Astoria, LIC Election Results: Kristen Gonzalez Beats Crowley

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Kristen Gonzalez defeated Elizabeth Crowley in Western Queens's hard-fought State Senate race, marking the latest victory for a socialist candidate in Astoria and Long Island City.

Crowley, the moderate former City Council member and Borough President candidate, conceded to the tech worker Gonzalez just before 10 p.m., as Gonzalez led by more than 20 percentage points. Her victory was called by NY1 around 11:30 p.m.

"Today, we really proved that socialism wins," Gonzalez said in a speech to supporters reported by THE CITY.

Gonzalez is now all but assured to take office in January as the new State Senator for the 59th District, covering much of Astoria and Long Island City as well as Northwest Brooklyn and a slice of Manhattan's East Side.

Crowley, meanwhile, has been handed her fourth consecutive defeat, after losing her City Council seat to Republican Robert Holden in 2017, and falling in two consecutive primaries for Queens Borough President in 2020 and 2021.

59th State Senate District results

Preliminary vote totals as of 11 p.m. (97.94% of scanners reporting):

• Francoise Olivas: 1.12% (248 votes)
• Kristen S. Gonzalez: 58.53% (12,948 votes)
• Elizabeth S. Crowley: 32.21% (7,126 votes)
• Nomiki Konst: 1.56% (346 votes)
• Michael D. Corbett: 6.37% (1,410 votes)

7th Congressional district results

Preliminary vote totals as of 11 p.m. (96.94% of scanners reporting):

• Paperboy Love Prince: 15.49% (3,991 votes)
• Nydia M. Velázquez: 83.17% (21,421 votes)

With Gonzalez's win, Astoria will be represented by socialists at every level of government except the U.S. Senate, as she joins incumbent City Councilmember Tiffany Cabán, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Background

The 59th District race was the most competitive primary on the ballot in the neighborhood this month.

Crowley joined the race despite living outside the district, in Glendale. A relative centrist, she was backed by much of the city's political establishment, including Mayor Eric Adams and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.

Her main rival was Gonzalez, a product manager at American Express who ran with the backing of the Democratic Socialists of America. Gonzalez's supporters included U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Councilmember Tiffany Cabán, State Sen. Michael Gianaris, and the Working Families Party.

Also running was Corbett, a Manhattan political aide who won the support of U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney — who herself lost re-election on Tuesday to fellow incumbent Jerry Nadler.

Two previously-declared candidates withdrew from the 59th District race in recent weeks: progressive Nomiki Konst, who endorsed Gonzalez, and Francoise Olivas, who endorsed Crowley.

The race was rocked in recent days by false online ads and mailers paid for by a business-friendly PAC in support of Konst — in what critics blasted as an attempt to split the progressive vote at Gonzalez's expense.

The brand-new 59th District runs along the East River, from Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, through Long Island City and down to Williamsburg, Brooklyn — plus a chunk of Midtown East in Manhattan.

Also on the ballot: Nydia Velázquez, who has represented Northwest Brooklyn in Congress for 20 years.

Due to redistricting, Velázquez's district bounds were radically reshaped, now covering much of Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Ridgewood and Glendale as well as a slice of North Brooklyn.

The progressive lawmaker's sole challenger is Paperboy Love Prince, the fun-loving Brooklyn rapper who won 4,000 votes in their run for mayor last year. (Prince also challenged Velázquez previously in 2020, winning about 20 percent of the vote.)

Many Astoria and Long Island City lawmakers were unopposed in their primaries and therefore not on the ballot this month — including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and State Sens. Michael Gianaris and Toby Ann Stavisky.

Related coverage:

• Astoria-LIC Election Guide: Fraught Senate Race, Congressional Primary
• Misinformation Roils Queens Senate Race With Voting Underway
• Queens Senate Race: Nomiki Konst Drops Out, Endorses Kristen Gonzalez
• Astoria, LIC's Political Landscapes Are Shaken Up By New Maps