The 64th Assembly District covers the East Shore of Staten Island and a small portion of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

It’s currently represented by Republican Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who gave up the seat to run against Democratic Congressman Max Rose.

What You Need To Know

  • 64th Assembly District vacated by Republican Nicole Malliotakis, who is running for Congress

  • Republican Michael Tannousis and Democrat Brandon Patterson are each running for the seat

  • While the 64th has been occupied by a Republican, there are more registered Democrats in the area

Michael Tannousis, a former prosecutor and aide to Staten Island Borough President Jimmy Oddo, is the Republican candidate looking to replace her.

“My sense going door to door and meeting voters on a daily basis is that they are very concerned about their public safety,” said Tannousis. “That’s their number one concern right now. That’s all everyone here talks about.”

Tannousis is facing Democrat Brandon Patterson for the open seat. Patterson, who worked for State Senator Diane Savino on Staten Island, has gained most of the union support in the race.

He said residents of the district will be better off with a Democrat in office, since Democrats control the majority in the Assembly.

“That’s something we’ve been telling voters the entire time: what is it that your assembly member is going to do for you in the minority? What resources is he going to bring back,” Patterson said. “This is a district that is still suffering from Superstorm Sandy.”

Even though the district has been represented by a Republican for the last ten years, registered Democrats outnumber Republicans here.

With a deeply divided electorate, the presidential race at the top of the ballot—and President Trump’s polarizing time in the White House—could be a factor in who wins.

“He won the district last time around,” Tannousis said. “I’ve seen a lot of excitement toward him. I think people recognize that no matter what is happening in Washington, we have a battle that’s occurring in Albany.”

“I’m not focusing on the president, I’m not focusing on the White House. I’m focusing on the State House,” said Patterson. “I think there are a lot of voters who I have spoken to throughout the course of this campaign who voted for Bernie, Warren or Biden.”

The 64th was redrawn after the 2010 census, prior to that the East Shore was part of the 60th Assembly District, and that was represented by a Democrat from 2007 to 2010.