Iwen Chu declares victory in tight Brooklyn race, becomes first Asian woman elected to N.Y. Senate

ALBANY — Iwen Chu is heading to Albany as the first Asian American woman elected to serve in the State Senate as Democrats eye keeping their supermajority in the upper chamber.

The Brooklyn Dem declared victory on Wednesday, more than a week after Election Day results showed her in a close race against Republican Vito Labella for a newly drawn Senate district.

“We won!” Chu tweeted. “I promise every day to fight for a better New York — safer, cleaner, and more affordable for our families, and to be a voice for all our communities. I am here to serve all in SD17 as we are a community, first and foremost.”

The newly crafted 17th Senate District is Asian-majority and covers parts of Sunset Park, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Kensington and Dyker Heights.

Chu, formerly chief of staff for Assemblyman Peter Abbate (D-Brooklyn), drew support from progressives and mainline Dems alike but faced a tough contest as Republicans made gains across South Brooklyn.

LaBella, a retired NYPD lieutenant and co-founder of a parent advocacy group in favor of accelerated learning programs, came within a few hundred votes of Chu, according to unofficial results from the city Board of Elections.

Absentee ballots are being counted this week and election officials are likely to certify the results soon.

LaBella, who cause a stir during the campaign when video surfaced of him saying he hates “f—ing Brooklyn, I wish I never had to go back,” did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Chu announced her run in February, just weeks after Democrats in the Legislature drew up new district lines that would later be tossed by the courts.

Despite the redistricting mess and Republican gains in the Assembly, Dem leaders said last week they expect to retain at least 40 out of the Senate’s 63 seats. But a supermajority is still a possibility as Chu’s victory gives the conference 41 and a yet-to-be-called race in Syracuse is heading to a recount.

Only a handful of votes separate Democratic incumbent Sen. John Mannion and Republican challenger Rebecca Shiroff in the 50th Senate District.