Nick Defiesta Photo
It turns out political party does matter at Yale, after all.
That’s one of the lessons demonstrated in Tuesday night’s results in Ward 1, where incumbent Alderwoman Sarah Eidelson, a 2012 Yale graduate, handily defeated current senior Paul Chandler by more than 200 votes to sail to reelection.
Although same-day registration votes were not yet tallied — poll workers said students accounted for a large portion of such ballots — a machine vote tally of 513 – 285 ensured that Eidelson, who is employed by Yale’s UNITE HERE Local 34 as a graphic designer, will return to her seat in City Hall.
In the only aldermanic debate to take place between Eidelson and Chandler, the incumbent’s affiliation with labor, instead of the challenger’s party, emerged as a point of contention between the candidates.
Chandler garnered more votes than many observers expected — with registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans by a factor of around 14 in the ward — but the final tally proves that at ultra-blue Yale, winning as a Republican in Ward 1 may be difficult if not downright impossible for the foreseeable future.
Eidelson and a group of about 30 of her supporters, along with Chandler supporter Tyler Carlisle and Republican Town Committee chair Richter Elser, crowded into a basement hallway of the New Haven Public Library as the results were announced Tuesday evening. Chandler and the rest of his campaign, meanwhile, awaited the results back on campus.
After learning that Eidelson had won reelection, her supporters cheered and hugged her before crowding outside where the incumbent thanked those who were with her and invited them back to her High Street apartment for a victory party.
“I’m overwhelmed and honored that my neighbors want me to keep representing them, and I look forward to the work ahead,” Eidelson said.
Chandler, meanwhile, could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Throughout the day, both candidates stood outside the polls greeting voters, and welcomed mayoral candidate Justin Elicker (pictured) as he dropped by around 1 p.m. Mayor-elect Toni Harp, meanwhile did not have any campaign staff standing outside the library.
Junior Nneoma Ahuruonye, a registered Democrat, said she voted for Eidelson because “she’s already made progress as an alderman,” citing the incumbent’s experience on board, connections to other aldermen and “solid track record” on the board as reasons for her decision. Sophomore Eleanor Marshall (pictured) made the same choice, as she looks favorably upon the role that organized labor has played in the city.
Couple Natasha Thondavadi and Harry Larson, both Yale seniors, split their votes. Thondavadi said she supported Chandler because he would do a better job, as a current Yale student, of representing her constituents; Larson said he was concerned about the message that having a Republican represent Yale would send to the rest of the city.
I wonder if these students approach their studies in the same way - low information, labels, no content.