Siela Bynoe defeats Taylor Darling in the primary and replaces Kevin Thomas

Sixth District of the New York State Senate

Nassau County Representative Siela Bynoe (D-Westbury) defeated Assemblymember Taylor Darling (D-Hempstead) in the primary to succeed outgoing Senator Kevin Thomas (D-Levittown) in New York State’s Sixth Senate District, according to unofficial results from the Nassau County Board of Elections.

After all 234 polling stations in the district were counted, Bynoe led Darling by about 53% to 46%, with less than one percent of the votes being hand-written.

With this victory, Bynoe could become the first African-American female senator from Long Island in history. In November, she will face attorney Thomas Montefinise (R-Garden City), who ran unopposed on the Republican side.

Kevin Thomas won the seat in a surprise victory over longtime state Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City) and was re-elected in 2020 and 2022. Thomas then ran in the Democratic primary in New York’s Fourth Congressional District, hoping to face incumbent Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park) in November, but suspended his campaign earlier this year and endorsed former Hempstead Township Mayor Laura Gillen, who will face D’Esposito in a re-run of her 2022 race. After abandoning his candidacy, Thomas announced he would not run for the state Senate again.

The Sixth District includes parts of the Town of Hempstead, including the villages of Hempstead and Garden City and the hamlets of Levittown and East Meadow, and extends into the Town of Oyster Bay, including the hamlets of Plainedge and Bethpage.

Other area codes in Nassau County

New York State Senate, Seventh District

Republican Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola) currently represents the Albany-based Seventh Senate District and was unchallenged in the Republican primary. On the Democratic side, however, activist Kim Keiserman (D-Port Washington) defeated Brad Schwartz by a margin of about 75% to 24%, according to unofficial results from the Nassau County Board of Elections.

The district includes the entire town of North Hempstead and smaller parts of the towns of Oyster Bay and Hempstead.

New York State Assembly District 18

Taylor Darling currently represents the 18th District, but she forwent re-election to that seat to run for the State Senate. The Democratic primary to replace her pitted Hempstead Township Councilman Noah Burroughs (D-Hempstead) against Lisa Ortiz (D-Lakeview). Burroughs defeated Ortiz by a margin of about 51% to 48%, according to unofficial results from the Nassau County Board of Elections.

The district lies entirely within the Town of Hempstead and includes Roosevelt, the Village of Freeport, Lakeview, Uniondale and the Village of Hempstead.

New York State Assembly District 21

In politics, revenge battles are rare, and decisive duels are even rarer.

While it may not be as exciting as the thrill in Manila, it will be just that in this district, as former Rep. Judy Griffin (D-Rockville Centre) defeated Patricia Maher by a margin of about 85% to 14% and will face incumbent Rep. Brian Curran (R-Lynbrook) for the third time.

Griffin held the seat from 2019 to 2022. She defeated Curran in 2018, who had held the seat since 2010. Curran ran again in 2022 and won his seat back from Griffin as part of Long Island’s 2022 red wave.

The district is located in the Town of Hempstead and includes the villages of Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, Malverne, South Hempstead, Baldwin and parts of Freeport, West Hempstead, Oceanside, East Rockaway, Lakeview, Hewlett, Hempstead, Franklin Square and Valley Stream.