A race that generated lots of headlines for its nastiness and mudslinging had little drama in the final results as incumbent Congressmember Carolyn Maloney handily defeated challenger Reshma Saujani in the Democratic primary for Congress in the 14th District.
Maloney, who has represented parts of Manhattan and western Queens in Congress since 1992, trounced Saujani by an 81 percent to 19 percent margin. Maloney will take on Republican Ryan Brumberg, who won the GOP primary on Tuesday night, in the November election.
“I am honored and humbled by the overwhelming show of support from voters from every corner of the district,” Maloney said. “This was truly a grassroots effort and this victory belongs to the hundreds of volunteers who worked with me over the course of the campaign.”
For the past six months, Saujani, a community activist and an attorney, ran a very aggressive campaign criticizing Maloney for not being active enough in advocating for her constituents. Saujani focused much of her efforts meeting with residents in western Queens, but on primary day voters overwhelmingly decided to send Maloney back to Washington.
During the race, Maloney’s camp downplayed Saujani’s comments and stressed that Maloney was focusing on her job in Congress and working to help make improvements for her district.
Leading up to the primary, Maloney spoke about recently securing $57 million for the Queens Plaza redevelopment project and $23 million for the Floating Hospital in Long Island City. She also talked about being a leader on two of the biggest infrastructure projects in the country that will create thousands of jobs for residents – the extension of the Second Avenue subway line and the Sunnyside Yards project.
Maloney, who was the first woman to represent District 14 in Congress, is also the first woman to Chair the Joint Economic Committee, a House and Senate panel that examines and addresses the nation’s most pressing economic issues.
“From standing up to consumers to creating jobs to standing up for women, children and families, I am more dedicated than ever to the causes I have championed throughout my career,” Maloney said. “I never stop fighting for New Yorkers – and in tough times, I fight even harder.”
