Nov. 4, 2009 By Christian Murray
Jimmy Van Bramer won the District 26th council seat by a landslide Tuesday evening, trouncing his republican rival Angelo Maragos by more than 45 points.
Van Bramer, a Democrat, arrived at the Aubergine Cafe in Woodside at about 9:45 pm when it became clear it was going to be his night. He was greeted to about 75 supporters who shouted “Jimmy” on his arrival. His loyal supporter Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan introduced Van Bramer to the crowd and praised everyone for a “team effort.”
“We won!” said Van Bramer in an emotional speech, adding that he had generated more than 10,000 votes. “We won by 40 points, a huge victory.”
At the end of the night, Van Bramer won the election by 70% to 24%, with a little over 11,000 votes in his column.
“I’m proud of the campaign and those who supported me,” he said, adding that “this includes the Working Families party.” He said that there needs to be place where the poor and working people need to go to for help.
Despite the one-sided result, the campaign had some nasty moments. Maragos throughout the campaign tried to link Van Bramer with ACORN. Meanwhile, Van Bramer questioned whether Maragos lived in the district at all.
But it was Van Bramer who was greeted with flowers and cheers at the end of the night. His mother, who made robo-calls on his behalf, was beaming with smiles and tears. And his proud partner and campaign treasurer, Dan Hendrick, looked on with pride.
Van Bramer was one of two gay men who won a Queens’ council race. Daniel Dromm, who was victorious in the 25th District seat, was the other. A gay man had not won a council seat in Queens before.
Featured Events
