NEW YORK — After trailing behind his Republican opponent by more than 6,000 votes on Election Day, State Senator Andrew Gounardes declared victory against Republican Vito Bruno, following days of ballot counting, Gothamist reported. 

"It is the honor of my life to serve my community, and today as the remaining votes are counted, I am enormously grateful to the neighborhoods of southern Brooklyn for reelecting me to represent them in the State Senate. I will go back to Albany and continue to fight for our community while always remembering the values we share together: to help our neighbors in need and do what is right no matter what", Gounardes said in a statement.

"We face immense challenges in the months and years ahead. Housing, healthcare, economic, education, and food insecurities have manifested and been exacerbated by the pandemic, and I promise that I will do everything in my power to help our community, our city, our state, and our nation recover justly and fairly."

"This victory does not belong to me, but to everyone who believed in the vision for southern Brooklyn that we share. Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible, and thank you to the voters of this district for honoring me with your trust and support. The work continues!"

As the vote count comes to a close, it’s clear that our community has given me the incredible honor of being re-elected to serve as State Senator.

To every member of Team Gounardes, every voter, and every person who believes in the vision we share: Thank you. pic.twitter.com/C25A19vPHT

— Andrew Gounardes (@agounardes) November 18, 2020