{"id":276137,"date":"2026-06-24T03:29:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T03:29:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/276137\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T03:29:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T03:29:42","slug":"assemblyman-michael-benedetto-secures-re-election-in-district-82-bronx-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/276137\/","title":{"rendered":"Assemblyman Michael Benedetto secures re-election in District 82 \u2013 Bronx Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Supporters at the Bronx Havana Room celebrated Tuesday night as incumbent Assemblyman Michael Benedetto secured another term<\/a> representing New York\u2019s 82nd Assembly District.<\/p>\n

With polls closing at 9 p.m., unofficial election results<\/a> showed Benedetto comfortably holding onto his seat, continuing a tenure that has made him one of the Bronx\u2019s longest-serving state legislators. As of 9:55 p.m., Benedetto had received 61.40% of the vote, according to unofficial results released by the New York City Board of Elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe voters, they notice what goes on in their district, and they don\u2019t forget about it, and that\u2019s what\u2019s so important,\u201d Benedetto said during his victory speech, thanking voters in Throggs Neck, Pelham Bay and Co-op City.<\/p>\n

Challenger Jake Kuhl received 24.94% of the vote, while Felix Omozusi garnered 12.23%.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cListen, a message goes out to people who will come in the future and to the public at large: do your homework. Develop a resume to prove to people that you really care about the community and haven\u2019t woken up one morning and said, \u2018Let me play candidate and run for office,’\u201d Benedetto said. \u201cShow you have a commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The victory allows Benedetto to continue representing the East Bronx district, which includes Throggs Neck, Pelham Bay, Country Club, City Island and portions of Morris Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cMike works hard for the community. He\u2019s a collaborative person, and he\u2019s been helpful in my community with a lot of the environmental concerns,\u201d said John Doyle, district leader for Part B of the 82nd Assembly District, citing his work at the state level, while also securing hyperlocal wins<\/a> for the district.<\/p>\n

Benedetto, who has represented the 82nd Assembly District since 2005, currently serves as chair of the Assembly Education Committee, one of the chamber\u2019s most influential leadership positions. During his time in office, he has focused heavily on education policy, school funding and issues affecting public school students and families across New York State.<\/p>\n

The race unfolded amid relatively modest voter participation across the Bronx. According to election officials, 44,965 voters cast ballots on Election Day as of 6 p.m. An additional 14,739 voters participated during the early voting period, while 4,199 valid and scanned mail-in ballots had been counted.<\/p>\n

Despite low turnout heading into Election Day<\/a>, Bronx voters continued to trickle into polling sites throughout the borough to cast ballots for Assembly, State Senate, Congress and state comptroller races.<\/p>\n

Benedetto\u2019s victory was one of several wins for incumbent Bronx Democrats Tuesday night. In New York\u2019s 15th Congressional District, Rep. Ritchie Torres secured reelection with 71.96% of the vote, while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won another term representing portions of the East Bronx and Queens with 86.93% of the vote.<\/p>\n

Election results remain unofficial until certified by the Board of Elections.\n<\/p>\n

Reach Marina Samuel at msamuel@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram!<\/a><\/p>\n