Preliminary results from Tuesday’s general election show Assembly Member Ron Kim winning re-election to continue representing District 40, which covers parts of Whitestone, Flushing, College Point, and Murray Hill.
The incumbent Democrat secured re-election in District 40, defeating Republican challenger Phillip Shaw Chau Wang by a narrow 9-point margin. Preliminary results show Kim with 12,582 votes, or 50.96%, leading Wang, who received 10,254 votes, or 41.53%—a difference of 2,328 votes.
Kim released a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, late Tuesday evening, thanking his constituents for their support. “Thank you, Flushing, Murray Hill, and Whitestone Queens voters, who elected me for a 7th term in the State Assembly. In a district that went red in the last three cycles, including today, I am grateful you believe in our mission to create better jobs, protect our most vulnerable, and keep everyone safe,” Kim wrote.
Wang is a chiropractor who has served the Flushing and the Northern Queens community for over 23 years. His key policy positions include partnering with law enforcement to promote community safety, rethinking cash bail laws, combatting shoplifting, and advancing merit-based equity in specialized high school admissions.
Kim, who was first elected to the assembly in 2012, became the first Korean-American to be elected to the State Assembly. Since winning the June primary, Kim has continued to run on a platform emphasizing his support for small businesses in the greater Flushing community and public safety issues.
In October, Kim presented the New York Public Safety Patrol (NYPSP) with a $35,000 check to help expand patrol routes, enhance small business protection, and strengthen collaborations with law enforcement in downtown Flushing. The funding also went towards NYPSP’s ongoing self-defense classes for Flushing residents. Kim also aided in the passage of the New York State Commercial Security Tax Credit Program, which is hailed as a local victory for Flushing business owners using security measures to curb crime. The program gives a tax credit of up to $6,000 to small retail businesses with less than 50 employees with security-related purchases.
Tuesday’s close race reflects how voters in the 40th assembly district, which includes the predominantly Asian neighborhood of Flushing, have recently shifted conservatively. Kim generated just 54% of the vote in the June primary election, beating Republican challenger Yi Andy Chen by about 14 points.
Looking back, in the 2022 gubernatorial race, Lee Zeldin, a Republican, won many city districts with large Asian populations. Zeldin carried the 40th Assembly District over Gov. Katy Hochul, with 7,819 votes to 7,301 votes.
Furthermore, in the 2021 mayoral race, Curtis Sliwa also carried some Asian districts in a race against Eric Adams, who was overwhelmingly favored to win. Across the city, Sliwa brought in 29% of the vote; however, he generated 44% of the vote in precincts where more than half of the residents are Asian.
Experts believe that the surge in anti-Asian violence, proposals that hurt Asian students’ specialized high school prospects, and the rising costs of property ownership are among the many issues that are causing Asians to become more politically involved. Chinese Americans, in particular, have moved to the center, with many voting Republican as they have slowly detracted from progressive policies.
