Riverhead Supervisor Jerry Halpin appears to have won re-election in a close contest Tuesday, defeating Council Member Ken Rothwell 6,779 to 6,153.
“If it holds, if it holds,” Halpin said. While smiling broadly, he remained cautious about declaring victory, though all 22 of the town’s election districts had reported their in-person voting results.
The results, posted on the Suffolk County Board of Elections website, remain unofficial.
Rothwell had not conceded defeat as of 11:20 p.m. He left Stonewall’s restaurant in Riverhead, where local Republicans had gathered for a watch party, without addressing supporters who remained in the room at 11:30 p.m.
Halpin was elected to in 2025 to a term abbreviated by the state’s Even-Year Election Law.
An independent running on the Democratic line, Halpin defeated then-incumbent Republican supervisor Tim Hubbard by 37 votes last year.
“Hopefully, it’s a reflection on the voters across party lines being happy,” he said an interview. “I think that hopefully this is something that we can build upon in a town and continue to grow and continue to see strength and work together with the board that I sit with,” he said.
Rothwell, a Republican was re-elected as councilman in 2025 and was tapped to challenge Halpin this year. He did not answer his phone at the end of the night after he left the restaurant.
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