Gillen declares victory over D’Esposito; GOP maintains control of other seats

Republican incumbents appear to have retained most local seats in New York on Tuesday, but in Congressional District 4, Democratic challenger Laura Gillen declared victory over incumbent Congressman Anthony D’Esposito, securing her first term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“We knocked on 300,000 doors, we made over 600,00 phone calls, and we put together a campaign that was a winning came that we will emulate in the years to come,” Gillen said.

In the state legislature, Republican State Senator Steve Rhoads was re-elected with over 102,000 votes, defeating Democrat Lisa Lin. Rhoads, a prominent advocate on public safety issues, celebrated his win by promising to continue his focus on supporting the values of the state senate district.

“I’m thrilled and honored that the constituents of the 5th (State) Senate District placed their trust in me,” Rhoads told Herald reporters on Tuesday night. “We’ve worked very hard to represent their values, to work for their safety, to work for their prosperity. I’m looking forward to continuing to get to do that work.”

On the assembly side, State Assemblyman David McDonough, also a Republican, won re-election against challenger Ellen Lederer DeFrancesco, earning 58 percent of the votes. Republican Assemblyman John Mikulin celebrated re-election Tuesday night, earning over 43,000 votes, defeating Democratic challenger Harpreet Toor.

In the special election for the Town of Hempstead, Councilman Chris Schneider won a full term in the seat to which he was initially appointed in August. He defeated Democratic challenger Kevan Abrahams, solidifying his position on the council and adding another win for the GOP.

“To my constituents, the trust that they’re placing in me means the world to me,” Schneider said. “This is the honor of my professional life and I’m so touched by it, I’m very humbled by it, and I’m excited by it.”

Prop 1, an amendment that aimed to add protections against discrimination to the state constitution, was overwhelmingly approved by voters.

This story originally appeared on LIHerald.com.