Politics & Government

In Reversal, Board of Elections Has Restler Down By 31 Votes

Recount still likely as hotly-contested District Leader race between reform candidate and Lopez-backed opponent continues.

50th Assembly District Leader candidate Lincoln Restler, who seemed to be on the cusp of a razor-thin victory Friday, is now 31 votes shy of his opponent, according to his campaign.

In an email to his supporters, Restler said the city Board of Elections informed him on Saturday that their assessment of the final vote count had changed—essentially erasing his 53-vote lead overnight.

"We spent the weekend assessing how two data drives from the same machine could possibly provide different numbers, but we now believe we are facing a deficit of 31 votes," Restler wrote.

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Restler's opponent, Chris Olechowski, accepted the support of then Brooklyn Democratic chair Vito Lopez and had the support of a crucial Hasidic voting bloc in South Williamsburg.

Restler, a former Fort Greene resident, was active in the successful effort to lure Red Apple Supermarket to a location adjacent to Ingersoll, Farragut and Whitman Houses—an underserved area that used to be in the 50th Assembly District before lines were redrawn this year.

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Given the thin margin separating the two candidates, a recount is likely. 


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