Pamela Harris Wins 46th District Assembly Seat

Democrat Pamela Harris successfully defeated GOP candidate Lucretia Regina-Potter in the special election to fill the assembly seat left vacant by Alec Brook-Krasny, winning 63 percent of the vote, according to preliminary Board of Elections numbers.

Harris, a former corrections officer and longtime Coney Island community activist, is the first black candidate in New York City’s history to win a white-majority district, and the first African American to represent the 46th District.

While the district, which spans from Coney Island to Bay Ridge, is largely democratic and hasn’t been represented by a Republican since the 1980s, some questioned whether the demographic challenges Harris faced would create an opening for Regina-Potter to win the seat.

The position was left vacant in July when Brook-Krasny stepped down to take a job in the private sector in July. Harris and Regina-Potter sparred over issues affecting the district in two debates last month.

Harris has said she want to focus on rebuilding Hurricane Sandy-impacted communities in southern Brooklyn as as well as crack down on illegal home conversions in the district.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Brooklyn, Democratic Assemblywoman Roxanne Persaud defeated GOP candidate Jeffrey Ferretti for the Senate seat vacated by John Sampson, who was convicted of obstruction of justice and lying to the FBI in July.