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By Thomas Tracy
Brooklyn Daily
Former Councilman Simcha Felder grabbed hold of the new, so-named “super Jewish district” with both hands on Tuesday as he secured more than 65 percent of the vote — effectively ending GOP state Sen. David Storobin’s search to extend his political career past six months.
Felder, an Orthodox Jew, had secured more than 28,000 votes in a district that includes Borough Park, Midwood, and Homecrest. Just over 30 percent of voters had chosen Storobin to lead them in Albany — giving the young attorney just over 14,000 votes, according to NY1.
Storobin had not conceded defeat as this paper went to press. Attempts to reach Felder were unsuccessful on Tuesday night.
Storobin set his sights on the new district just days after his colleagues in the state senate drew it. The new district was created with parts of disgraced former state Sen. Carl Kruger’s district — a district the Republican had won by just a handful of votes.
Political insiders accused Storobin, who immigrated to the U.S. from Russia when he was 12, of playing up his Jewish-ness in order to secure votes in the new district where a large number of Conservative Orthodox Jews call home.
Philosphically, Felder was a lot like Storobin: while running as a Democrat, the candidate supported the Romney-Ryan ticket and said he would caucus with the GOP if voters sent him to Albany.