SOUTH BRONX — Veteran South Bronx Rep. Jose Serrano easily defeated challenger Leonel Baez in Tuesday's Democratic primary, helping clear the way for him to hold onto his seat for another term.
Serrano won 87.11 percent of the votes to Baez's 10.34 percent with more than 95 percent of scanner reported, according to unofficial results from the New York City Board of Elections.
"I'm honored and humbled by the trust voters have placed in me tonight, and I'll spend every day in Washington as I always have, working to live up to it," Serrano said in a statement.
Serrano has been in Congress for more than two decades and represents District 15, which covers Bronx neighborhoods including Hunts Point, Belmont, Morrisania and Mott Haven.
He serves on the House Appropriations Committee and has focused on issues including civil liberties and immigration reform during his many years in Congress, according to his website.
Baez was running his first political campaign against Serrano, and while he acknowledged that it was challenging to go up against such an established figure, he said he felt that it was time for the district to see some changes.
Turnout in the primary was extremely low. Although there were roughly 260,000 active registered Democrats in District 15 as of April 1, less than 10,000 votes had been cast in the race as of Wednesday morning, according to the State Board of Elections.
