By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER MANHATTAN — Established local politicians were poised to soundly beat out relatively unknown opponents in Tuesday’s race for Albany in Inwood and Washington Heights.
Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat (D) had 86 percent of the vote with 48 percent of precincts reporting and will replace State Sen. Eric Schneiderman in the 31st Senate district. Espaillat triumphed over Ann Roos (G), Raphael Klapper (C) and Stylo Sapaskis (R).
Former City Councilman Guillermo Linares, Espaillat’s longtime rival and new-political ally, is poised to win the race for Espaillat’s soon-to-be vacated 72nd Assembly seat with 90 percent of the vote against Inwood resident Dan Russo (R) with 63 precincts reporting.
And Assemblyman Denny Farrell (D), who has held his 71st Assembly seat since 1974, had 92 percent of the vote with 44 precincts reporting against Glenda Allen (R).
Although Tuesday marked the end of the official campaign season, the race for Albany in Upper Manhattan had already seemed to come to a halt with the frenetic energy of campaign trucks, robo-calls and rival political posters on streetlamps grinding to a halt the day after the primaries.
"It’s almost like I forgot I needed to vote for them," Alicia Reyes, 52, of Washington Heights said. "I was so wrapped up with Cuomo and Paladino."
Many residents said they also came to the polls to send a message to Washington that they still support a Democratic lead in Congress.
""We have to keep Senate and Congress in control where it is now, we still have a lot of work to do and to have it locked up would be a problem," said Inwood resident of 25 years Richard Williams.
Glenn Mitchell, an attorney who has lived in Inwood for four months, echoed Williams’ sentiment.
"I voted out of fear of what could happen, but in this district I think we're pretty safe," he said of his desire to keep a Democratic majority in the U.S. Congress. "I voted to make sure they stay as close to my values as possible."
Despite the sense from voters that most of the races were already decided, a steady stream of voters filed into poll sites throughout Inwood and Washington Heights Tuesday.
Twitter played a large role in getting out the vote along with information about poll sites as users in Inwood and Washington Heights posted everything from problems at the polls to food-themed celebrations for voting.
"Mayhem at Good Shepherd poll.All scanning machines jammed, last voter's ballot not even counted. Every1's frustrated in this room," Twitter user Lolitapop9 wrote, which quickly got the attention of the Board of Election’s Twitter feed.
"Celebrating my vote with a classic new York riff - eggdrop soup with wontons. $1.60 #inwood ulike," wrote Krochmal about a meal at an Inwood Chinese food restaurant, Ulike.
