David Carr, a Republican, has held the line in Staten Island’s 50th City Council district in a tight three-way race, denying veteran Democrat Sal Albanese’s political comeback and his attempt to turn the mid-island seat blue for the first time in its 30-year history.
Carr, the chief of staff to the outgoing council member, Steven Matteo, beat out Albanese and Conservative Party candidate George Wonica, a realtor. With about 90% of the district’s vote tabulated as of late Tuesday evening, Carr held a commanding lead with 60% of the vote to Albanese’s 32% and Wonica’s 7%.
Carr’s victory was one of several across the city where Republicans triumphed handily in races that were considered close contests by political observers.
In Queens’ last remaining Republican council seat, in the 32nd District, Republican candidate Joann Ariola beat out progressive Democrat Felicia Singh. In southern Brooklyn’s 48th, Republican Inna Vernikov, a pro-Trump lawyer, led Democrat Steven Saperstein by 27 points with three-fourths of the votes counted.
Those victories, however, came as Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams trounced Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa in the mayoral race.
Carr addressed his supporters from his campaign headquarters on Richmond Road shortly after NY1 called the race.
He thanked his supporters, praised the police department and criticized highway tolls, speed cameras and congestion pricing as attempts to “pick our pockets.”
“We see our friends and family putting up ‘For Sale’ signs, and we know why,” he said. “Because it’s becoming harder and harder to live here, especially as they continue to handcuff the greatest law enforcement agency in the world.”
Albanese, 72, was attempting to return to politics after three attempts to win the Democratic mayoral nomination, including in 2017 when he took 15% of the primary vote from Mayor Bill de Blasio. He represented southwest Brooklyn in the City Council for 15 years, leaving in 1997.
The race was hotly contested, with Albanese and Carr jockeying over who is a stronger supporter of police and who will be a better check on progessive Democratic policies in the council. In a debate between the candidates on NY1, all opposed the use of vaccine mandates to spur city workers to get immunized against COVID-19, opposed making outdoor dining sheds permanent and had many critical things to say about de Blasio.
“I am the law-enforcement candidate in this race, period," Albanese said in the debate.
Carr often attacked Albanese for being a newcomer to Staten Island. Albanese has said he moved to the borough from Brooklyn several years ago to be closer to his children and grandchildren.
“You’re new to the borough, Sal,” Carr said during the debate, in response to a barb from Albanese over Carr’s boss’ support for Council Speaker Corey Johnson, “so you don’t understand that Staten Islanders know their elected leaders really well.”
Though Albanese won the endorsement race, Carr’s campaign outspent Albanese and Wonica by two- and threefold, respectively, according to data from the city’s Campaign Finance Board.
Yet Albanese benefited from the support of independent expenditure groups, commonly referred to as super PACs. The Police Benevolent Association, the department’s main union, collected more than $375,000 to fund mailers and TV and radio ads in support of Albanese’s candidacy, according to NY1 editorial partner The City. Albanese also benefitted from spending by Common Sense PAC, a super PAC focused on electing moderates seeded with large donations from billionaire real estate investor Stephen Ross and Estee Lauder heir Ronald Lauder.
Carr faced a long battle despite being a GOP insider, winning the Republican primary against Marko Kepi, a former aide to a Republican state senator and avowed supporter of former President Donald Trump, by 42 votes after five rounds in the ranked-choice contest.
In the review process after the race, including a recount by hand, 158 absentee ballots were thrown out, and the ensuing legal battle led to a group of state appellate judges ultimately confirming Carr as the winner of the race. Carr also accused Kepi of forging ballots, including registering a dead man to vote for him.
Carr also faced an uphill struggle in showing off his law enforcement bona fides when compared with Albanese, who received endorsements of nearly every police and fire union in his slew of more than 40 labor endorsements.
Albanese, who immigrated to the city from Italy as a boy and got his start in city politics after 11 years as a teacher, did not face a primary challenger.
In an interview after the race was called for his opponent, Albanese chalked up the loss to a national swing against the Democratic party, locally driven in part by frustration with the city’s vaccine mandate for municipal workers.
“We got caught up in a tidal wave,” he told supporters gathered at Li Greci’s Staaten. “There’s nothing that we could have done to change the equation tonight.”
Albanese said he wouldn’t rule out future runs.