Maloney bests primary challenger
See this story at TimesLedger.com.
By Carlotta Mohamed
TimesLedger Newspapers
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) defeated her challenger, Suraj Patel, in Tuesday’s Democratic primary election and now will face two more opponents in the general election in November.
With 88 percent of the precincts reporting, Maloney won with 58.1 percent of votes, while Patel trailed behind with 41.9 percent, according to unofficial results from NY1.
The congresswoman is working to help pass a measure to protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program in the House and is also involved in putting together a hearing about the separation of children from families while crossing the Mexico border into the United States.
Maloney, whose district covers part of western Queens, the East Side of Manhattan and a swath of Brooklyn, will be up against Republican Eliot Rabin and Green Party candidate Scott Hutchins in November. She played a key role in bringing federal funding to the city for the construction of the Second Avenue subway and has been a strong advocate on women’s issues in the House.
Patel, a hotel executive, ran a spirited campaign against Maloney drawing on social media to appeal to Millennial supporters. The race between Maloney and Patel became bitter as viewers watched a televised NY1 debate June 12 when the pair clashed over each other’s points of view on a number of issues.
Both candidates debated the work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the legalization of marijuana, Maloney’s record on a 1994 crime bill and their positions on the oversaturation of bars in the Lower East Side.
“ICE has been operating with impunity and above the rule of law for years under multiple presidents,” Patel said during the debate. “We made it many years, 200-plus years in this country, without ICE. We can make it another 200 years without them.”
Maloney agreed ICE is “out of control,” but said some type of border patrol is necessary.
“ICE has definitely lost its way,” Maloney said, explaining that the Women’s Caucus in the House has a bill to reorganize and redirect ICE to help rather than deport people. Differences aside, both candidates came to an agreement on some issues. They both supported legalization of marijuana, but Patel added that he supported retroactively releasing people who have been incarcerated for nonviolent marijuana crimes. And they both agreed on capping the opening of new bars in the district, but said the decision should be made by the community.
Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.
Source: Times Ledger
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