Micah Lasher won the hotly contested Democratic primary race for New York State Assembly District 69 on Tuesday night, beating out four candidates in the most competitive race the district has seen since Daniel O’Donnell was elected to the office in 2002.
Lasher picked up 52.31 percent of the vote, with 6,996 votes in his favor. Eli Northrup came in second with 4,540 votes, followed by Carmen Quinones and Melissa Rosenberg with 768 votes and 636 votes, respectively. Jack Kellner came in last place with 270 votes. A total of 13,373 people voted in the primary election.
“We ran a campaign that was truly of the neighborhood, powered by scores of volunteers from different parts of the lifetime that I’ve spent in this extraordinary community. I am filled with gratitude for the support they’ve given over these last months and for the thousands of neighbors who have put their trust in me,” Lasher wrote in a statement to Spectator. “Representing them will be the honor of a lifetime.”
Lasher celebrated the victory on Tuesday night at E’s Bar at 511 Amsterdam Ave., where he was joined by District 7 New York City Council member Shaun Abreu, CC’ 14, District 4 City Council member Keith Powers, and New York State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, among others.
Lasher most recently served as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s director of policy for two years before stepping down in January to run for State Assembly. He currently serves as the chair of the Riverside Park Conservancy, a role he has held for the last four and a half years.
Throughout the campaign, Lasher received endorsements from a range of high-profile politicians upon announcing his campaign, including Rep. Jerry Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and Abreu. Lasher also had the support of the three Democratic clubs in District 69—Three Parks Independent Democrats, Broadway Democrats, and West Side Democrats.
Incumbent Assembly member Daniel O’Donnell endorsed Northrup in late May.
Lasher last ran for office in 2016, when he campaigned to be senator for District 31. He ultimately finished second behind Marisol Alcantara.
Lasher does not currently face a Republican opponent in the November general election.