McQuade Wins in a Landslide, Will Face Off With Annie Rabbitt

In the newly redrawn 98th Assembly District, which includes areas of Monsey and half of Ramapo along with Monroe and parts of Orange County, a contentious three-way Democratic primary had voters across the district choosing the candidate that lived closest to them. The primary pitted Rockland County Legislator Aron Wieder against Orange County Legislator Myrna Kemnitz and Monroe Town Councilman Gerard McQuade.

In the Monsey area, voters overwhelmingly chose Wieder. According to unofficial results, Wieder received 652 votes in the Ramapo portion of the district, compared with 299 for McQuade and 183 for Rabbitt.

In Orange County, where most of the district lies, areas within the county that were in or near Kemnitz’s legislative district came out strongly for her, giving her most of the 667 votes she received throughout Orange County.

However, the race came down to Kiryas Joel and Monroe, home to Councilman Gerard McQuade. While McQuade carried roughly 150 votes outside of Monroe, he earned over 1,000 inside Monroe, giving him the victory over the entire district.

The unofficial totals for the race are 1,477 for McQuade, 850 for Kemnitz, and 709 for Wieder. McQuade will face Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt in the November elections.

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