Kerry Should Take Manhattan…And Queens Too

While America will surely have to wait a good portion of the night on November 2 to find out who the next president will be, pollsters can almost assuredly put Queens and New York City into the John Kerry/John Edwards column at 9:01 p.m. as soon as the polls close.
That non-prediction is based on numbers from the present and the past. In the latest Marist College poll released September 15, Kerry led President George W. Bush 59 to 27 percent in New York City, with nine percent undecided.
And judging from the 2000 presidential election returns in Queens, it’s going to be another romp in this Democrat-heavy city and borough. The Al Gore/Joe Lieberman ticket took home a huge win here in that election, 72.4 percent to 21.2 percent for Bush/Dick Cheney, the same Republican ticket as this year.
The overall city numbers were worse for the GOP at 74.8 percent to 17.6 percent (the remaining percentage went to third party candidates or were "no-votes").
Within the borough, turnout was greatest, at 47,052 voters, in the 24th Assembly district (the Board of Elections breaks down returns by AD, rather than precinct or zip code), comprising the neighborhoods of Fresh Meadows, Hollis Hills and Jamaica Estates. Those numbers were aided by a close race for State Senate in the same area. The lightest turnout, at 24,584 voters was in the 34th AD in Jackson Heights.
The Democrats pulled in a staggering 90 percent of the vote in the 29th AD (Jamaica, Hollis) to only six percent for the Republicans. They also cleaned up in South Jamaica (32nd AD, 88 percent) and Laurelton and South Ozone Park (31st AD, 87 percent).
The GOP had their best showing in the 38th AD, comprising Richmond Hill and Glendale, with 34 percent of the vote. They also broke the 30-percent plateau in the 23rd AD (Howard Beach and Ozone Park) and the 26th AD of Bayside, Whitestone and Douglaston.
Both candidates this year have paid visits to Queens; Kerry in February and the president during the Republican National Convention, when he dropped into the Italian Charities of America in Elmhurst.
It is too late to register to vote, but if you are a registered voter and need help finding your poll site, call the Board of Elections at 866-VOTE-NYC.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Be sure and make your vote count. Then head home and watch the rest of the returns come in as America chooses its next president.
E-mail this reporter at editrich@queenscourier.com .