Ty Hankerson, the front-runner in Queens’ District 28 Democratic primary, maintained a first-place lead in the unofficial ranked-choice voting results released Tuesday, July 1, solidifying his position at the top of the race.
Hankerson received the nomination in the fifth round of ranked-choice voting, securing 58.8% of the vote with 6427 votes after 1025 votes were transferred to him following candidate eliminations.
Hankerson’s primary win means he will now take over the seat of term-limited City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
At 30 years old, Hankerson will be considered the youngest council member elected for District 28 and the second youngest council member in the current city council.
Hankerson was competing against four other competitors, Romeo Hitlall, Latoya LeGrand, Japneet Singh, and former Council Member Ruben Wills, in the primary on Tuesday, June 24, and was leading the pack after receiving 4,316 votes, or 34.8% of the vote, in the June 25 primary.
The Democratic candidates were competing to represent a district that includes the diverse neighborhoods of Richmond Hill, Jamaica, South Ozone Park, and Rochdale Village.
Japneet Singh trailed Hankerson, garnering a final total of 4,529 votes with 41.2% of the vote.
Candidate Romeo Hitlall was eliminated in Round 3-1232 (8.8%)- Ruben W. Wills in Round 4 – 2076 votes (15.6%)-, and Latoya L. LeGrand held out until her elimination in Round 5, with 2,769 votes at 22.6%
Hankerson has long been involved in local politics and has a tight-knit relationship with City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. He’s worked in her office for nearly 8 years, beginning as a scheduler. His most recently acquired position was Adam’s district chief of staff.
