Fifth District Primary: Gregory Meeks Fends Off Competition

JAMAICA, QUEENS -- Incumbent Gregory Meeks will keep his seat representing District 5 in the U.S. House of Representatives after beating out challengers Mizan Choudhury and Carl Achille in a landslide Democratic primary election vote for the Southeast Queens district Tuesday night.

Meeks won a whopping 84 percent of the vote with 83 percent of the vote counted, according to unofficial results from the New York State Board of Elections. The Associated Press called the race for Meeks.

He will move on to compete in the November general election to represents the Fifth Congressional District, which covers Jamaica, Cambria Heights, Hollis, Laurelton, Queens Village, Rosedale, Saint Albans, Springfield Gardens, South Ozone Park and the Rockaways.

Meeks, a former state assemblyman, has held the title since 1998.

Choudhury, a technology manager, came in a distant second with 9 percent of the votes. He called himself a progressive Democrat who wanted to make the district a "technology hub."

Achille, a former NYPD detective, captured less than 7 percent of the vote. The self-described "independent Democrat" on his campaign website said the district has been "overtaxed, overlooked and underserved."

Also representing Queens in the Democratic primaries are New York's 14th and 12th Congressional Districts.
Newcomer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez beat out longtime Rep. Joe Crowley in a major political upset for District 14, which covers Astoria, College Point, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Woodside in Queens and Morris Park, Parkchester, Pelham Bay and Throngs Neck in the Bronx.

In District 12, which covers northwest Queens along with parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, newcomer Suraj Patel is taking on Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who has been in Congress for more than two decades.

Lead photo by David R. Lutman/Getty Images