GOP Assembly winner could be ousted over Brooklyn residency

By MAYSOON KHAN
Associated Press/Report for America

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — In an election in which Republicans underperformed nationally, Lester Chang was a success story. He beat a New York City Democrat who’d been in office for almost 36 years. In doing so, he became the first Asian American elected to represent Brooklyn’s growing Chinatown in the state Assembly. Now, Democrats in the Legislature are talking about denying Chang his seat as they raise questions about whether he met a residency requirement. They question whether Chang lived in Brooklyn long enough to run for office. Republican supporters say he lives in the borough, in his childhood home. The possible rejection has infuriated supporters who see it as an effort to disenfranchise Asian voters.