STATEN ISLAND — District Attorney Dan Donovan defeated Councilman Vincent Gentile in Tuesday's special election to replace disgraced former Rep. Michael Grimm.
New York's 11th Congressional seat — which covers Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn — has been empty since January, when Grimm resigned during his third term after pleading guilty to tax fraud.
"Tonight is not just a victory for my campaign — it's a victory for America," Donovan said during his victory speech.
"You sent a message to President Obama, Nancy Pelosi — and yes, even Bill de Blasio — that their policies are wrong for our nation. They're wrong for our city and they're wrong for this congressional district."
Donovan, a Republican, defeated his Democratic opponent by nearly 20 percent of the vote, with only about 10 percent of voters casting ballots, according to the state Board of Elections.
The District Attorney was thrust into the national spotlight for his role in overseeing the grand jury investigation into the death of Eric Garner. Garner, a 44-year-old asthmatic, died after NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo used an apparent chokehold to subdue him while trying to place him under arrest on charges of selling untaxed cigarettes.
The medical examiner ruled Garner's death a homicide, but a grand jury decided not to indict Pantaleo for the death, sparking waves of protests around the city.
While Gentile vowed to make the decision a campaign issue, it was largely unmentioned during Donovan's run for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Donovan has served as Staten Island's top prosecutor since 2003 and the congressional win means he must vacate his post. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to appoint an interim DA for the remainder of Donovan's term, which ends in November.
Democrat Matthew Smalls, a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan, previously announced he would run for DA but party officials have yet to declare their candidates.
During his victory speech, Donovan said he would fight to lower taxes for the middle class, balance the federal budget and bring back money to improve transportation on Staten Island and Brooklyn.
He also promised to help all Hurricane Sandy victims who are still out of their homes more than two years after the storm.
"I will fight to reform FEMA and the Flood Insurance Program so that people can afford to stay in their homes and our district will never have to go through the process the same way again if, God forbid, we have another storm," Donovan said during his victory speech.
