In New York's Congressional District 10 race, Niou still has not conceded

Yuh-Line Niou campaigned all over her district, including Chinatown, on voting day.

UPDATED: 12:45 p.m. PDT, August 24.

ANALYSIS

Early Wednesday morning, former prosecutor Dan Goldman declared himself winner for the Democratic candidate for Congressional District 10 around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, but rival Yuh-Line Niou didn't concede.

"We’re going to keep working until every vote is counted," Niou tweeted Wednesday afternoon. "But no matter the final result, I'm so proud and grateful to all of you who supported with your time, money, and energy! We showed that a dedicated crew of volunteers can stand up to big money. More to come soon!"

She punctuated her tweet with a heart emoji.

“It is quite clear from the way that the results that have come in that we have won,” Goldman, 46, asserted at his Election Night party in Soho. “I want to say a deep and heartfelt thank you to the other candidates in this race.”

Hours later, the Associated Press called the race for Goldman, an heir to the Live-Strauss fortune, who was criticized for his lack of local roots and legislative experience. He funded well-financed campaign from his personal fortune.

As the top two vote-getters in a crowded field, Goldman led New York Assemblymember Yun-Line Niou by the slim margin of two percentage points. 

Despite most of mainstream media giving the race to Goldman, by mid-morning Wednesday, Niou has yet to issue a concession speech.

“Tonight’s results aren’t yet what we hoped to hear. But we will not concede until we count every vote,” Niou told her supporters in the early morning Wednesday. “Because what we can do together is too important to give up this fight. Our vision is that we sent a powerful mission and powerful message this election. We sent the message that things can get better, that things can change, that people can take back control of their government.”

Although not all the votes had been counted at press time, Goldman, a Tribeca resident who was endorsed by the New York Times, had 16,686 votes, or 25.8% of the ballots. Niou had 15,380 votes, or 23.7%.

 Niou was the top vote-getter in Brooklyn. However, Goldman won the Manhattan part of the new district that included old Chinatown. In a race this close, every vote counted. She may have been hurt by last-minute attack ads from a mysterious, last-minute PAC, calling the progressive candidate as anti-Israel because she refused to condemn an anti-Israel bill in the state legislature. 

The New York Progress spent $225,000 on ads attacking Niou. “Attention voters: Yuh-Line Niou supports antisemites and opposes Israel,” the mailer reads. “She is too extreme for our community.”

“I myself have never boycotted Israel," said Niou. "But I think it’s really important to make sure they have rights to free speech. I think the (anti-Israel resolution) is important because I have so many friends who are obviously fighting for the human rights of Palestinians.”

Niou was initially running for state Senate but when District 10 emerged from the remapping process, she quickly threw her hat in the ring. If the Taiwanese American  had won, she would have been New York's second Congressional representative joining Rep. Grace Meng in the House of Representatives.

They led a field of 13 candidates vying for the Democrats' nomination to run against Republican Benine Hamdan, a partner in an investment firm.

District 10 is a newly carved district covering lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. It encompasses two Chinatowns.

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