Democrats on Tuesday won back at least one key New York congressional seat from Republicans and held on to another, giving the party a mild boost in its bid to retake control of the House of Representatives.
State Sen. John Mannion won a Syracuse-based seat currently held by first-term Republican Rep. Brandon Williams, while Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan held on to his seat in the Hudson Valley, according to the Associated Press. The key wins could help House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Brooklyn Democrat, become the first Black person to serve as speaker of the House — if his party wins at least 218 seats nationwide, which may not be fully settled for days or even weeks.
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler held a 12-point lead over former Rep. Mondaire Jones in his Hudson Valley district just after midnight, with an estimated 75% of votes counted. Several other tight congressional contests, including key races on Long Island and in the Catskills that drew tens of millions of dollars in outside spending, had not yet been called at the end of the night on Tuesday.
The Democrats’ hold on the U.S. Senate, however, appeared to be in jeopardy nationally, putting Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer — New York’s senior senator – at risk of falling back into the upper house’s minority.
As of 1:15 a.m. Wednesday:
Democrat Laura Gillen, the former Hempstead supervisor, had a 6,000-vote lead over Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito in the 4th District in Nassau County. An estimated 98% of the vote had been counted, according to the AP.
Attorney Josh Riley defeated Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro, the AP reported, in the sprawling 19th District, which stretches from the Hudson Valley to the Finger Lakes.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Nassau County Democrat, bested Republican Michael LiPetri, the AP reported, in the 3rd District, which includes part of Queens. Suozzi and Gillen declared victory late Tuesday, but their opponents had not yet conceded.
Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand win New York
There was far less suspense at the top of the ticket in New York.
Shortly after polls closed at 9 p.m., the Associated Press reported Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris won the state’s 28 electoral votes over Republican Donald Trump. But her margin of victory fell well behind President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in New York in 2020, which exceeded 20 points.
With an estimated 85% of the vote counted at 11:45 p.m., Harris had 56% of the vote in the Empire State — giving her a 12-point win over Trump. In New York City, Harris took home about 68% of the vote. She fared worse in key swing states like Georgia and North Carolina, putting Trump on the brink of winning the presidential election late Tuesday night.
In the Senate, Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, New York’s junior senator, easily won re-election over Republican Mike Sapraicone, a former NYPD detective, picking up about 59% of the vote with 83% of ballots counted, according to the AP.
Gillibrand was first appointed to the role in 2009, succeeding former Sen. Hillary Clinton when she was elevated to secretary of state, and has been elected four times since.
“I'm going to keep solving problems for our country,” she said in her victory speech. “We're going to keep working on the economy. We're going to make sure health care is more affordable, help families with child care and elder care that they desperately need. And I will continue to fight for tax cuts for our middle class families.”
But Republican Senate candidates were able to flip West Virginia and were leading in Ohio as of Tuesday night, putting the party in a position to potentially retake control of the Democrat-led chamber. That would be a major blow to Schumer, who has been majority leader since 2021.
Proposal 1 passes; NYC ballot measures mixed
The AP also reported New York voters approved Proposition 1, effectively enshrining abortion rights into the state constitution by adding a series of protections against discrimination, including for reproductive health decisions.
The successful ballot proposal will change the state constitution to prohibit discrimination based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, or sex — which includes protections for sexual orientation, gender identity and reproductive autonomy. Supporters framed it as a way to protect the right to an abortion in New York. The constitution already includes protections against discrimination based on race, color, creed and religion.
Republicans pushed back against the measure, claiming — among other things — that it would infringe on parents’ rights and allow transgender female athletes to play in women’s sports, claims the New York City Bar Association disputes. But their campaign against the measure ultimately fell short.
With an estimated 69% of votes counted, about 63% of voters cast their ballot in favor of the measure, according to the AP.
In New York City, voters were asked to decide five proposals to change the City Charter, which have been the subject of a clash between Mayor Eric Adams and members of the City Council. At 10:30 p.m., four of the five city proposals were on track to pass; the lone one poised to fail was a proposal to enshrine the position of chief business diversity officer — an Adams-created position — into the city charter.
Congressional incumbents win big in NYC
New York City’s congressional elections largely weren’t competitive.
Democratic Reps. Jeffries, Gregory Meeks, Grace Meng, Nydia Velazquez, Yvette Clarke, Dan Goldman, Jerry Nadler, Adriano Espaillat, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ritchie Torres all won reelection by 9:45 p.m., according to the AP. Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of Staten Island also won.
With nearly 95% of scanners reporting, about 2.6 million people voted in the five boroughs, according to the New York City Board of Elections. That includes people who voted early and most mail-in ballots.
In 2020, city voters cast 3 million ballots total.
Brigid Bergin contributed reporting.