Crystal Hudson Wins Brooklyn's 35th District City Council Race

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Ranked-choice voting results and newly-released absentee ballot counts have cemented city staffer Crystal Hudson as the winner in Brooklyn's 35th City Council District.

Hudson, who held a slight lead on election night, had a more than 2,400-vote lead over opponent Michael Hollingsworth in the newly-calculated final round of ranked-choice voting, which eliminated the other five Democratic primary candidates after just three rounds. She now holds 54 percent of the vote, while Hollingsworth earned 46 percent, the numbers show.

NY1 called the race for Hudson shortly after the most recent results, which included absentee ballots, were released on Tuesday.

Hudson — who had declared victory earlier in the day given her lead after the in-person vote tallies — released another statement Tuesday evening noting the high vote totals in the race.

"We won! Together, we built the biggest, broadest, & most diverse coalition to champion a vision of equity, justice, and dignity for all of our neighbors," she tweeted. "We are now more than 16K strong having received one of the highest number of votes of any Council candidate citywide."

Hollingsworth, who was unlikely to close the 2,100-vote gap with absentee ballots, acknowledged Hudson's likely win Tuesday morning.

"While the results of the election have not yet been certified, I know with certainty that I won't have the privilege of and honor of representing my neighbors in City Hall next year," Hollingsworth wrote in a statement.

A former staffer for current 35th District City Council Member Laurie Cumbo and the Public Advocate, Hudson would be the first openly gay Black woman to serve in City Council.

In all, seven Democrats appeared on the ballot in the race to replace term-limited Cumbo, who serves as the City Council Majority Leader.

The District 35 race is among several in Brooklyn where victors have emerged, including nearby District 36, where a win for 23-year-old activist Chi Ossé won.

This story has been updated to include absentee ballot results, which were released late Tuesday.