Madeline Singas wins Nassau County DA seat in closely watched race on Election Day

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Democrat Madeline Singas won the race for Nassau County District Attorney Tuesday night.

As voters went to the polls Tuesday in elections around the Tri-State area, the race for D.A. was one of the most closely watched races.

Singas defeated Republican Kate Murray, 57 percent to 43 percent. She won 113,110 votes to Murray's 84,255.

Singas has been on the job for the past 10 months. "I have 24 years experience ensuring that justice is done every single day," she said.

Murray is the current supervisor for the town of Hempstead. The election came at a time when there was certainly no shortage of crime in Nassau County, a heroin problem steadily getting worse, and gun violence that only a few weeks ago took the life of a 12-year old girl in Hempstead who was just standing in her living room.

Murray touted herself as tougher on crime. "That really has led to 28 police unions endorsing me," said Murray. "Not one police union has endorsed my opponent, and they've all worked with her for the last nine years."

"She has never done criminal law, she hasn't practiced in 17 years, doesn't have the experience to be Nassau County's top law enforcement officer," Singas fired back during the race.

Meantime in Suffolk County, Steve Bellone is keeping his job as Suffolk County Executive defeating Republican challenger James O'Connor.

There were two state Senate races in New York. Democrat Roxanne Persaud defeated GOP candidate Jeffrey Ferretti in a race for Senate District 19, 88 percent to 9 percent. In the traditionally Democratic Brooklyn district, Assemblywoman Persaud and Ferretti campaigned for the seat formerly held by Democrat John Sampson, convicted of lying to the FBI.

In the Southern Tier Senate race, District 52, GOPer and Broome County Undersheriff Frederick Akshar won 79 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Barbara Fiala, a former county executive and motor vehicles commissioner who got 21 percent.

Three Assembly seats were also up for grabs.

Voters in Queens picked Alicia Hyndman over Republican Scherie Murray in a Queens Assembly district once represented by William Scarborough. Scarborough, a Democrat, was sentenced this fall to 13 months in jail for raiding his campaign fund for personal use and for submitting false expense vouchers for days he didn't actually travel to Albany.

In Brooklyn, Democrat Pamela Harris won 63 percent of the vote in a Brooklyn Assembly district to defeat Republican Lucretia Regina-Potter. Harris will replace Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny, a Democrat, who stepped down for an undisclosed job in the private sector.

In a Syracuse-area district, Democrat Pamela Hunter beat Republican John Sharon 54 percent to 36 percent. Conservative Party candidate David Stott got 10 percent.

There were no statewide offices on the ballot in New York or in New Jersey.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)