Carlos Menchaca Tops Sara Gonzalez In District 38 Council Race

The majority of Tuesday’s primary results are in, and District 38 has a new city council member on the horizon. With 57.6% of the vote, Carlos Menchaca outflanked incumbent Sara Gonzalez to take the seat representing parts of South Slope, Greenwood Heights, Sunset Park and Red Hook.

Representatives for Council Member Gonzalez told the Brooklyn Paper that, while she is understandably disappointed in Tuesday’s results, “she is going to leave the council the same way she entered and that’s with dignity.”

“She’s hoping that her community gets nothing but the best it deserves,” they added.

As of now, there is no Republican contender for the District 38 council seat, so Menchaca should officially take office in January.

On the mayoral front, Joe Lhota solidly took the republican nomination with 52.6% of the vote, while neighbor Bill de Blasio currently holds 40.2% of the democratic vote. In order for a candidate to advance into the general elections, 40% of the vote is required. As de Blasio’s number is right on the cusp, the Board of Elections announced that a recount of all paper ballots will take place to ensure that the required 40% was reached. The paper tally could take “days,” according to a report this morning by the New York Times.

If the Board of Elections determines that less that 40% was achieved, a run-off election is scheduled for October 1 with second place candidate Bill Thompson.

Other wins from the night include:

City Council, District 39: Brad Lander (uncontested, incumbent)
Comptroller: Scott Stringer (52.2%)
Public Advocate: Both Letitia James (35.9%) and Daniel Squadron (33.3%) will advance
Borough President: Eric Adams (uncontested)
Kings County District Attorney: Kenneth P. Thompson (55.4%)

To see voting results by precinct, check out The New York Times interactive map here. As it turns out, the Slope came out to support de Blasio in a big way.

Photo via Carlos Menchaca