State Senate Election Preview: Andrew Gounardes Vs. Vito LaBella

BROOKLYN, NY — Two Bay Ridge natives, Democratic incumbent Andrew Gounardes and Republican Vito LaBella, will face off this Nov. 5 for State Senate District 26.

District 26, which includes parts of Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Gowanus, Red Hook, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, has been represented by Gounardes since 2023.

When Gounardes was elected to the New York State Senate in 2018 for District 22, he took a seat from a Republican incumbent with just 1,271 more votes, according to Ballotpedia. Then, in 2022, when the districts were redrawn, he ran for District 26 and won again by a sweeping majority of 79.1 percent.

But LaBella will be a fierce competitor. He most recently ran for State Senate District 17 in 2022, but he lost by just 215 votes out of more than 35,000 cast, according to Ballotpedia.

Senate district 26 has more than 138,000 registered Democrats and more than 20,000 registered Republicans, according to New York state data from February.

But, more than 41,000 voters in the district aren't registered with either party.

"Since being elected in 2018 to the New York State Senate, I’ve proven to be an effective legislator, chaptering more than 100 bills that affect everyday New Yorkers, as well as someone who prioritizes constituent services and helping our neighbors," Gounardes told Patch. "My office has helped thousands of our neighbors get access to government services or cut through red tape. If re-elected, I will continue to bring that spirit of service to the district."

Gounardes, who was endorsed by the Working Families Party, told Patch that if re-elected, his priorities would be to support affordable housing access, improve childcare accessibility, and provide tax relief for working families.

"Families are being pushed out of New York thanks to spiraling child care and housing costs. I believe to address these, we need to invest in true affordable housing, that is deeply affordable and has permanent protections and understand that we need to think creatively to get there," Gounardes said.

Read Gounardes' profile here.

LaBella, who was a lieutenant in the NYPD for 32 years and is now the Education and Public Safety Officer for Assemblymember Lester Chang, told Patch he "will listen to all points of view and make specific choices that represent the wills of the people in each specific community."

Backed by the Conservative Party, LaBella also said that, if elected, he would allow "the City and State to cooperate with ICE when it comes to violent and repeat offenders," and "Ensure that migrant children are receiving the healthcare and education that they need."

He also said he would "give targeted tax incentives to businesses" to reduce the cost of living and change bail reform laws and cannabis legalization laws.

Read LaBella's full profile here.

Early voting will take place from Saturday, Oct. 26 through Sunday, Nov. 3. Here's where to vote early in Brooklyn. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5. Find your poll site in Brooklyn here.