Kamillah Hanks, the North Shore City councilmember, celebrated her victory in the Democratic primary on Tuesday night, overcoming challenges that included a power outage in West Brighton and a personal tragedy.
Despite the blackout that occurred around 8:30 p.m., Hanks declared her win shortly after polls closed at 9 p.m. She achieved significant support, making it unnecessary for the ranked-choice election to progress beyond the first round.
Her three opponents, Sarah Blas, Abou Diakhate, and Telee Brown, conceded the race by 11 p.m., acknowledging Hanks’ overwhelming lead in the unofficial election results.
By around 11:15 p.m., around 93% of polling sites had reported results, revealing that Hanks secured approximately 59% of the first-round votes.
“It’s not that I deserve it. It’s that the people of the 49th District deserve someone who really understands them and has their back,” Hanks stated. “This is not a vanity project. This is real; you affect real lives.”
Although her campaign office experienced power loss, Hanks and her supporters utilized modern technology to monitor the results as they came in, showcasing a resilient spirit in the face of adversity.
Hanks’ victory positions her for a general election challenge against Republican candidate John Shea, as well as Blas, who will appear on both the Working Families Party line and an independent line.
Blas expressed readiness to face Hanks in November and criticized her opponents’ strategies that aimed to suppress competition through legal challenges.
“The incumbent may have won this round, but make no mistake — we were never running a conventional campaign,” Blas asserted.
“We used our resources to show up on not one but three ballot lines, while she fought to silence competition. We’re now aligned with those very voices she tried to erase. We’re organized, energized, and coming for ‘her’ seat—which, by the way, belongs to the people. Get ready for the main event.”
During this tumultuous election season, Jozette Carter-Williams, a longtime community figure, was among those who faced setbacks due to Hanks’ legal maneuvers. Carter-Williams had aimed to secure a spot on the Democratic primary ballot and to run in the general election on an independent line but fell short in both attempts.
Hanks, who has held her position since winning the 2021 election, had previously faced a notable challenge from a third-party candidate in 2023, but this recent primary win underscores her standing within the local party, especially after a notable feud with Staten Island Democratic Party Chair Laura LoBianco Sword.
While some celebrate Hanks’ victory as a triumph for Staten Island Democrats, the occasion was bittersweet for the councilmember, who faced personal loss just days before the election.
Hanks’ mother, Patricia Ann Robertson, passed away earlier in the week, and Hanks reflected on this loss. “I lost my mother yesterday, and I’m not going to fall apart because I did that already,” she shared. “She always knew that I would be here.”
image source from：silive
