Crown Heights Election Results 2022: Clarke Wins

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — The polls have closed in New York City and in Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, where results are being announced for this year's midterm elections.

Aside from the big-ticket races in New York this year — governor, attorney general and U.S. Senate (find those results here) — the main race in the neighborhood is a challenge to Yvette Clarke, who is seeking a ninth term in the House of Representatives.

Congresswoman Clarke was declared the winner by the Associated Press just before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night, with over 70% of the vote according to preliminary results.

Here is the live vote total for the sole competitive race in central Brooklyn as of Tuesday night, with some background on the race below.

(Note: Totals are based on preliminary Board of Elections data)

9th Congressional District Results

• Yvette Clarke (D/Working Families Party): 84,778 (72.70 %)
• Menachem Raitport (R/Conservative Party): 16,753 (14.37 %)

Uncontested Races

For Senate District 20, Zellnor Myrie will be reelected to serve a third term, representing Crown Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and parts of Park Slope. The Democrat bested longtime incumbent Jesse Hamilton in 2018. Hamilton was a member of the controversial Independent Democratic Conference, a breakaway group of Democrats who caucused with Republicans. Myrie defeated Hamilton by eight points in the Democratic primary and by 85 points in the general election, where Hamilton ran as an independent. District 20 was redistricted this year to include more of Park Slope and Crown Heights, removing parts of Sunset Park.

In Assembly District 57, Phara Souffrant Forrest will be reelected to a second term in Crown Heights. The Democrat won a primary earlier this spring, cementing her chances at a second term, since Republicans cancelled their primary. In 2020, Forrest defeated longtime Assembly Member Walter Mosley by 11 points. Mosley challenged Forrest in the general election on the Working Families line, losing by an even larger 53 point margin.

And in Assembly District 43, Brian Cunningham will be elected to a full term as a Democrat in the state Assembly after winning a special election last spring to fill the vacant seat when Diana Richardson left to become the deputy Brooklyn borough president alongside Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Richardson has since been fired from that job for creating a "toxic" work environment.

Clarke has faced a number of challenges in recent years. Most notably, in 2018, challenger Adem Bunkeddeko, who was endorsed by the New York Times, missed unseating Clarke by a mere 2,000 votes in the Democratic primary. Clarke was challenged by Bunkeddeko again in a 2020 primary, but trounced the two-time challenger by about 30 points.

A longtime steady backbencher in congress, as described in the Times' endorsement of Bunkeddeko, Clarke previously served as a city Council member for seven years, representing Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and parts of surroundings neighborhoods.

In 2017, after the election of former President Donald Trump, Clarke told constituents at a town hall that she was already prepared to call for him to be removed from office.

"All of the ducks are beginning to line up," Clark said at the town hall.

"I will say to you, it won't be long," Clarke added.

In redistricting this year, District Nine lost parts of Sheepshead Bay and gained parts of Midwood. You can see how the maps changed by clicking here.