Palumbo victorious in First Senate District

Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo is now Senator-elect in the First Senate District.

The Suffolk Board of Elections confirmed today that Palumbo’s lead in the count makes his victory “mathematically certain.”

Palumbo said in an interview this afternoon he is 5,700 votes ahead in the count, with about 2,000 ballots left to be counted.

“As our new state senator, I will work hard every day to continue the legacy of retiring Senator Ken LaValle and build upon his strong record of protecting the environment, supporting our schools and fighting for taxpayers,” Palumbo said.

“As we face a second wave of the COVID pandemic, it is more critical than ever that we end the partisan politics and come together to provide our first responders, hospitals and frontline workers with the tools and resources they need to support our community as we confront and combat this urgent crisis,” he said.

Palumbo, 50, an attorney and former Suffolk prosecutor, has served three terms in the State Assembly.

“It’s the honor of a lifetime to be the senator-elect to succeed an icon such as Ken LaValle,” Palumbo said in an interview this afternoon. “He’s had the kind of career that everyone in public office hopes to have — supporting constituents, protecting the environment, creating jobs. His career is the one I will seek to emulate in the New York State Senate.”

Palumbo is one of four Suffolk Republicans elected to the State Senate in the 2020 election.

Democratic incumbent Monica Martinez was defeated by Alexis Welk in the Third Senate District. Republican incumbent Phil Boyle was re-elected in the Fourth Senate District and Mario Mattera was elected in the Second Senate District.

Suffolk County Republican Party Chairman Jesse Garcia hailed the victories as a rejection of one-party rule in New York State, where the Democratic Party holds both chambers of the State Legislature and the governor’s office.