Democrats' hold on supermajority in Suffolk Legislature is up in the air

Democrats' efforts to hold on to their supermajority in the Suffolk County Legislature hinges on a 6th District race in which the incumbent Tuesday night led by a single vote.

With all precincts in, Legis. Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) led Republican challenger Steve Tricarico, 5,859 votes to 5,858.

Anker, 51, has held the seat in the GOP-leaning district since 2011, and now her future -- and her party's supermajority -- will be determined by 459 absentee votes still to be counted. Tricarico, 31, is Brookhaven's deputy highways superintendent.

Democrats outnumbered Republicans 12-6 entering the election, giving them the power to approve bonds without the other party's approval and avoid pushing emergency bills through the committee process.

In other races, Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCaffrey, 61, of Lindenhurst, edged former federal prosecutor Tim Sini, 35, a Democrat who served as an aide to County Executive Steve Bellone, in the 14th District.

The 14th is the home district for Bellone, as well as county Democratic chairman and Babylon Town supervisor Rich Schaffer, and Democrats aggressively sought to reclaim the seat.

But McCaffrey told News 12 Long Island he wasn't concerned about being targeted by Democrats, calling himself "an independent voice."

Schaffer said Tuesday night he was optimistic that Democrats would retain their supermajority.

Of the 18 legislative races on the ballot, 16 were contested.

Brookhaven parks official Frank Tassone, 44, a Republican from Patchogue, lost to Legis. Rob Calarco (D-Patchogue) in the 7th District. Calarco, 36, was the Democratic majority leader -- the No. 3 position in the legislature.

Legis. William Lindsay III (D-Bohemia) beat Republican Mary Beth Calamia in the 8th District. Calamia, 52, is a social worker and anti-Common Core activist.

Southampton Town Councilwoman Bridget Fleming, 55, a Democrat, defeated Republican Amos Goodman, 32, of East Hampton, for the 2nd District seat.

The seat became open when Jay Schneiderman decided to run for Southampton Town supervisor.

Goodman, a financial consultant making his first bid for public office, would have been Suffolk's first openly gay Republican legislator.

Freshman Legis. Monica Martinez, of Brentwood, was re-elected in the 9th District, running on minor party lines after losing the official Democratic nomination over faulty signatures submitted on nominating petitions.

She was challenged by Giovanni A. Mata, 36, a sales representative also from Brentwood, who received the official Democratic endorsement.

With Rick Brand