Overview
- Campaigns declared victory Wednesday after manual recounts produced final margins of 15 votes for David Siffert in Manhattan’s 66th District and seven votes for Patrick Martinez in Queens’ 30th District.
- Siffert’s lead in AD66 reversed after the canvass because affidavit ballots, late-arriving and cured mail ballots, and a polling-place data-transfer correction were added to the count.
- Martinez, the Queens Democratic Party‑backed candidate and nephew of former Rep. Joe Crowley, prevailed by seven votes after a hand count and his opponent’s attorney said the margin did not justify further litigation.
- Both campaigns had filed court petitions earlier in July to preserve recount rights and oversight, but Jeannine Kiely withdrew her challenge in the Manhattan race after the recount results were announced.
- The outcomes are effectively decisive in these deep blue districts and illustrate how a handful of ballots and routine ballot‑processing steps can determine representation and local policy priorities.