Donovan Richards has a 1,044-vote lead over Elizabeth Crowley in the Democratic primary for Queens BP (Richards For Queens)
July 6, 2021 By Allie Griffin
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards maintained a narrow lead in his bid for re-election after absentee ballots were tallied Tuesday.
Richards, who was sworn into office last year following a special election, is all but certain to serve a full term as borough president now that almost all the votes have been counted.
However, the incumbent nearly lost the primary to former Council Member Elizabeth Crowley—in what would have been a big upset, according to political insiders.
Elizabeth Crowley, candidate for Queens Borough President (campaign photo), is 1,044 votes behind Donovan Richards in the race for the Democratic nomination
Pundits were surprised that Richards was only 3,313 votes ahead of Crowley before 35,550 absentee ballots were counted Tuesday.
Richards’ lead actually narrowed, with just 1,044 votes separating them after absentee ballots were added, according to the ranked choice voting results posted by the Board of Elections Tuesday evening.
The Board of Elections is expected to certify the results sometime next week and they are unlikely to change in any meaningful way.
Richards, who appears to have won the Democratic primary, will likely go on to compete in a November general election for the seat, which he would be almost certain to win given the disproportionate number of registered Democrats to Republicans in the borough.
The Democratic primary for borough president also included a third candidate, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, who was eliminated in the second round of the ranked choice voting process.
He brought in 29,215 votes, or 17.8 percent of the vote, before he was eliminated and his votes redistributed to the other candidates.
Richards will complete his current term through to the end of the year. Should he win the general election he will serve a full four-year term.
The results after absentee ballots were added (Source: NYC Board of Elections)
