Five U.S. House races in New York remained undecided early Wednesday but Republicans were threatening to pick off more seats from Democrats and potentially grab their largest share of the state's congressional delegation in two decades.
The closely contested battles include a fight in the Hudson Valley between U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney and his Republican challenger Mike Lawler, a state assemblyman who held a narrow lead early Wednesday.
The Associated Press has not declared a winner in that contest, but Maloney, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, conceded the race Wednesday morning in a phone call to Lawler, according to his campaign.
Not counting that contest, Republicans have won at least seven of the 26 seats New York will have in Congress next year, just one fewer than their current representation in what is now a 27-seat delegation. Republicans were leading or within a percentage point of the lead in five more races.
In the suburbs of Nassau County, just east of New York City, Republican Anthony D’Esposito, a member of Hempstead’s town council and a former New York Police Department detective, held a narrow lead over Democrat Laura Gillen.
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, a Republican, held a narrow lead over Democrat Josh Riley in a newly created district that runs from the Massachusetts border to the state’s Finger Lakes region in central New York.
In Syracuse and its suburbs, Republican Brandon Williams held a narrow lead over Democrat Francis Conole in the race to succeed U.S. Rep. John Katko, a Republican who is retiring.
In another Hudson Valley district, U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat, was clinging to a narrow lead over Republican Colin Schmitt, a second-term state Assemblyman.
The race appeared exceedingly close early Wednesday, but Schmitt nonetheless conceded, saying he hoped Ryan “will do great things for our Hudson Valley families.” The Associated Press has not declared a winner in the race.
Democrats held on to many of New York's top offices in Tuesday's election, winning the governor's race, the race for U.S. Senate and state attorney general.
Voter dissatisfaction imperiled the party, though, in the suburbs.
Democrats also appeared to be hurt badly by the collapse of their attempt to gerrymander the boundaries of New York's congressional districts in a way that could have given the party a huge advantage.
Courts threw out maps passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, citing procedural errors and excessive partisanship. A court appointee then drew new maps that prioritized competition.
The result has been more close matchups than the state has seen since the late 1990s, when Republicans represented 13 of what was then New York's 31 congressional districts.
