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NY State Assembly · District 49

Southern Brooklyn, including Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, Sunset Park and Brooklyn's Chinatown along 8th Avenue.

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

RESULT · UNOFFICIAL UNTIL CERTIFIED

Not yet called

Joyce Xiaoqiong Xie leads by about 861 votes with 99% of scanners in; no call yet.

About 99% of the expected vote counted. As of November 9. Winners take office next year. Counts can change until states certify. Wikipedia ↗City & State: Democrats sweep local races in southern Brooklyn ↗City & State: Where do key state legislative races stand ↗

Sources re-checked September 25, 2026 · How we research

  • Incumbent Lester Chang and Joyce Xiaoqiong Xie both advanced to the general election without appearing on a primary ballot; the Democratic, Republican and Conservative Party primaries scheduled for June 23, 2026 were all canceled. Chang first won this seat in a November 2022 upset over longtime Assembly Member Peter Abbate Jr.[1][2]

On the November 3 ballot · 2 candidates

Lester ChangRCINCUMBENTNY State Assembly Member, District 49 (since 2023)Full profile →Joyce Xiaoqiong XieDFull profile →

Issue evidence — side by side

Recorded votes, documented positions and candidates’ own words are shown with sources. “In their own words” quotes a candidate on the topic without inferring a stance. Votes describe specific bills or motions; they do not establish overall support or opposition to a broad issue. A dash means our research has no evidence on that topic, not that the candidate has no position.

Public funding for school choice (vouchers / charters)

  • Lester Chang
    Supports[3]

    His campaign site says he is a strong advocate for school choice and supports lifting the cap on the number of charter schools allowed in New York City.

  • Joyce Xiaoqiong Xie
    —

Research notes & limits

Chang first won this seat in the November 2022 general election, unseating longtime incumbent Peter Abbate Jr. Vote data is drawn from the assembly-ny.json roll-call snapshot, which covers only May-June 2026 Assembly floor votes; most were near-unanimous procedural or public-employee-benefit bills, so the two contested votes shown here are the most notable available. Xie's biography rests on her Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey; no campaign website or news profile was found, and her career and education are not documented there.

Sources · 11

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.New York State Assembly District 49 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  2. 2.Lester Chang · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  3. 3.Lester Chang (campaign home page) · Lester Chang for Assembly Candidate's own words
  4. 4.Bill A06049 status · New York State Assembly Official record
  5. 5.Chang and Lawmakers Push Back on Proposed Integration of Homeless and Non-Homeless Populations · New York State Assembly · 2026-03-27 Official record
  6. 6.Chang Calls for Full Investigation into Fake Asbestos Inspection at Proposed 86th St. Shelter Site · New York State Assembly · 2026-05-07 Official record
  7. 7.Joyce Xiaoqiong Xie - Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words
  8. 8.Lester Chang · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  9. 9.Meet Lester · Lester Chang for NY Candidate's own words
  10. 10.Lester Chang - Biography · New York State Assembly Official record
  11. 11.Joyce Xiaoqiong Xie - Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words