NY-AD27: 'All hands on deck': Democrats, unions rally behind Berger (D) in special election
Sam Berger has everything he should need to win Tuesday’s special election for an open Assembly seat in Queens. The 25-year-old Democrat and recent law school graduate is armed with a campaign war chest that far eclipses his opponent’s, the support of the lawmaker who previously held the seat, and the enthusiastic endorsements of Democratic leaders and more than two dozen unions.
The 27th Assembly District seat was vacated by Daniel Rosenthal, a moderate Democrat who left for a job at the UJA-Federation, and Berger is running against Republican policy consultant and rabbi David Hirsch to fill it.
The district, which stretches from Beechurst to College Point and down to Kew Gardens, includes a large Orthodox Jewish community. Both Berger and Hirsch are members of the Orthodox community and boast endorsements from prominent rabbis, though more rabbis have endorsed Berger. Last year, the district voted for Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin by more than 12 percentage points. But the seat has been held by moderate Democrats like Berger for more than a decade, and some Democratic leaders are publicly projecting confidence in Berger several days out from the election.
“We’re very confident that he’s going to emerge victorious,” said Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz, who chairs the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee, which has donated generously to Berger’s campaign. “I don’t think the fact that Zeldin did better than expected in the district means that the Republican is going to win in this election.” Nevertheless, Dinowitz acknowledged that it’s an “important race.”
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2023/09/all-hands-deck-democrats-unions-rally-behind-berger-special-election/390139/
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