Eddie Gibbs is ready to join his Democratic colleagues in the Assembly later this month after winning a special election in the 68th Assembly district in a landlside.

“The county committee saw fit, and they elected me and nominated me for the Democratic position, and I was honored, as I am equally excited to get up to Albany and get to work,” Gibbs said.

What You Need To Know

  • Eddie Gibbs won the special election in East Harlem with 80% of the vote

  • He is expected to take over for former Assemblymember Robert Rodriguez, who was nominated last year by Gov. Hochul to be secretary of state

  • Gibbs served time in prison for manslaughter, he would be the first formerly incarcerated member of the state Assembly

Gibbs comes with some unique qualifications. He grew up in public housing in East Harlem, and served four years in state prison after being convicted of manslaughter in 1988. Since then, he has rebuilt his life, and will be the first formerly incarcerated person to serve in the Assembly.

“According to the historians, I am the first one," Gibbs said. "And I’m honored to take on the task, but I didn’t realize until within the last two weeks how big a responsibility it is, this task, and how many individuals are actually relying on me to succeed.”

Gibbs has been working with young people and senior citizens in the community. He also served as a District Leader, an elected position that is unpaid.

“You know, we have a ton of ex-offenders and formerly incarcerated individuals out there, and I’m hoping to be that inspiration to show them that, hey, you can turn your life around. You can come home and get a job. You can come home and serve your community,” Gibbs said.

The 68th Assembly District covers East Harlem as well Wards and Randalls Islands. It was held by Robert Rodriguez, who was nominated last year by Gov. Kathy Hochul to serve as secretary of state.

The special election to fill the seat Tuesday included 10 days of early voting, at an estimated cost to the Board of Elections of more than $500,000. Only 1,119 people cast ballots.

“I think what needs to be done during a special election of this type is that you need to cut down a little bit on early voting, just so you can match the resources with the amount of people that actually come out and vote,” said Manhattan Democratic County Chair Keith Wright.

Gibbs is expected to face challengers in what will likely be a crowded primary in June. Some are disappointed that the seat did not go to a Latino candidate, since the majority of the population in the district is Latino.