GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis wins reelection; many N.Y. congressional races too close to call as control of House hangs in balance

Most of New York’s highly competitive congressional races remained too close to call late Tuesday as control of the House of Representatives hung in the balance.

Going into Tuesday’s midterm elections, Republicans were angling to flip at least five Democratic House seats statewide, stretching from the North Shore suburbs of Long Island to upstate counties in the Catskills. The state’s three other competitive House contests involve Democratic challengers seeking to topple Republican incumbents.

Only one of New York’s closely-watched races got called shortly after polls closed at 9 p.m.: Incumbent Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis handily defeated Democratic challenger Max Rose in her Staten Island and southern Brooklyn-spanning district.

Rose said at an election night party on Staten Island that he called Malliotakis to concede after tallies showed him trailing her by more than 35,000 votes.

“When we fall short, I understand it can be not only heartbreaking, but frightening,” Rose told supporters. “But this is not the time to give up or back down. One election alone does not define the trajectory of this country.”

At her own election night party on the island, Malliotakis begged to differ and voiced confidence that her win will be part of a GOP takeover of the House.

“The first thing we’re going to do is fire Nancy Pelosi,” Malliotakis said, referring to the Democratic House speaker. She also vowed to bring “accountability for the Biden administration.”

[ Live New York Election Results ]

It was not immediately clear what the results would be in the other two New York House races where Democrats were vying to claim Republican seats. It was also too early to say late Tuesday what the outcome would be in the five races involving Republican challengers seeking to flip Democratic districts.

New York’s congressional midterms are especially important on a national level this year, as the Republican Party only needs to expand their ranks in the House by five members in order to wrestle control of the chamber away from the Democrats, who are currently in the majority. All 435 seats in the House are up for election, and it could take days before all races across the country are called.

One of the most closely-watched New York races has played out in the 17th Congressional District, where incumbent Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney is facing off against Republican Assemblyman Mike Lawler.

Maloney, the boss of his party’s political campaign arm in the House, held a razor-thin edge over Lawler as votes began to trickle in from the Hudson Valley district, but it was too early to say whether that lead would hold.

The unusually ripe opportunity for GOP pickups in New York was made possible by this spring’s bewildering redrawing of the state’s congressional map, which shifted GOP-friendly constituencies into several previously safe Democratic districts.

The map shakeup turned New York into a political battleground — an unusual designation for a state that’s typically viewed as one of the country’s most liberal.

President Biden’s low approval ratings and concerns over inflation and crime have fueled enthusiasm among GOP voters in New York.

With those factors in mind, outside conservative groups and deep-pocketed donors poured thousands of dollars into propping up Republican candidates in New York’s competitive congressional districts.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who’d be in line to become House speaker if his party triumphs in Tuesday’s elections, even jetted to Orange County last month to hold a campaign fundraiser for Colin Schmitt, an Assembly member running in the state’s 18th District against incumbent Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan.

Former President Donald Trump, who remains the Republican Party’s most influential leader despite leaving office in the wake of his supporters’ deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol last year, has also flexed his political muscle in New York’s House races.

In a teleconference rally with New York City Republicans last week, Trump stumped for Malliotakis, hailing her as a rock-ribbed conservative who will defend “Judeo-Christian principles” — a remark that drew outrage from local Democrats.

Trump himself made clear this week that he’s likely to mount another run for the White House in 2024, especially if his party performs well in Tuesday’s midterms.

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