2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New York


The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held November 6, 2018 to elect a U.S. Representative from each of New York's 27 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the gubernatorial election, as well as an election to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
Contested primaries were held June 26, 2018. On election day, Democrats gained three New York House seats, and the Democratic Party retook control of the House of Representatives. Democrats won a total of 21 New York House seats, while Republicans won six.

Overview

Elections were held in all 27 of New York's congressional districts in 2018. Prior to the 2018 elections, one New York House seat was vacant due to the death of Rep. Louise Slaughter on March 16, 2018. In the June 26, 2018 Democratic primary in District 14, insurgent Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez upset longtime incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley. On November 6, 2018, the Democratic Party held the open seat in District 25 and defeated three Republican incumbents; with the exception of Crowley, all Democratic incumbent members of Congress in New York were re-elected. The defeated Republican incumbents were Rep. Dan Donovan, Rep. John Faso, and Rep. Claudia Tenney . Incumbent Rep. Chris Collins was narrowly re-elected despite having been arrested on insider trading charges in August 2018.
Democrats won a total of 21 New York House seats, while Republicans won six. Nationally, the Democratic Party won control of the House of Representatives on election day.
New York is near unique among the states in that it allows electoral fusion. As a result, New York ballots tend to list many political parties. Most news outlets report election results using only the primary affiliation of party registration of candidates rather than by the party nominees who are elected, and most pollsters group candidates the same way.

By district

Results of the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New York by district:

District 1

The 1st district is located in eastern Long Island and includes most of central and eastern Suffolk County. The incumbent was Republican Lee Zeldin, who had represented the district since 2015. He was re-elected to a second term with 58% of the vote in 2016.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Democratic primary

The 1st district was included on the initial list of Republican-held seats being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2018.

Candidates

Nominee
  • Perry Gershon, businessman
    Eliminated in primary
  • Kate Browning, Suffolk County legislator
  • Elaine DiMasi, physicist
  • David Pechefsky, New York City Council staffer
  • Vivian Viloria-Fisher, former Suffolk County legislator and candidate for Brookhaven Town Supervisor in 2013
    Withdrawn
  • Brendon Henry, bartender
  • Hannah Selinger, writer and sommelier
    Declined
  • Dave Calone, venture capitalist, former chairman of the Suffolk Planning Commission and candidate in 2016
  • Fred Thiele, state assembly member

General election

Campaign

In mid-September, Gershon said his campaign had raised more than $1.25 million since July 1, with contributions averaging $85. At the end of September, the nonpartisan Washington, D.C.-based Cook Political Report rated the race as "Likely Republican;" the "Likely" designation is for seats "not considered competitive at this point, but hav the potential to become engaged."

District 2

The 2nd district is based along the South Shore of Long Island and includes southwestern Suffolk County and a small portion of southeastern Nassau County. The incumbent was Republican Peter T. King, who had represented the district since 2013 and previously represented the 3rd district from 1993 to 2013. He was re-elected to a thirteenth term with 62% of the vote in 2016.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Liuba Grechen Shirley, teacher
    Eliminated in primary
  • DuWayne Gregory, Suffolk County legislator

District 3

The 3rd district includes most of the North Shore of Long Island. It covers northwestern Suffolk County, northern Nassau County, and northeastern Queens. The incumbent was Democrat Tom Suozzi, who had represented the district since 2017. He was elected to replace retiring representative Steve Israel with 53% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

New York's 3rd district was included on the initial list of Democrat-held seats being targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2018.

Candidates

Nominee
  • Dan DeBono, investment banker

Independents

  • Joshua Sauberman, policy analyst

District 4

The 4th district is located in central and southern Nassau County. The incumbent was Democrat Kathleen Rice, who had represented the district since 2015. She was re-elected to a second term with 59.5% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Ameer Benno, attorney

District 5

The 5th district is mostly located within Queens in New York City, but also includes a small portion of Nassau County. The incumbent was Democrat Gregory Meeks, who had represented the district since 2013 and previously represented the 6th district from 1998 to 2013. He was re-elected to a tenth term with 85% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 6

The 6th district is located entirely within Queens in New York City. The incumbent was Democrat Grace Meng, who had represented the district since 2013. She was re-elected to a third term with 72% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 7

The 7th district is located entirely in New York City and includes parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. The incumbent was Democrat Nydia Velázquez, who had represented the district since 2013 and previously represented the 12th district from 1993 to 2013. She was re-elected to a thirteenth term with 91% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 8

The 8th district is located entirely in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The incumbent was Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, who had represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected to a third term with 93% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 9

The 9th district is located entirely within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The incumbent was Democrat Yvette Clarke, who had represented the district since 2013 and previously represented the 11th district from 2007 to 2013. She was re-elected to a sixth term with 92% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Lutchi Gayot, businessman

District 10

The 10th district is located in New York City and includes the Upper West Side of Manhattan; the west side of Lower Manhattan, including Greenwich Village and the Financial District; and parts of Brooklyn, including Borough Park. The incumbent was Democrat Jerrold Nadler, who had represented the district since 2013, and previously represented the 8th district from 1993 to 2013 and the 17th district from 1992 to 1993. He was re-elected to a thirteenth full term with 78% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Naomi Levin, software engineer

District 11

The 11th district is located entirely in New York City and includes all of Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn. The incumbent was Republican Dan Donovan, who had represented the district since 2015. He was re-elected to a second term with 62% of the vote in 2016.

Republican primary

Former Congressman Michael Grimm, who resigned in 2014 after pleading guilty to federal tax fraud charges for which he served eight months in prison, challenged Donovan in the primary.

Candidates

Nominee
  • Dan Donovan, incumbent U.S. Representative
    Eliminated in primary
  • Michael Grimm, former U.S. Representative and convicted felon

Debates

  • , June 14, 2018

Democratic primary

New York's 11th district was included on the initial list of Republican-held seats being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2018.

Candidates

Nominee
  • Max Rose, Army veteran and chief of staff at Brightpoint Health
    Eliminated in primary
  • Michael DeVito, retired Marine Staff Sergeant
  • Zach Emig, bond trader
  • Paul Sperling, entrepreneur
    Withdrawn
  • Mike DeCillis, teacher and retired police officer
  • Boyd Melson, retired boxer and Army Reserves Captain

Conservative primary

Dan Donovan also ran in the primary for the Conservative Party of New York State.

District 12

The 12th district is located entirely in New York City and includes several neighborhoods in the East Side of Manhattan, Greenpoint and western Queens. The incumbent was Democrat Carolyn Maloney, who had represented the district since 2013 and previously represented the 14th district from 1993 to 2013. She was re-elected to a thirteenth term with 83% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Eliot Rabin, businessman

District 13

The 13th district is located entirely in New York City and includes Upper Manhattan and a small portion of the western Bronx. The incumbent was Democrat Adriano Espaillat, who had represented the district since 2017. He was elected to replace retiring representative Charles Rangel with 89% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Jineea Butler, hip hop analyst

District 14

The 14th district is located in New York City and includes the eastern Bronx and part of north-central Queens. The incumbent was Democrat Joseph Crowley, a leader of the New Democrat Coalition, who had represented the district since 2013. Crowley previously represented the 7th district from 1999 to 2013. He was re-elected to a tenth term with 83% of the vote in 2016. Crowley, who had been named as a potential successor to Nancy Pelosi as House Leader or Speaker, sought re-election in 2018.

Democratic primary

Backed by the organization Brand New Congress, bartender and activist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez challenged Crowley in the primary, announcing her campaign in June 2017. Ocasio-Cortez, who had been an organizer in Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign, was the first primary challenger Crowley had faced since 2004 [United States House of Representatives elections in New York|2004]. On May 10, 2018, it was announced that she had gathered enough signatures to appear on the primary ballot. Despite this, most observers concluded that Crowley would win the primary, citing his strong support from elected officials and his large fundraising advantage.
In her campaign, Ocasio-Cortez claimed that Crowley was not progressive enough for the district, and also accused him of corruption, stating that he was using his position as chair of the Queens Democratic Party improperly. She aggressively built a presence on social media platforms, creating a biographical video promoting her campaign that went viral. Crowley significantly outspent Ocasio-Cortez prior to the primary election.

Candidates

Nominee

Results

Ocasio-Cortez defeated Crowley in the Democratic primary election, which was considered an upset victory.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

General election

Campaign

Following his defeat in the Democratic primary, Crowley remained on the ballot on the Working Families Party line, but did not actively campaign. Following Ocasio-Cortez's primary win, Joann Ariola, chairwoman of the Queens Republican Party, claimed that the Republican Party had a chance of winning the seat due to Ocasio-Cortez being a democratic socialist. Michael Rendino, chairman of the Bronx Republican Party, was more skeptical, declaring that "even if Crowley and Ocasio-Cortez split the vote, we'd still lose two-to-one".
Professor Anthony Pappas was the Republican nominee, but was disavowed by the Queens and Bronx Republican Parties after he was accused of committing domestic violence. Several Republicans approached both the Queens and Bronx Republican parties with the intent of replacing Pappas on the ballot, but Pappas refused to withdraw from the race. Pappas's campaign was based around the abolition of judicial immunity, which he argued had led to judges becoming unaccountable for their actions. Pappas's campaign manager attempted to convince him to run an aggressive campaign against Ocasio-Cortez, but he refused.

District 15

The 15th district is located entirely within The Bronx in New York City and is one of the smallest districts by area in the entire country. The incumbent was Democrat José E. Serrano, who had represented the district since 2013, and previously represented the 16th district from 1993 to 2013 and the 18th district from 1990 to 1993. He was re-elected to a fourteenth full term with 95% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Jason Gonzalez

Reform primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 16

The 16th district is located in the northern part of The Bronx and the southern half of Westchester County, including the cities of Mount Vernon, Yonkers, New Rochelle, and Rye. The incumbent was Democrat Eliot Engel, who had represented the district since 2013 and previously represented the 17th district from 1993 to 2013 and the 19th district from 1989 to 1993. He was re-elected to a fifteenth term with 95% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Eliot Engel, incumbent U.S. Representative
    Eliminated in primary
  • Joyce Briscoe
  • Derickson Lawrence
  • Jonathan Lewis

District 17

The 17th district contains all of Rockland County and the northern and central portions of Westchester County, including the cities of Peekskill and White Plains. The incumbent was Democrat Nita Lowey, who had represented the district since 2013 and previously represented the 18th district from 1993 to 2013 and the 20th district from 1989 to 1993. She was re-elected to a fifteenth term unopposed in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 18

The 18th district is located entirely within the Hudson Valley, covering all of Orange County and Putnam County, as well as parts of southern Dutchess County and northeastern Westchester County. The incumbent was Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney, who had represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected to a third term with 56% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

New York's 18th district was included on the initial list of Democratic held seats that were being targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2018.

Candidates

Nominee

District 19

The 19th district is located in New York's Hudson Valley and Catskills regions and includes all of Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties, and parts of Broome, Dutchess, Montgomery and Rensselaer counties. The incumbent was Republican John Faso, who had represented the district since 2017. He was elected to replace retiring representative Chris Gibson with 54% of the vote in 2016. The Democratic nominee was Antonio Delgado. Actress Diane Neal ran under the newly created Friends of Diane Neal ballot line.

Democratic primary

New York's 19th district was included on the initial list of Republican-held seats being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2018.

Candidates

Nominee
  • Antonio Delgado, attorney
    Eliminated in primary
  • Jeff Beals, teacher and former U.S. diplomat
  • David Clegg, lawyer
  • Erin Collier, economist
  • Brian Flynn, businessman
  • Gareth Rhodes, former gubernatorial aide
  • Pat Ryan, Iraq War veteran and businessman
    Withdrawn
  • Sue Sullivan, strategic planning consultant
    Declined
  • Mike Hein, Ulster County Executive
  • Zephyr Teachout, candidate for governor in 2014 and nominee for this seat in 2016
  • Will Yandik, Livingston Deputy Supervisor and candidate for this seat in 2016

Republican primary

Independent candidates

Declared
Disqualified
  • Dal LaMagna, businessman

General election

Debates

  • , October 19, 2018

Polling

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		John
Faso 		Generic
Democrat		OtherUndecided
PPP/Patriot Majority USAFebruary 12–13, 2018703± 3.7%41%43%–16%
PPP/Patriot Majority USANovember 8–10, 2017506± 4.4%40%46%–14%

District 20

The 20th district is located in the Capital District and includes all of Albany and Schenectady Counties, and portions of Montgomery, Rensselaer and Saratoga Counties. The incumbent was Democrat Paul Tonko, who had represented the district since 2013 and previously represented the 21st district from 2009 to 2013. He was re-elected to a fifth term with 68% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 21

The 21st district, the state's largest and most rural congressional district, includes most of the North Country and the northern suburbs of Syracuse. The district borders Vermont to the east. The incumbent was Republican Elise Stefanik, who had represented the district since 2015. She was re-elected to a second term with 65.3% of the vote in 2016.

Republican primary

Farmer and real estate broker Russ Finley planned on making a primary challenge of Stefanik, but later withdrew from the race, leaving Stefanik unopposed in the primary.

Candidates

Nominee
  • Elise Stefanik, incumbent U.S. Representative
    Withdrawn
  • Russ Finle, farmer and real estate broker

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Tedra Cobb, former St. Lawrence County legislator
    Eliminated in primary
  • Don Boyajian, attorney and former congressional aide
  • Emily Martz, economic development adviser
  • Patrick Nelson, biochemist, campaign director for Democratic nominee Mike Derrick in 2016, candidate for Stillwater Town Board in 2015
  • Dylan Ratigan, businessman, author, film producer, The Young Turks political commentator and former MSNBC host
  • Katie Wilson, antiques store owner
    Declined
  • Mike Derrick, retired Army Colonel and nominee in 2016
  • Martha Devaney
  • Dylan Hewitt, project consultant for the Clinton Foundation
  • Aaron Woolf, filmmaker and nominee in 2014

Green primary

Past Green Party nominee Matt Funiciello announced that he would not run in 2018. Lynn Kahn was the Green Party candidate in 2018.

District 22

The 22nd district is located in Central New York and includes all of Chenango, Cortland, Madison and Oneida counties, and parts of Broome, Herkimer, Oswego and Tioga counties. The incumbent was Republican Claudia Tenney, who had represented the district since 2017. She was elected to replace retiring representative Richard Hanna with 47% of the vote in 2016.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Democratic primary

New York's 22nd district was included on the initial list of Republican-held seats being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2018.

Candidates

Nominee

District 23

The 23rd district includes all of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tompkins and Yates counties, along with parts of Ontario and Tioga counties. The incumbent was Republican Tom Reed, who had represented the district since 2013 and previously represented the 29th district from 2009 to 2013. He was re-elected to a fifth term with 58% of the vote in 2016.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Tracy Mitrano, Interim Director of the Executive Master's Program of the Park School of Communications at Ithaca College
    Eliminated in primary
  • Max Della Pia, retired Air Force officer
  • Ian Golden, businessman
  • Eddie Sundquist, attorney
    Declined
  • Paolo Cremidis, Democratic organizer and New York State Young Democrats Rural Caucus chair
  • Jason Leifer, Dryden Town Supervisor
  • John F. Plumb, nominee in 2016

Results

Although Della Pia finished slightly ahead of the other candidates on primary election night, he conceded to Mitrano after absentee ballots were counted.

Women's Equality primary

Tracy Mitrano ran unopposed for the Women's Equality Party nomination.

District 24

The 24th district includes all of Cayuga, Onondaga and Wayne counties, and the western part of Oswego County. The incumbent was Republican John Katko, who had represented the district since 2015. He was re-elected to a second term with 61% of the vote in 2016.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Democratic primary

New York's 24th district was included on the initial list of Republican-held seats being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2018.

Candidates

Nominee

District 25

The 25th district is located entirely within Monroe County, centered on the city of Rochester. The seat was vacant due to the March 2018 death of incumbent Democratic representative Louise Slaughter, who represented the district from 2013 to 2018 and previously represented the 28th district from 1993 to 2013 and the 30th district from 1987 to 1993.
Following precedent set in 2010, two concurrent elections were held in November 2018. One election was held to fill the seat for the 2018 lame-duck session, and another was held to fill the seat for the 2019–2020 term.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Jim Maxwell, neurosurgeon

District 26

The 26th district is located in Erie and Niagara counties and includes the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls. The incumbent was Democrat Brian Higgins, who had represented the district since 2013, and previously represented the 27th district from 2005 to 2013. He was re-elected to a seventh term with 75% of the vote in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Renee Zeno, businesswoman

District 27

The 27th district is located in Western New York and includes all of Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming and Livingston counties, and parts of Erie, Monroe, Niagara and Ontario counties.
Incumbent Republican Chris Collins, who had represented the district since 2013, ran for re-election. He was re-elected to a third term with 67% of the vote in 2016,

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Chris Collins, incumbent U.S. Representative
    Withdrawn
  • Larry Piegza, computer technician and entrepreneur; remained in election as nominee of the Reform Party
  • Frank C. Smierciak II, medical payment worker

Democratic primary

New York's 27th district was included on the initial list of Republican-held seats being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2018.

Candidates

Nominee
  • Nate McMurray, Supervisor of Grand Island
    Withdrawn
  • Sean Bunny, prosecutor
  • Erin Cole, U.S. Army veteran, former senior vice president of Global NY
  • Nick Stankevich, businessman

General election

Campaign

On August 11, 2018, Collins announced that he would withdraw from his re-election campaign after being arrested for insider trading. Removing himself from the ballot would have required Collins to be nominated as a dummy candidate in another election or to move his legal place of residence out of state. On September 17, 2018, Collins announced that he had changed course and would campaign for re-election in November after all.
Potential Republican replacements
Following Collins's August 11 announcement that he would withdraw from the race, as many as 20 candidates expressed interest in the Republican nomination. Among them were the following:

Polling

With Jacobs

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Chris
Jacobs 		Nate
McMurray 		Undecided
Clout Research (R)August 13, 2018338± 5.3%46%35%19%

With Mychajliw

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Nate
McMurray 		Stefan
Mychajliw 		Undecided
Clout Research (R)August 13, 2018338± 5.3%36%49%15%

With Ortt

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Nate
McMurray 		Rob
Ortt 		Undecided
Clout Research (R)August 13, 2018338± 5.3%35%43%22%

With Paladino

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Nate
McMurray 		Carl
Paladino 		Undecided
Clout Research (R)August 13, 2018338± 5.3%45%47%9%