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Republicans Flip Crucial House Seat In New York

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Republican Marc Molinaro has been declared the winner in New York’s 19th Congressional District after defeating Democrat Josh Riley.

Molinaro defeated Riley 51.1 percent to 48.9 percent with 95 percent of the voting precincts reporting, according to the New York Times.

“Tonight, the voters of upstate sent a message that they demand a government that works for them. They just want to feed their families, heat their homes, and feel safe in their communities. I’m honored to have earned the trust of more than 100,000 voters, and I will work every day to be a worthy member of Congress for both those who did and did not vote for me. We have an opportunity to bring people together, Republicans and Democrats, and send a message to Washington, D.C., that we mean business. We know there are too many families, farmers, and small businesses all across upstate New York struggling too hard, getting too little in return, and paying far too much,” Molinaro said.

“I am incredibly grateful to the people in New York’s 19th Congressional District. I commend my opponent Josh Riley, because running for office is incredibly challenging – and credit belongs to the individual who enters the arena,” Molinaro said in a tweet after the race was called.

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Molinaro detailed in his statement that he wanted to heal hard feelings from the campaign.

“I commend my opponent Josh Riley because running for office is incredibly challenging — and credit belongs to the individual who enters the arena. Looking forward, my goal is to listen to, learn from and serve all of this district. Together we will focus on solutions to address inflation, crime, and mental health, along with having the best constituent services for upstate New York,” Molinaro said.

Riley, the Democrat who lost, also offered a message of working together.

“Growing up here, I learned some important values: work hard; be humble; have each other’s backs; there’s more that unites us than divides us,” Riley said in the statement.

“This is not the result we had hoped for, and I’ll be honest: I’m disappointed. But I’m not discouraged. In fact, quite the opposite: this campaign has inspired me. It has been the privilege of my career to build this campaign with all of you and take it across upstate New York, meeting with so many people who have given me hope,” he added.

New York Republican George Santos flipped New York’s 3rd Congressional district and secured another House seat for the GOP.

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After the race was called, Santos took to Twitter and said: “We did it! NY03 has spoken! I promised one thing throughout this entire campaign: to be your champion in DC. Thank you for this opportunity to be your voice.”

Santos argued the policy “allows dangerous criminals to roam our cities and streets.”

“Criminals must be held accountable for their actions. Democrats in New York and across the country are putting criminals above law-abiding citizens,” he claimed according to the New York Post. “Our community is becoming more and more dangerous at the hands of Democrat leadership.”

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Republicans performed well in deep blue New York in the midterm races.

“Republicans netted at least two U.S. House seats in New York after wins that included defeating a member of the Democratic leadership, putting the state at the center of its push to pick up enough districts nationwide to regain the majority. Republicans will succeed retiring Democrats in two Long Island districts, cementing GOP representation over New York City’s eastern suburbs,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

“In the Hudson Valley, Republican candidates won two elections that were considered tossups, including Republican Mike Lawler’s defeat of Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the Democrats’ House campaign chief. Other races are too close to call. Political analysts said the Republican gains in the state were driven by two factors: an unusually strong, well-financed campaign by GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin and district lines that were drawn by a court-appointed special master after judges struck down maps prepared by the Democratic-controlled state legislature,” the outlet added.

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