State Assembly incumbents lead in Hudson Valley primaries

Incumbent Democrats were ahead Tuesday in two primary races for the Hudson Valley State Assembly.

THE Associated Press Tuesday night, progressive incumbent Sarahana Shrestha defeated challenger Gabi Madden in the 103rd Assembly District.

Shrestha led Gabi Madden 2-to-1, while in the 106th Assembly District, 12-year incumbent Didi Barrett held a smaller lead over Claire Cousin, the first Black woman elected to the Columbia County Board of Supervisors .

Cousin conceded the race Tuesday night, trailing 57% to 43%.

Born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal, Shrestha moved to the United States in 2001 and became a naturalized American citizen in 2019.

His first term focused on strengthening tenant protections and combating rate hikes by utility companies. She ran for re-election for the first time since winning the seat two years ago, defeating longtime Assembly member Kevin Cahill.

Madden, who worked with Cahill and State Sen. James Skoufis, focused on finding a public option for utilities and expanding the availability of accessory dwelling units.

She ran with the slogan “Results, not rhetoric” and was supported by Skoufis, Kingston Mayor Steve Noble, CSEA and others.

The 103rd District covers much of northern Ulster County and parts of Dutchess County.

The winner of Tuesday’s primary will face Republican Jack Hayes in the Nov. 5 general election.

The district has 103,745 registered voters, including 48,884 Democrats, 19,182 Republicans and 29,262 independents, according to the state Board of Elections.

Barrett has held the 106th District seat in the state Legislature since being elected in a special election in March 2012. She had said the biggest issues facing the district were economic and environmental sustainability.

Cousin said affordability, climate and housing justice are issues that need to be addressed in the district, which covers most of Columbia County and parts of northern Dutchess County.

There are no Republican candidates filed in the 106th District for November.

The district has 106,085 registered voters, including 41,474 Democrats, 27,014 Republicans and 30,030 independents, according to the State Board of Elections.

Only registered Democrats could vote in Tuesday’s two primary elections.