The results are in, and it’s official — Lincoln Restler will serve another two-year term on the city council for Brooklyn’s 33rd council district.
Restler faced his first challenger in Brooklyn Heights-based Martha Rowen, who ran on the Republican/Conservative/Medical Freedom Party lines. Restler reached a decisive victory with 88% of the vote.
“I truly love this job & I’m super excited to keep fighting hard for the next 2 years,” he wrote on Twitter. He continued in a jab (pun intended) at his challenger, “As misinformation & polarization worsens across USA – it’s critical that we say unequivocally: vaccines save lives.” Rowen was one of several city council candidates affiliated with the Medical Freedom Party, a coalition dedicated to electing politicians who oppose vaccine mandates.
In our neighboring 34th district, which serves parts of Williamsburg, Bushwick, and Ridgewood, incumbent Jennifer Gutiérrez also won handily, with 95% of the vote. Gutiérrez also faced a Medical Freedom Party challenger in Marguerite Chandler.
It was largely a successful night for Democrats city-wide, with most council incumbents easily hanging onto their seats. In South Brooklyn, Justin Brannan won his hotly contested race against Ari Kagan, after redistricting forced the two incumbents against each other. In District 43, a Sunset Park area district which was also created after redistricting, Democrat Susan Zhuang won her competitive race with 59% of the vote.
In the Bronx, Republicans won a surprise victory 30 years in the making, with first-time candidate Kristy Marmorato beating Marjorie Velázquez, who only took office in 2022.