NEW YORK – The mail-in votes in the New York State Assembly race for District 26 proved decisive in the re-election victory of incumbent Democrat Edward Braunstein over Greek-American Republic challenger John-Alexander Sakelos who had an initial lead of 1,791 votes following the Election Day count, Qns.com reported.

Assembly District 26 is located in northeast Queens where many Greek-Americans live, and in the final weeks before Election Day Sakelos made appearances at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Whitestone, but the community support on its own was not enough for the young Greek-American candidate.

The final results have yet to be certified, but with the absentee votes counted by November 15, Braunstein led by about 5,000 votes.

He released the following statement on his re-election victory on November 15:

“Now that the absentee ballots have been counted, I am proud to report that I have won re-election and will continue to represent the people of the 26th Assembly District. After securing over 75% of the mail-in ballots, I am ahead by approximately 5,000 votes. I want to thank the residents of Northeast Queens for supporting our positive campaign and giving me the opportunity to continue serving our community in Albany. I also want to thank all of my campaign’s supporters and volunteers who helped me throughout the election. Finally, I want to express my gratitude to all of the poll workers and Board of Elections staff who kept our democracy functioning during these difficult times.

“It has truly been a privilege to represent our community for the last 10 years and I am honored to have been given the opportunity to continue to serve as your Assemblymember. While we face considerable challenges in the years ahead, I have faith in the strength and resolve of New Yorkers and am confident our state will make a full recovery,” Braunstein concluded.

Sakelos told the Queens Chronicle, when things appeared to be turning in Braunstein’s favor, that he hoped Braunstein would pay more attention to his constituents and their needs. Sakelos added that he and his team will continue to fight for transparency in the government and for the middle class.