‘Angry’ voters boot state Sen. Iwen Chu out of office

Republican Steve Chan has defeated state Sen. Iwen Chu, a Democrat, in a race to represent the 17th state Senate District. Chan received about 51% of the vote, while Chu received about 41%.

The Republican’s win stands out, since the voter registration data showed that the district’s 63,455 Democrats outweighed the 18,821 Republicans, but there are also 39,654 independents there.

In a statement, state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt said, “We are thrilled to pick up a Republican seat in New York City and welcome the first Asian American Republican state senator to our conference.”

He added: “Tonight, Kings County overwhelmingly made their voices heard and demanded real change in their state government. I applaud Steve Chan and his campaign on their victory and look forward to working with Sen.-elect Chan and the rest of our colleagues in the Republican conference to make New York safer and more affordable.”

At her campaign watch party at Park Asia, a restaurant in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, Chu stood before a crowd of about 80 supporters. While the projector behind her showed election coverage from NY1, Chu delivered her concession speech. Afterward, at least one audience member wept.

“I totally respect the result,” Chu said. “People made a decision. And of course, we tried.”

Chu said she hopes to “continue to serve,” hinting that her political career may not be over.

“I will continue my work,” Chu said. “This is my home. This is my home. So we will continue to serve, to work, to make sure our home is a better place for our next generation.”

Chu also thanked her supporters.

“I’m so proud of every one of you, because on this journey, not just me fighting for this one, it’s hundreds of you and thousands of you and tens of thousands who voted for me,” Chu said. “I really appreciate the trust, the opportunity.”

State Sen. John Liu, who was at the watch party, called Chu’s loss “a devastating blow.”

“Senator Chu has been such a source of strength in policy, in understanding the community, and just her relentlessness in getting things done,” Liu said. “Iwen Chu has fought relentlessly for our community. She’s been an awesome, thoughtful and conscientious colleague in the Senate.”

Liu said that he doesn’t think this loss for the Democrats will have a huge impact on his work in the state Senate.

“We will still have a very, very strong majority, clearly, and it’s only going to be two years,” Liu said.

Liu said he spent the entire day helping get out the vote for Chu. Before Chu’s concession when Liu still said he was “hoping for the best,” Liu acknowledged that while speaking with voters in the 17th state Senate District on Election Day, he met a lot of voters who seemed frustrated with Chu.

“It was rough,” Liu said. “I’ve been in better situations.”

Liu said that voters he spoke to were “angry” but that “people were also misinformed,” explaining that he thought rhetoric from presidential candidate Donald Trump was influencing voters.

State Sen. Brian Kavanagh, who was also at Chu’s watch party, said, “It’s very unfortunate from the perspective of her constituents.”

“She’s done a terrific job,” Kavanagh said. “Obviously, I think she’ll continue to be an important leader in this community, and we’ll continue to do the work we do in the Senate. But she really will be missed.”

“I think perhaps people don’t appreciate just the amount of value that she brought to the community, what she did,” Kavanagh said. “But that’s just the way elections go.”

Kavanagh also speculated about Chu’s future.

“I think she will continue to be a very important leader in this community, and I don’t want to make any predictions about her future but I know she will continue to do a lot of great work,” Kavanagh said.

Kavanagh said “this is an area that has been trending Republican” and that the fact that the race for the 17th District was on the same ballot as Trump and Harris may have impacted turnout. 

“I think there are a lot of people that wanted to come out and express their perspective on that, and that probably drove up turnout in a bunch of communities, in some communities that may have helped the incumbent,” Kavanagh said. “In other cases, it might have helped her challenger.”

Prior to Chu’s arrival to her watch party and her immediate concession speech, when vibes at the party were still hopeful, Liu and Kavanagh complimented the food at Park Asia. The buffet included seven options, including sweet and sour chicken, sautéed beef with bok choy, fried rice and more.

“I’m eating anything and everything I can see,” Liu said. “This is a post-election party. They’re not known for having the best food in sufficient quantities. So you eat whatever you get your hands on.”