Democrat Joe Scianablo defeated Republican incumbent John Ferretti in the race for Hempstead Town Supervisor, according to Newsday. It is only the second time in 120 years that a Democrat won the job.
With 96.2% of precincts reporting, Scianablo tallied 141,674 votes to Ferretti’s 131,515, according to official Nassau County data.
Ferretti called Scianablo to concede the race, Newsday reported, setting up the end of his one-year term as town supervisor.
The only victory for Democrats in the Hempstead Town Supervisor race for more than a century came in 2017, when now-congresswoman Laura Gillen won the position. Republicans reclaimed the job in 2019.
“Tonight, our town voted for transparency, accountability, and reform with results,” Scianablo said in a statement. “Whether you voted for me or not, I promise to work tirelessly every day to ensure that no community is left behind.”
If incorporated as a city, Hempstead would be the second-largest in New York State, with a population of around 800,000 people. The area was known for decades as a Republican stronghold in New York, and the powerful Republican senator Al D’Amato was famously Hempstead Town Supervisor for six years in the 1970s.
The surprising win for Scianablo was part of a Democratic “blue wave” across the country, which saw the party pick up at least seven U.S. Senate seats and dozens more in the House of Representatives.
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