Phil Wong has emerged as the likely Democratic nominee in the District 30 City Council race, following the release of unofficial ranked-choice voting (RCV) results on Tuesday, July 1, which show him narrowly defeating challenger Paul Pogozelski after three rounds of vote tabulation.
Wong, finished with 5,454 votes (51.5%), edging out Pogozelski, who earned 5,129 votes (48.5%) in the final RCV round. The close contest played out over multiple rounds of ballot redistribution following the elimination of third-place candidate Dermot P. Smyth and a small number of write-in votes.
Smyth, received 3,878 votes (30.8%) in the first round. His elimination in Round 2 transferred over 1,100 ballots to the two frontrunners. Pogozelski picked up more votes from Smyth’s supporters (1,129 to Wong’s 886), but it wasn’t enough to overcome Wong’s early lead.
Wong led the first two rounds of tabulation, starting with 4,561 votes (36.3%) in Round 1 and rising to 4,568 (36.6%) in Round 2 before ultimately securing a majority. The ranked-choice system also recorded a total of 1,994 inactive ballots, meaning voters who did not rank either of the final two candidates on their ballots.
In a statement following the release of the unofficial results, Wong expressed gratitude to his supporters and optimism about the final outcome. “Thank you to every voter who put their faith in me,” he said. “It appears our Election Night lead has held, and I’m encouraged by the unofficial Rank Choice Vote results. I look forward to the Board of Elections completing the process and certifying me as the winner of the Democratic Primary.”
The final margin between Wong and Pogozelski was just 325 votes, underscoring how competitive and closely watched the race became in its final days. While Wong held a consistent lead through all three rounds of ranked-choice tabulation, Pogozelski significantly narrowed the gap after picking up over 1,100 votes from eliminated candidate Smyth.
The narrow difference highlights the growing political engagement across District 30 and the impact of ranked-choice voting in amplifying second-choice preferences in tight races.
While the results have not yet been certified by the Board of Elections, Wong’s lead puts him in a strong position heading into the November general election. District 30 covers Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle Village, Maspeth, and parts of Woodhaven and Woodside.
The Democratic primary winner is expected to face Republican candidate Alicia Vaichunas in the general election.
The Board of Elections is expected to certify the results later this month.
