Result

Incumbent Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha (D-NY) won reelection to New York State Assembly District 103 in the Nov. 3 general election, defeating Republican Santos Lopez and keeping the seat under Democratic control. ​

According to unofficial results from the New York State Board of Elections, Shrestha received 40,114 votes, compared with Lopez's 17,840, a margin of 22,274 votes. Shrestha received approximately 69.2% of votes cast for the two named candidates, compared with Lopez's 30.8%. The state also reported 93 write-in votes, with all 124 election districts reporting.

Candidates and platforms

The Democratic nominee, Shrestha, also appeared on the Working Families Party line. Sources report these positions:

  • She supports the REST Act, which would let localities outside downstate New York opt into rent stabilization without the vacancy study state law now requires, according to The Legislative Gazette.
  • She supports a demonstration project for publicly built green social housing, permanently affordable with housing costs capped at 25% of a resident's income, according to The Overlook.
  • She has called for replacing private, for-profit health insurance with a publicly funded single-payer plan and said more health care spending is needed in the absence of that system, according to the Times Herald-Record.
  • She opposes Central Hudson's rate proposal, calls for stricter oversight by the state Public Service Commission and has outlined a plan to replace the utility with a publicly owned, not-for-profit power authority, according to The Overlook.

The Republican nominee, Santos Lopez, also appeared on the Conservative Party line. The Legislative Gazette reports one position: Lopez said rising property tax assessments, rather than a lack of rent regulation, are the main driver of unaffordability.

District and chamber

The race was for District 103 in the New York State Assembly, which covers portions of Ulster and Dutchess counties. Shrestha was the incumbent and previously won the seat in 2022 and 2024, so the race was not for an open seat.

Money, polling and endorsements

The Working Families Party endorsed Shrestha. The race record lists the endorser category as political parties, and it includes only this endorsement. The record gives no date for the endorsement.

Unofficial state election results show Shrestha received 32,437 votes on the Democratic line and 7,677 on the Working Families Party line, for a total of 40,114 votes. Lopez received 15,008 votes on the Republican line and 2,832 on the Conservative Party line, totaling 17,840.

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