Shrestha Wins Rhinebeck, Red Hook, and the District 

The votes are in, and after what turned out to be a very contentious and divisive election season, including for our local Democratic primary, the incumbent Assembly member Sarahana Shrestha has easily won the primary for District 103. The AP called the race for her at 10:34PM; The New York Times called the vote at 10:45 PM, 66%-34%, with 88% of the votes tallied. 

Shrestha won easily in both Red Hook and Rhinebeck, with about 27% of registered Democrats voting, or 1,826 out of 6,779 in the two towns.

Shrestha’s challenger, first-time candidate Gabi Madden, ran an aggressive campaign in what some said was part of a larger conservative counteroffensive against progressive incumbents. 

Total District 103 Votes

% Votes

Sarahana Shrestha. 9,052

66.3%

Gabi Madden. 4,595

33.7%

Assembly District 103 is largely anchored in Ulster County, with Red Hook and Rhinebeck the only municipalities in Dutchess County represented in the district.  

Shrestha, who defeated longtime Democratic Assemblymember Kevin Cahill (Madden’s former boss) by barely three percentage points in a 2022 primary, went on to defeat Republican Patrick Sheehan in the general election.

The Pilot will be following up on this story in the coming weeks with an interview with Shrestha.