By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Cy Vance, Jr. assumed the mantle of Manhattan district attorney from his predecessor Robert Morgenthau in the citywide primary Tuesday, as the races for public advocate and city comptroller went to a runoff, and Bill Thompson, Jr. was nominated to run against Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
"I am so proud to have won this primary and I am looking forward to serving you," Vance said at his victory party Tuesday.
Vance took 44 percent of the vote in the DA race, the New York Post reports.
Contender Leslie Crocker Snyder took 30 percent of the vote and Richard Aborn finished with 26 percent.
"We knew it would be one of the fights of our lives and we always knew the odds were stacked against us," Snyder wrote in a statement released Wednesday.
"As disappointed in the results last night as we all are, your support, your generosity and your ongoing enthusiasm helped us to raise a record-breaking amount of money and run a campaign of which we can all be proud. We could not have done it without you and we are all enormously grateful."
With no Republican opponent, Vance is poised to take over the office of the district attorney left vacant by legendary prosecutor Bob Morgenthau, who's been in office since 1975.
Morgenthau, 90, endorsed Vance early on and even skipped his summer vacation this year to stump for his chosen heir.
City Comptroller Thompson defeated Queens Councilman Tony Avella to earn a spot on the ballot against Mayor Bloomberg in the general election.
"After eight years of a mayor who has looked out for the rich and powerful, isn’t it time we had a mayor who looked out for the rest of us? It’s time for a change in New York. Eight years is enough," Thompson said at his headquarters.
Runoff elections will be held for the city comptroller and public advocate races on Sept. 29. Councilman David Yassky of Brooklyn and John C. Liu of Queens will vie for the comptroller seat while Bill de Blasio, councilman from Brooklyn and Mark Green compete for the office of public advocate.
In the council races, incumbent Alan Gerson was defeated by Margaret Chin in Manhattan, making Chin the first Asian-American councilwoman to represent Chinatown.
In Washington Heights, bilingual teacher Ydanis Rodriguez, 44, won the open seat previously held by Miguel Martinez. Martinez stepped down from office in August after pleading guilty to a corruption case.
