, 2010.

• 64th District: Incumbent Democrat Sheldon Silver sued to prevent Republican Joan Lipp from appearing on the ballot, as well as to disallow the Republican Party from naming a replacement.

• 73rd District: Incumbent Democrat Jonathan Bing faced a challenge from Republican Paul Niehaus. Bing won the general election on November 2, 2010.

• 76th District: Incumbent Democrat Peter Rivera faced a primary challenge from attorney Luis Sepulveda. Rivera won the general election on November 2, 2010.

• 82nd District: Incumbent Democrat Michael Benedetto faced Mike Rendino in the general election. Benedetto won the general election on November 2, 2010.

• 89th District: Incumbent Republican Robert Castelli was elected in a special election on February 9, 2010, winning a Northeast Westchester district that had been held for close to two decades by the Democratic Party. A primary race between Tom Roach, White Plains, councilman, and Mark Jaffe, President & CEO of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce determined the Democratic challenger. After a prolonged hand count, Castelli was declared the winner December 10, 2010.

• 90th District: Incumbent Democrat Sandra Galef has held this seat since her election in 1992, despite the strong Republican tilt of Putnam County and the suburban and rural communities in northwestern Westchester. She faced a challenge from her 2008 Republican opponent, William Gouldman, a local community activist in Putnam. Galef won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 91st District: Incumbent Democrat George Latimer faced Army veteran and local businessman Bill Reed, who ran as a Republican. Latimer won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 93rd District: Incumbent Democrat Mike Spano was elected as a Republican to the state Assembly and subsequently changed parties in 2007. He faced Republican Mike Ramondelli. Spano won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 94th District: Incumbent Democrat Kenneth Zebrowski, Jr. faced a challenge from Republican County Legislator Frank Sparaco in the Rockland County District. Zebrowski won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 96th District: Incumbent Republican Nancy Calhoun faced a strong challenge from Democratic county legislator Roxanne Donnery in the Orange and Rockland Counties District. The close race has not yet been decided, as of November 13, 2010.

• 100th District: Incumbent Democrat Frank Skartados was elected in 2008 in a close race, ousting 14 year incumbent Republican Thomas Kirwan. November 2010 marks his first general re-election. The district is located in Eastern Orange County and Poughkeepsie. Kirwan opted for a rematch in 2010 and the race is currently to close to call with Kirwan holding a narrow lead as absentee ballots remain to be counted.

• 104th District: Incumbent Democrat John McEneny faced a challenge from registered nurse Debbie Busch, a Republican. McEneny won the general election on November 2, 2010.

• 108th District: Incumbent Timothy Gordon, a member of the Independence Party, faced a rematch from his 2008 challenger Steve McLaughlin, on the Republican and Taxpayers Party lines. Before Gordon won the open seat in 2006, the seat was in Republican hands. Steve McLaughlin prevailed over Tim Gordon in the November 2, 2010 general election.

• 109th District: Incumbent Democrat Robert Reilly, who also ran as the nominee of the Independence Party of New York State, and the Working Families Party, has represented this Albany County-based district since 2004. He faced potential challenges from several Republicans including Halfmoon Town board member Craig Hayner, former deputy state Attorney General Jennifer Whalen and attorney James Whalen. Jennifer Whalen was also listed as a candidate of the Conservative Party. Reilly won the general election on November 2, 2010, narrowly defeating Whalen.

• 111th District: Incumbent Democrat William Magee faced a challenge from independent candidate Stephen Dodge. Smithfield supervisor Rick Bargabos, Shawn Steele, and David Vickers sought the Republican nomination. Magee won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 114th District: Incumbent Republican Janet Duprey faced a primary challenge from Cadyville businessman David Kimmel, stemming from her support of Dede Scozzafava in the New York 23 special congressional election. Rudy Johnson, a former energy analyst and small businessman, will run on the Democratic ticket in the general election. Duprey won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 116th District: Incumbent Democrat RoAnn Destito faced a potential challenge from Republican Greg Johnson, a councilman in Marcy, New York. Destito won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 118th District: Incumbent Democrat Addie Jenne Russell was first elected in a special election in 2008. She faced a challenge from St. Lawrence County legislator David Forsythe, a Republican. Russell won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 120th District: Incumbent Democrat William Magnarelli has represented his Syracuse based district since 1998. He faced a challenge from Republican David Andrew Gay, who initially sought the Republican nomination for New York's 25th Congressional District; Gay was endorsed by Ron Paul. Magnarelli won re-election on November 2, 2010.

• 121st District: Incumbent Democrat Albert Stirpe has represented his Syracuse based district since 2006 where he won election after Republican Jeffrey Brown vacated the seat to run for the State Senate. He faced a challenge from Republican Don Miller, a local businessman. Stirpe conceded the race to Miller on November 18, 2010.

• 126th District: Incumbent Democrat Donna Lupardo was first elected in 2004, upsetting incumbent Republican Robert Warner. Endicott firefighter Jason Stokes sought the Republican nomination in 2010.

• 144th District: Incumbent Democrat Sam Hoyt has held the seat previously held by his father William Hoyt since the elder died in 1992. He narrowly defeated Barb Kavanaugh in a primary election in 2008. Joseph Golombek challenged Hoyt in the primary election this year, and the race ended up too close to call on election night. Golombek and Hoyt had minor party lines; Brian Biggie has the Republican and Taxpayers nominations, and Clarence Carnahan ran a write-in campaign. Hoyt won re-election on November 2, 2010.