Brian Benjamin wins special election for state senate seat

Brian Benjamin is Harlem’s newest politician winning in a landslide in the special election on Tuesday to replace the seat vacated by District 30 State Senator Bill Perkins who was elected to the city council.

Benjamin, a Democrat ,took a reported 91.6 percent of the vote. His opponents were Republican Dawn Simmons, who got 2.7 percent of the vote and Reform Party candidate Ruben D. Vargas, who got 2 percent. Fewer than 9,000 people went to to the polls.

“I am honored and humbled that the voters have chosen me to be the next New York State Senator for the 30th District,” Benjamin said in a statement. “Our community has a long history of trailblazing public officials, from the Upper West Side to Harlem and El Barrio. I'm proud to join the ranks of so many tireless men and women and follow their lead in fighting for our families.

Benjamin held a returns viewing party Londel’s Restaurant in Harlem Tuesday night. He was joined by several former Congressman Charlie Rangel and Assemblywoman Inez Dickens.