Congressman Gregory Meeks was elected chairman of the Queens County Democratic Party Monday, replacing former Congressman Joe Crowley, who stepped down last month.
“Humbled, honored and fired up to be elected,” Meeks said on Twitter. “Ready to move our Borough, City, and State forward.”
The vote was unanimous among the nearly 70 Democratic district leaders who convened at party headquarters in Forest Hills.
“It’s a very exciting time for our party,” Queens County spokesman Michael Reich said. “It was very calm and every single member of the executive committee voted unanimously for Gregory Meeks and the only ones missing were senators who needed to be in Albany, but I spoke with them myself last night and they assured me they were in full support.”
Now serving in his eleventh term in the House of Representatives, Meeks was first elected to represent southern Queens in 1998. Crowley had been re-elected as party boss in September, a post he had held since 2006, but resigned last month after taking a job with Squire Patton Boggs, one of the largest lobbying firms in D.C.
“I supported Greg’s candidacy to replace me as County Leader,” Crowley said. “I think he will do a great job of building on all our accomplishments in electing competent, ethical elected officials that are reflective of the diversity of our great borough of Queens. Congressman Meeks is a coalition builder and has the interest of working families in his heart and mind.”
Crowley represented western Queens for 20 years in the House of Representatives until he was upset by now-Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic primary last June. Meeks was seen as Crowley’s likely successor.
“It was no big surprise around here,” Reich said.
