New York state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has secured the Democratic nomination as he goes after a fifth full term, the Associated Press declared, fending off a rare challenge from two primary opponents for the role of the state’s chief financial officer.
DiNapoli defeated Drew Warshaw, a former nonprofit housing executive and Port Authority official, and Raj Goyle, an entrepreneur, attorney and former Kansas state legislator, in Tuesday’s primary elections.
As of the latest unofficial results, DiNapoli had 65% of the vote to Warshaw’s 21% and Goyle’s 14%, with 31% of the estimated vote counted.
The longtime incumbent was backed by the state’s Democratic machine in what was New York’s first competitive Democratic primary for comptroller in quite some time. DiNapoli faced off with the two opponents in a Spectrum News 1 debate in May where they attacked his longevity as comptroller and entrenchment in Albany politics overall. DiNapoli previously served in the state Assembly.
DiNapoli is currently the longest serving non-congressional statewide officeholder, having been comptroller since 2007. He was the only statewide officeholder to face a primary on the ballot this year.
DiNapoli will go on to face Republican Joseph Hernandez, a biotech entrepreneur and Cuban American immigrant, in the general election in November. New York hasn’t elected a Republican as state comptroller since 1990.
Election Day is Nov. 3.