WILLIAMSBURG — Incumbent state Sen. Martin Malave Dilan beat an upstart challenge from opponent Debbie Medina in the Democratic primary for the seat Tuesday night.
Dilan, 63, who's been in office since 2002, won the Democratic nomination for the 18th Senate District with 53 percent of the vote.
Housing activist Medina, 51, who was backed by the Working Families Party, received 39 percent of the vote.
More than 10,000 people voted in the district, which encompasses parts of Williamsburg, Bushwick, Greenpoint, Bed-Stuy and Cypress Hills.
Before the election, Dilan told DNAinfo New York he plans to pursue more transportation and infrastructure projects, job growth and lower taxes in his next term.
The Board of Elections lists opponent Jonathan H. Anderson on the Nov. 4 general election ballot, running with the Conservative Party, though a report by the state's Joint Commission on Public Ethics indicates he has not filed all required paperwork.
Dilan's son Erik Martin Dilan also won a race in the neighborhood, securing the Democratic nomination for the vacant 54th District state Assembly seat, which covers parts of Bushwick, Bed-Stuy and East New York.
Erik Dilan received 56 percent of the vote, beating another Working Families Party-backed candidate, East New York activist Kimberly Council. She earned 38 percent of the vote.
Erik Dilan will be running against Republican Khorshed A. Chowdhury in the general election, according to the Board of Elections. State campaign finance disclosures showed Chowdhury as inactive.
But progressive candidates didn't lose all their races in North Brooklyn Tuesday night.
The unpaid but influential Democratic district leader position for Williamsburg and Greenpoint's 50th Assembly district race went to former journalist Nick Rizzo. He was backed by the progressive group New Kings Democrats, Councilman Antonio Reynoso and former district leader Lincoln Restler, who works for Mayor Bill de Blasio. Rizzo beat out candidate Michael Brienza.
