Pesach Osina wins Queens state assembly seat

The 23rd Assembly District, a sprawling stretch of southern Queens including Rockaway, Broad Channel, and Ozone Park, has a new representative. Pesach Osina, a Far Rockaway Democrat, won the general election on November 3, defeating Republican challenger Tom Sullivan and ending a decade of tenure by outgoing Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato.

Osina’s victory was confirmed shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, when more than 97 percent of vote scanners reported results. He accumulated 17,863 votes, approximately 52 percent of the total, while Sullivan received 16,492 votes, or roughly 48 percent. Although Sullivan briefly held a small lead during the evening count, Osina maintained the advantage for most of the night.

Osina celebrated at The Alibi in Ozone Park, where supporters transformed applause into chants of his name as he declared victory. He characterized the win as a mandate for community engagement. "Today was about community, about serving for the people," Osina said. "The enthusiasm that the voters had when they greeted me today.. that’s the energy that we’re going to bring to the people."

The election revealed distinct voting patterns in the heavily Orthodox Jewish areas of Far Rockaway. In these neighborhoods, voters split their tickets, supporting Republican Bruce Blakeman for governor while backing Osina for the local Assembly seat. In districts where about half of the scanners reported, both candidates secured over 95 percent of the vote, showing nearly identical performance levels.

This is Osina’s first time entering elected office. He spent the last four years in the New York City Council Speaker’s office and previously worked in the 23rd Assembly District and the Comptroller’s office. He won the Democratic primary earlier in 2026, defeating attorney Mike Scala by a margin of approximately 61 percent to 39 percent.

Stacey Pheffer Amato, who will finish her term at the end of next month, expressed mixed emotions about the transition. She described Osina as sincere and humble, noting that he is "the perfect person for the job" given the diverse needs of the district. "It’s always been about that personal touch and really working with people," Pheffer Amato said. "We’ve built the trust of the people in this district, and that’s what meant the world to me."

Former Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder, who represented the district before Pheffer Amato, attended the celebration and recalled Osina’s early work in the office. Goldfeder noted that Osina played a key role in recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. "Pesach was on the ground as we built the office," Goldfeder said. "To see someone come 15 years later and now get elected on his own.. it’s overwhelming for me."