Politics & Government

Walter Mosley Cruises to Victory in Assembly Race

With string of endorsements and backing of outgoing Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, the district leader handily beats out Olanike Alabi and Martine Guerrier for Democratic nomination.

 

With a list of endorsements that reads like a who's who of Brooklyn politics, easily won the Democratic nomination for state Assembly Thursday night.

The male district leader for the 57th Assembly District who had strong backing from outgoing Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, beat out fellow district leader and education policy wonk and Haitian soccer mom with nearly two-thirds of the vote, according to the New York Times.  

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In the final count, with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Mosley got 4,295 votes or 62.6 percent, Alabi got 2,078 votes or 30.3 percent while Martine Guerrier, despite a New York Times endorsement, got just 493 votes, or 7.2 percent. 

"We knocked on thousands of doors, made thousands of calls, and I am proud to say that we are here today in victory," Mosley said in a written statment after the results were in.

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"I look forward to going to Albany and working with my sister, Tish James, in City Hall and my brother, Hakeem Jeffries, in Congress. Together, as a progressive trifecta, we will work for you and fight for the 57th Assembly district."

The Howard Law School graduate will face Republican Francis Voyticky in the November election in this heavily Democratic district. 

Born and raised in Central Brooklyn, Mosley has worked for former Gov. David Paterson, on John Kerry's presidential bid in 2004 and most recently as an advisor to the New York State Senate Democratic Minority Conference.  

"Public service is in my blood," Mosley . "My grandparents helped elect one of the first African-American Supreme court jurists in Kings County. That story was told to me growing up throughout my childhood."

"The 57th has changed a lot in the last 30 years, with new residents and businesses changing the demographics," he added. "However many of the problems that Brooklynites faced then are still the same now.  I want to go up to Albany and work with my fellow colleagues in government to bring the best results to Brooklyn."

Martine Guerrier congratulated Mosley on her website,  saying he was “well organized” and ran “a strong campaign.”

She said she's considering trying again in 2014.  

"Though the outcome is not the one I was working for, I did learn alot about the process," she told Patch via e-mail.

"I made contact with thousands of people (who apparently need more convincing that primary elections matter) and can now tackle a broader scope of local concerns and national issues because I have shown everyone that I am willing to jump into the arena to be a voice of the people," she added.

Alabi sent an e-mail early Friday morning thanking supporters. 

"We are proud of the campaign we ran and the hard work we put in.  It was truly an honor to meet so many on the campaign trail, but what is more to have the opportunity to discuss issues pertinent to our community.  We will continue to 'fight the good fight' to improve the quality of life for so many in the 57th Assembly District and beyond. All the best moving forward," she wrote. 


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