HARLEM — Democrat Inez Dickens, a longtime Harlem City Council member, beat newcomer Republican Heather Tarrant with roughly 93 percent of the vote to represent the neighborhood in the state Assembly.
The two ran for the 70th Assembly District, which was left vacant after Assemblyman Keith Wright pledged to not seek reelection during his unsuccessful bid for congress.
Dickens threw her hat in the ring after Wright’s pledge. He then endorsed her for his seat.
Since 2005, Dickens has represented the ninth district in the city council, which includes Central Harlem and part of the Upper West Side and part of East Harlem.
Council term limits prevented Dickens from a re-election bid, but winning the assembly seat means Dickens will once again represent Harlem.
Dickens has lived in Harlem all her life. Her father is the late Assemblyman and District Leader Lloyd Dickens.
Before Dickens took her oath of office for the city council in 2006, she made history in the council as the highest-ranking African-American woman in the New York State Democratic party when she became the vice-chair of the Democratic Committee.
Tarrant is a longtime Harlem resident who also ran on the Independence and Reform Party ticket.
