You are reading

Two Second Place Candidates in Tight Council Races Concede

Jaslin Kaur (left) and Aleda Gagarin (Respective Council Campaigns)

July 6, 2021 By Allie Griffin

Two second-place candidates in tight council races in Queens conceded to their opponents over the weekend.

Candidates Jaslin Kaur and Aleda Gagarin both conceded in their races after preliminary ranked choice voting results were released Friday night.

Kaur and Gagarin trailed the frontrunners in their respective races on election night by a narrow margin, but after ranked choice voting was deployed, the gaps widened.

Kaur was behind leading candidate Linda Lee in the District 23 race by 533 first-choice votes, but after six rounds of ranked choice voting, she fell behind by 696 total votes. Lee ultimately won 53.2 percent of votes — ahead of Kaur’s 46.8 percent.

The preliminary tally, however, doesn’t include 3,451 absentee ballots sent in by Democrats in the district. Nevertheless, Kaur still conceded.

“The final tabulations have not been certified, but it is clear that, though we led for part of the ranked choice process, we will finish a close second in the final round,” Kaur said in a statement Monday. “Congratulations to the winner, Linda Lee.”

Should Lee win, she will represent the neighborhoods of Bayside Hills, Bellerose, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Hollis Hills, Holliswood, Little Neck, New Hyde Park, Oakland Gardens and Queens Village.

The D-23 seat is currently held by Council Member Barry Grodenchik, who decided against running for another term despite being eligible.

Meanwhile, Gagarin conceded in the District 29 race on Saturday.

“Looking at early RCV results, it seems unlikely that I’ll have the honor of representing the 29th district in the Council,” she said in a statement. “I am disappointed, to be sure. But I am also so damn proud of the loving campaign and community we built together.”

She trailed Lynn Schulman by just 221 first-choice votes, but ultimately lost by 1,581 votes after eight rounds of ranked choice voting. Schulman secured 58 percent of votes and Gagarin earned 42 percent.

The tally for the seat representing Rego Park, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens and Richmond Hill doesn’t include 3,846 absentee ballots returned by Democrats in District 29.

Still Gagarin congratulated Schulman on her presumed win.

“What a beautiful thing to see two deeply experienced, capable, LGBTQIA+ women take such strong leads in our district,” she said. “I look forward to continuing to build a loving and caring city.”

Meanwhile in Districts 26 and 32 — two other tight races in which the frontrunners pulled ahead after the ranked choice voting process was applied — neither runner-up has conceded. Amit Bagga is behind Julie Won in the District 26 race, while Mike Scala trails Felicia Singh in District 32.

The Board of Elections is expected to release new ranked choice results — with the absentee ballots factored in — later today. The Board is not expected to certify the results until sometime next week.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Con Edison reduces voltage in Queens neighborhoods amid extreme heat

Jun. 24, 2025 By Czarinna Andres

As of Tuesday afternoon, Con Edison crews began reducing voltage by 8% in select neighborhoods—including Broad Channel, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Lindenwood, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, and Kew Gardens—after record-setting heat stressed portions of the grid. According to the utility, a weather station in Brownsville recorded a staggering 107 degrees at 2 p.m., while JFK Airport hit 102 degrees.

Suspect sought for allegedly groping young woman inside Elmhurst Avenue subway station: NYPD

Police from the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst and Transit District 20 are looking for an alleged groper who targeted a 22-year-old woman inside the Elmhurst Avenue subway station on the night of Friday, June 20.

The victim was walking through the mezzanine section on her way out of the station at 7:10 p.m. when the suspect approached her and grabbed her rear end and private area over her clothing, police said. The suspect fled the station at the Moore Homestead Park Playground and ran off in an unknown direction. The woman was not injured during the encounter.