Margaret Chin Wins Third Term After Shockingly Close Election

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — Council Member Margaret Chin has secured her third term representing District 1 in City Hall, according to primary election results released Tuesday night.

Chin faced a surprisingly strong challenger in political newcomer Christopher Marte during the Democratic primaries this month. The two were facing off to represent Tribeca, Soho and the Lower East Side.

Her 28-year-old opponent trailed Chin by just 200 votes in the initial count on Sept. 12, New York City's primary election day. The race was shockingly close for Chin, a two-term incumbent with a lot more campaign funds and name recognition that Marte.

According to election results released by the Board of Elections on Tuesday, the final tally shows that Chin got 5,363 votes to Marte's 5,141.

Chin had already declared victory on Sept. 13, the day after the primary election. A spokesman for her campaign referred back to that statement on Wednesday morning. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

"After months of politically motivated attacks and lies, our vision for a more affordable and equitable Lower Manhattan remains triumphant," Chin said in the Sept. 13 statement.

"As a result of the support of everyday people, we will have affordable and accessible housing for our seniors, more opportunities for our young people, and a strong advocate for women, people of color and immigrants in the City Council."

Marte's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment and it's not clear whether he has conceded.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the final vote tally. This article has been amended to reflect the accurate vote tally.

Lead image credit: Slaven Vlasic / Stringer / Getty Images Entertainment.