#Disqualified Assemblywoman Seawright seeks indy ballot line in reelection bid

Three-term Upper East Side Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright – knocked off the Democratic ballot line over paperwork snafus during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic — will have an opportunity to reclaim her seat by seeking to run on an independent line under an executive order signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

As things stand now, Republican candidate and residential doorman Louis Puliafito can waltz into office after Seawright was disqualified from running on the Democratic and Working Families Party for failing to file require cover sheets with her party petitions.

The 76th Assembly District takes in the Upper East Side, Yorkville and Roosevelt Island.

The state Court of Appeals upheld the city Board of Elections rulings that tossed Seawright off the ballot.

Cuomo curtailed and then suspended the voter signature collection period in the spring to help contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

The governor’s order will allow any candidate wishing to run on an independent line for office from president on down to collect voter signatures from July 1 through July 30.

“During the height of the pandemic, the state suspended petition circulation to minimize person-to-person contact and protect New Yorkers, and now we have reinstated this constitutionally protected process with sufficient time for candidates to secure a place on the ballot come November,” said Cuomo spokeswoman Dani Lever.

“This isn’t about a particular race — it applies to all including presidential, senate, assembly, and village — and allowing people to run for office is a basic democratic function,” she added.

In a rarity, Seawright was one of only two incumbents knocked off the ballot for petition screw-ups, the other being Bronx Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo, who was declared ineligible for collecting fraudulent voter signatures.

Seawright said she was sick with a coronavirus-like viral infection during the petition filing period.

Seawright will have to collect 1,050 valid signatures from voters from any party to get the ballot on a third party line. Democrats who signed her Democratic party petitions that were declared ineligible can sign her independent petitions. Other voters who did not sign petitions for her opponent can also sign on.

“We commend the issuance of the executive order that will permit the petition gathering process to proceed. As a lifetime Democrat, I have maintained all along that I intend to be on the ballot in November as the Democrat running on an independent line,” Seawright said.

“We are working closely with the district’s devoted community and civic leaders, and we are energized to defeat the Republican candidate in November.”

Other prominent Democratic lawmakers and district leaders are backing her indy bid.

“I am absolutely helping Rebecca, as are the Democratic leaders and clubs in our territory,” said state Sen. Liz Krueger, whose district overlaps with Seabrook’s.

“We all know she is a solid Democratic lawmaker who will continue to serve with the Assembly Democratic Caucus when she beats her Republican opponent. She is forced to go down this path because technical snafus left the Democratic line blank this November.”

The disqualification of Seawright has Republicans giddy that they could steal a seat in a Democratic-heavy district. And her voter signatures will most certainly be inspected and likely challenged by the GOP.

But political insiders said if Seawright can get her name on the ballot, she has a shot at winning.