Lester Chang
Lester Chang is an American politician who is the member of the New York's 49th State Assembly district; he defeated longtime Democratic incumbent Peter J. Abbate Jr. in the 2022 New York State Assembly election.[1]
Lester Chang | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 49th district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Peter J. Abbate Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Bensonhurst, Brooklyn |
Political career
Chang first ran in the 2016 special election in the 65th Assembly district to succeed Sheldon Silver following his resignation due to a corruption scandal. He placed third to Yuh-Line Niou and Alice Cancel. He then ran in 2020 in the 26th State Senate district. He placed second to the incumbent Brian Kavanagh.
Following his election to the New York State Assembly, the Brooklyn Democratic Party attempted to block Chang from sitting in Albany, demanding an investigation into if he met the residency requirements to even run for the district. The Brooklyn Democratic Party claimed that Chang had been secretly living in Manhattan and was ineligible to have been elected. The investigation organized by Speaker Carl Heastie concluded that Chang did own an apartment in Manhattan, but he fulfilled residency requirements to run in his district.[2][3][4]
References
- Fink, Zack (November 30, 2022). "Assembly prepared to vote against seating Brooklyn Republican". NY1. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- Campbell, Jon. "A Republican won a Brooklyn Assembly election. Democrats may not let him take his seat". Gothamist. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- Cruz, David. "NY Assembly investigates Republican member-elect over residency questions". Gothamist. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- Fink, Zack; Konig, Joseph. "Assembly Democrats won't vote to expel Lester Chang over residency questions". NY1. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
