The Bronx, home to Yankee Stadium and a world-famous zoo, is poised to get its first Republican member of the New York City Council in two decades.
GOP challenger Kristy Marmorato, an X-ray technician also running on the Conservative line, was leading incumbent Democrat Marjorie Velazquez by 53% to 47%, with 81% of the vote counted Wednesday morning, according to the New York Times.
If the results hold, Marmorato will be the first Republican lawmaker from the Bronx since state Senator Guy Velella resigned in 2004 after pleading guilty to a bribery conspiracy.
More than 60% of registered voters in the borough are Democrats, but there have been recent signs of the party’s grip weakening. In 2021, Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa got more votes than the eventual winner, Democrat Eric Adams. And last year incumbent Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul won the district against her Republican challenger, Lee Zeldin, by only 5 percentage points.
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Velazquez faced criticism over her support of a rezoning of Bruckner Boulevard in the East Bronx after initially opposing it. The plan, backed by Adams and approved by the council last year, will create 348 housing units, with up to 166 subsidized as affordable.
Even with Marmorato’s apparent victory, Republican gains in the City Council will make little meaningful difference for legislative purposes. Republicans would control only seven of the council’s 51 seats.
The Bronx results contrast with gains made by Democrats around the US on Tuesday. In Virginia, the party won majorities in the state’s two legislative chambers, defeating Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s effort to unify GOP control. Democrats also had successes in Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania, a sign that the party’s messaging, particularly around abortion rights, is resonating with voters.
