NEW YORK — In New York’s competitive contest for the House of Representatives, only one Democrat managed to break through the Republican wave that washed over the state this election cycle.
That Democrat was Rep. Pat Ryan, an Army combat veteran who squeaked out a victory against Republican Assemblyman Colin Schmitt.
Now, as Democrats conduct a torturous post-mortem of their poor showing in New York state — a showing made even more painful when compared to the expectation-defying results they had in much of the rest of the country — political observers are turning to the 18th Congressional District to understand why Ryan won while other Democrats weren’t so fortunate.
