Statement from Leslye Oquendo-Thomas, candidate for Westchester County Board, 17th District
Together, we made history.
Our campaign received 2,087 votes on the Working Families Party line, more than 4.5 times the previous District 17 record of 458 votes. We earned 27.8% of the overall vote, compared with the previous high of 9.7%, demonstrating the strength of the movement we built together.
To everyone who voted for me: Every vote sent a powerful message. Our communities deserve a government that listens, responds, and puts working families first. Your voice matters, and I will continue fighting alongside you to make sure it is heard.
After 12 years of serving Yonkers, I entered this race because I knew our neighbors deserved a stronger voice in government, committed to fighting for them. I was warned that standing up for our communities could cost me my job. I was fired, but we did not give up. We lost the Democratic primary by just four votes, but we did not give up. We kept organizing. We kept showing up.
What we built was bigger than a campaign. We brought together working families, seniors, young people, labor unions, faith leaders, immigrant communities, small businesses, and grassroots organizations across race, place, party, and background. The friendships and partnerships we formed, and the strength we found in one another, will last far beyond Election Day.
To our newly elected County Legislator for District 17: You now have a responsibility to every resident: deliver on your promises and serve with transparency, integrity, and accountability. Our communities deserve nothing less.
I did not need an elected title to fight for Yonkers before this campaign, and I do not need one now. I will keep showing up, standing with our neighbors, holding government accountable, and fighting for the future our communities deserve.
To everyone who put your faith in me and this movement: thank you. Every vote, every door knocked, every call made, every text sent, and every contribution helped build something bigger than any one of us. I am incredibly proud of what we built together and grateful to every volunteer, organizer, neighborhood leader, small-business supporter, and community member who made it possible. This campaign was never about me. It was about all of us and the communities we came together to fight for.
We’ve come too far and built too much together to stop now.
This is not the end of our story. Keep looking for Leslye. I’ll be right there, standing with you.
Still here. Still fighting. We’re just getting started.
Fear says nothing ever changes.
Hope says, “Watch us.”
Leslye Oquendo-Thomas
2026 Candidate for Westchester County Legislature, District 17
Final results:
Wilson Terrero-72%
Leslye Oquendo-Thomas-28%