State Assemblyman Fitzpatrick Wins Re-Election, Starts 6th Term

New York State assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick won re-election to his sixth term by a landslide on Tuesday night. 

Fitzpatrick, R-St. James, defeated his challenger Jesse Safer, D-Commack, by 20,419 to 8,718 votes. There are 60 out of 103 districts reporting at 10:30 p.m., according to Suffolk County Board of Elections.

Fitzpatrick was first elected to the New York State assembly in 2002 and is the ranking minority member of the Assembly Housing Committee. 

A Hauppauge native, Fitzpatrick is a Hauppauge High School graduate who went on to earn his B.A. in business administration from St. Michael's College in Vermont. 

Fitzpatrick ran for re-election in 2012 with the endorsements of the Republican, Conservative and Independent parties. 

Previously, Fitzpatrick has represented the 7th Assembly District of the New York State which includes the entire Town of Smithtown, and portions of both the Town of Brookhaven and Town of Islip. 

With the New York State redistricting for the 2012 elections, Fitzpatrick will now represent the new 8th Assembly District of New York, compromising of a similar area made up of parts of Commack, Fort Salonga, Hauppauge, Head of the Harbor, parts of Lake Grove, Kings Park, Nesconset, Nissequogue, Smithtown, and St. James. 

Safer is a political newcomer from Commack, who was making his first bid for political office. He works as a senior trial attorney for GEICO and previously worked as an attorney for the New York City Transit Authority.