Jenkins 66%-Sculti-34%; Democrats Sweep All County Board Races; Republicans Hold Firm in Yorktown, Eastchester, Harrison
By Dan Murphy
One thing is clear after Election Night 2025 in Westchester: Westchester remains a supermajority Democratic County, as Westchester Democrats and like-minded independents overwhelmingly voted for Ken Jenkins as County Executive. Jenkins won his first, whole, four-year term on Nov. 4 with an overwhelming 66%-34% victory over republican Christine Sculti.
And Jenkins’ popularity and his 32-point margin of victory make it extremely difficult for republican candidates across the country to win. Democrats swept all the contested County Legislator races.
The only positive takeaway for county republicans is that they held onto their majorities in the Towns of Eastchester.
But this year’s election in Westchester was a celebration for Jenkins and for Westchester Democrats. “From housing and health to veterans’ services and workforce support — we’re making sure everyone in Westchester feels seen, safe, and supported,” said Jenkins. “So tonight, we celebrate more than a victory. We celebrate proof. Proof that stable, competent, forward-looking leadership works. Proof that when the government listens — when it cares — when it puts people first — progress follows. Proof that what people really want isn’t drama and it isn’t chaos – it’s results.”
Under Jenkins’ leadership, Westchester has seen a sharp drop in crime, significant investments in housing, an improved bond rating, and practical actions to lower costs among contracted services.
“In a time of division, we brought unity. In a time of chaos, we brought stability. In a time of too much empty rhetoric, we brought results. We’ve made Westchester safer, we’ve made it stronger, more sustainable, and more united than ever before,” Jenkins continued. “So tonight, let’s keep moving forward — with integrity, with purpose, and with pride in this place we all call home.”
Jenkins 66% is the highest percentage for a County Executive in recent memory. Jenkins 66% eclipses former County Executive and Congressman George Latimer’s 62.% to Sculti-37.5%,
Five County Board races we highlighted pre-election turned out badly for Republicans.
District 1-Colin Smith-61%-Kevin Byrnes-39%
District-2-Erika Pierce-64%-Brailled Diaz-36%
District 4-Vedat Gashi-57%-Kevin O’Keefe-43%
District 7-open seat- Anant Nambiar-65%- Kurt Van Kuller-35%
District 5-open seat-Jennifer Puja-72%-Frank Schanne-28%
District 9- Emiljana Ulaj-69%-Laurie Ryan-31%
District 14 note: We were criticized for not highlighting this race as one to watch, but the results—David Tubiolo, 73%; Michael Pineda—gave the Democrat, Tubiolo, one of the highest margins of victory.
The four candidates for Westchester County Judge won their races for State Supreme Court in the 9th Judicial District.
Veris Shako -13.82%
Diane Clerkin -14.31% -most votes
John Collins-13.93%
Desmond Lyones-12.84%
Five Westchester Towns continued to reelect republicans.
In Yorktown, Supervisor Ed Lachterman defeated Jann Merchandani by a 55%-45% margin, and Councilmembers Sergio Esposito and Luciana Haughwout were reelected with a combined 54%.
It’s time for self-examination among the Yorktown Democrats. If Ken Jenkins is winning his election on top of the ballot by 32, why can’t local democrats in Yorktown do better?
In North Castle, republican councilwoman Barbara DiGiacinto received the most votes and was reelected. Democrat Joe Rende was reelected without opposition.
In the Town of Mt. Pleasant, Republican Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi Jr. was reelected without opposition. Democrat Councilman Joseph Bonnano got the most votes, while republican Tom Sialiano was reelected.
In the Town of Harrison, Republican Tom Scappaticci was elected Supervisor with 52% of the vote, and Republican Arthur Troilo Jr. and Democrat Gina Evangelista were elected to the Town Board.
In the Town of Eastchester, Supervisor Tony Colavita was reelected without opposition, as were Councilmembers Theresa Nicholson and Luigi Marcoccia.
White Plains Mayor Tom Roach was elected Westchester County Clerk, defeating republican Sheila Marcotte by a 66%-34% margin.
In Yonkers, republican councilman Anthony Merante lost his reelection bid to democrat Tim Hodges, 60%-40%.
After the disappointing results for Republicans on election night, several of our readers emailed us with the question, “What happened to the Trump voters?”
In 2024, Trump got 37% of the vote in Westchester, losing to Kamala Harris with 62%. So Trump did better than Sculti and most other republicans in Westchester, but only by a few points.
Another election night email, what about all of the “Woke” issues like Trans people in women’s sports, or ICE, and is Westchester a sanctuary county, and Charlie Kirk? I guess none of it makes a difference. Or another way to look at it—as long as Donald Trump is President, republicans have no chance in Westchester.
