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NORTH AmERIcAN Newsline NOVEMBER 27, 2020 | The Indian Eye 18

new york elects record four PiOs to

State assembly and Senate

Our Bureau

New York

ith the victory of In-
dian American state
WSenator in New York
Kevin Thomas, Indian Amer-
icans have made history by
sending four members from the
community to Albany, the state
capital of the Empire State.
As the vote-count came to
a close for the New York State
legislature weeks after the Nov.
3, 2020 elections, two Indi-
an Americans were decisively
elected to the New York State
Senate by Nov. 16, after absen-
tee ballots were counted – Sen.
Kevin Thomas was re-elected
from District 6; Jeremy Cooney
from District 56.
When all the votes were Cooney on his victory. This York. While on Nov. 3, Cooney we successfully flipped this seat
counted, Kevin Thomas, the in- election cycle holds special sig- led by just 866 votes, after the from “red-to-blue” for the first
cumbent received 75,749 votes nificance for our Indian Amer- absentee, affidavit and military time in 20 years, ensuring rep-
for 50.57 percent of the vote; ican community. In addition to ballots were counted, his lead resentation for Rochester in the
Dunne received 73,169 votes electing Kamala Harris as the increased to more than 14,000 Senate Democratic Majority.
for 48.84 percent; and Libertar- first woman, the first African votes, making it a decisive vic- We will work to create upstate
ian Jonathan Gunther received American and the first Indian tory. The 56th District lies in jobs, fully fund our schools, and
848 votes for .57 percent. American to serve as vice pres- upstate New York and includes lower healthcare costs,” Cooney
Thomas becomes the fourth ident, we saw unprecedented the town of Brighton, Clarkson, tweeted, Nov. 17, 2020, after the
Indian American across the numbers of South Asian candi- Gates, Greece, Hamlin, Parma absentee ballot count. This was
state to win a state-level seat this dates running for office across and parts of Rochester. Cooney’s second attempt to get
election cycle, joining Jenifer New York, and record voter Cooney, a lawyer by train- elected to the Senate. In 2018,
Rajkumar, who won a seat in turnout from the South Asian ing, was born in an Indian or- he ran against then incumbent
the 38th Assembly District; and community,” Thomas, who cur- phanage and adopted by a sin- Joseph Robach, a Republican,
Jeremy Cooney, who was vic- rently serves as chairman of the gle mother in the U.S. He grew getting 44.4 percent of the vote
torious in the state Senate seat Consumer Protection Commit- up in the South Wedge neigh- to Robach’s 55.5 percent.
in the 56th Legislative District. tee and sits on the Judiciary, borhood of Rochester, in an Zohran Kwame Mamdani,
Zohran Mamdani from District Finance, Banking, Aging, Vet- Irish family. He lost his mother the son of renowned filmmaker
36 was elected to the NY State erans, Homeland Security and to dementia and brain cancer, a Mira Nair, is a Uganda-born In-
Assembly. Military Affairs Committees, life experience that influenced dian American, and breaks the
In 2018, Kevin Thomas, who said in a statement. “This is a his future path, according to his mould of candidates from this
immigrated to the U.S. when he profound and inspirational mo- profile on the campaign web- community. A rapper whose
was 10, became the first Indian ment for the Indian American site. Cooney has worked in all slogan for the campaign was
American in New York’s history community, both in New York levels of government, starting “rotis and roses” ran from the
to serve in the state Senate. He and across the United States,” with Capitol Hill where he was 36th Assembly District that in-
became an appointee of the U.S. he said. in the office of Congresswoman cludes the trendy Astoria neigh-
Commission on Civil Rights Jeremy Cooney (D-Roches- Louise Slaughter, and later in borhood. He describes himself
to the New York State Advi- ter) defeated Republican Mike the administrations of two New as a Democratic Socialist.
sory Committee. With Cooney Barry in the race for the New York Governors and the Mayor Rajkumar, whose 38th Dis-
now on the state Senate, that York State Senate’s 56th dis- of Rochester. Cooney and his trict in Queens, N.Y., is still in
number has doubled in 2020. trict, becoming the second Indi- wife Diane, live in downtown the process of counting absen-
“I am thrilled to congrat- an American to serve in the Up- Rochester. tee ballots, is the presumed
ulate Senator-elect Jeremy per House from upstate New “After first running in 2018, Continued at next page... >>

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