NYC Midterm Election: Hochul, James Declare Victory; AOC, Schumer Win

NEW YORK CITY — Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James declared themselves victors Tuesday night in races not immediately called by the Associated Press.

"I’m deeply honored to be elected Governor of the State of New York," Hochul tweeted after multiple outlets declared her the first woman to be elected governor of New York.

Said James, "New York, it has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as your Attorney General, and I am proud that you re-elected me to serve for four more years."

While Sen. Chuck Schumer and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed easy victories, among the first to be declared winners in New York State, it looked like Comptroller Tom DiNapoli had some waiting ahead, as the race had yet to be called as of midnight.

After a long election night, here's where New York's top races stood.

New York Governor

The race for New York governor came down to the wire as Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul faced a tough challenge from Lee Zeldin.

Hochul and Zeldin spent the day making their last-minute appeals to voters.

Hochul — who took her position after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned — faced concerns that she took the fact the state leans heavily Democratic for granted.

Meanwhile polls showed Zeldin was the most competitive Republican gubernatorial candidate since 2002.

Ultimately, Hochul and a handful of major news outlets determined she'd won her race. Read more here.

New York's U.S. Senate

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer was among the first New Yorkers to be named victorious, according to the Associated Press.

Schumer easily won a fifth term in the Senate, with the AP calling the contest against Republican Joe Pinion shortly after polls closed.

Whether or not Schumer stays Senate Majority Leader depends on how Democratic candidates for Senate fare nationally.

New York Attorney General

State Attorney General Letitia James declared victory in her re-election campaign, although NY1 and the Associated Press had yet to project a winner late Tuesday night.

James had 55.7 percent of the vote compared to Republican Michael Henry's 44.3 percent, according to NY1 as of 11:50 p.m., when 69 percent of the expected votes had been counted.

Her re-election — which, again, has yet to be projected — likely means a high-profile case against former President Donald Trump will move forward.

Henry spent the campaign charging that James is more interested in her personal ambitions than prosecuting criminals, as the New York Times reported.

But James argued that going after Trump and the National Rifle Association was simply her job — both, she said, had committed wrongdoing.

New York State State Comptroller

Longtime state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli aims to keep his office in Democratic hands.

DiNapoli faces a challenge by Republican Paul Rodriguez to see who will be the state's chief financial elected official.

As of 11:50 p.m., 69 percent of the expected votes had been tallied with DiNapoli claiming 58 percent and Rodriguez claiming 42 percent, NY1 projections showed.

U.S. Congress

Congressional District 10: Democrat Dan Goldman Projected Winner

Dan Goldman was projected to win the race for the newly drawn New York 10th Congressional District, according to Associated Press and NY1 projections.

The district includes all Manhattan blocks under 14th Street and the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Red Hook, Sunset Park, Borough Park, Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill and Park Slope.

Goldman, the former prosecutor who took on President Donald Trump during his first impeachment hearing, narrowly defeated Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou in this summer's Democratic primary.

The first-time candidate streamed $4 million of his own money into the race and also landed the influential endorsement from the New York Times.

Goldman went against Republican Hamdan, who grew up in Brooklyn and lists her key issues as economic development, health care reform, and safer streets and communities.

The third candidate on the ballot is Steve Speer, who is running under the Medical Freedom Party, and lists an individual's right to choose or refuse medical treatment as one of his top issues.

Read more coverage here.

Congressional District 12: Democrat Jerry Nadler Projected Winner

U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, as expected, easily triumphed Tuesday night after his wins over Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Suraj Patel in the Democratic primary.

Nadler is a longtime Upper West Side resident and the current chair of the House Judiciary Committee.

Michael Zumbluskas, Nadler's Republican opponent in the general, is a staffer at the city Department of Transportation. He previously run for State Senate and Assembly on the Upper East Side, and said his top issues included crime, homelessness and inflation.

Third-party candidate Mikhail Itkis, an IT project manager, made news last month when he promoted his "sex positive" campaign platform by releasing a porn video in which he had a featured role.

Congressional District 8: Democrat Hakeem Jeffries Projected Winner

U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is projected to win the race, according to the Associated Press.

Jeffries has represented Bed-Stuy and the rest of the eighth congressional district since 2013 and is one of the most powerful members of congress, serving as the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and rumored to be a potential future speaker of the house after California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, 82, retires.

In this year's redistricting, CD8 saw a few changes: parts of Fort Green were moved to CD7, represented by Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D), and gained sections of Gravesend from CD 11, Congresswoman Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R) and Sheepshead Bay.

Previously, Jefferies served in the State Assembly for five years, representing District 57 — a seat now held by Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forrest, a Democrat.

Congressional District 9: Democrat Yvette Clark Projected Winner

U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke was the projected winner, according to the Associated Press.

Clarke has faced a number of challenges in recent years. Most notably, in 2018, challenger Adem Bunkeddeko, who was endorsed by the New York Times, missed unseating Clarke by a mere 2,000 votes in the Democratic primary. Clarke was challenged by Bunkeddeko again in a 2020 primary, but trounced the two-time challenger by about 30 points.

A longtime steady backbencher in congress, as described in the Times' endorsement of Bunkeddeko, Clarke previously served as a city Council member for seven years, representing Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and parts of surroundings neighborhoods.

Congressional District 3: No Declared Winner As Of Midnight

• Robert P. Zimmerman (D): 47.2% (99,873)
• George A.D. Santos (R): 42% (52.8%)

Preliminary results as of midnight, with 75 percent of the expected votes, according to NY1.

Robert Zimmerman and George Santos competed in a widely-watched race to replace Tom Suozzi and represent parts of Bayside, Great Neck and Long Island.

Zimmerman, a marketing communications company owner, said he would “defend abortion rights, stop gun violence, protect voting rights, address the climate crisis, and make Long Island and Queens more affordable for middle-class families” if elected.

Santos — an investor who attended the Jan. 6 — would work to repeal the bail reform, introduce a bill that would change the tax code to a flat tax rate, and secure funding for the electric grid.

According to The Advocate, this was the first U.S. House election that saw two members of the LGBTQ+ community running against one other.

Congressional District 6: Democrat Grace Meng Declared Winner

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng successfully ran for reelection against Republican Thomas J. Zmich to represent District 6, which covers Forest Hills, Flushing, and other neighborhoods.

Congresswoman Grace Meng will serve her sixth term in the House of Representatives.

Meng pledges to advocate for lower interest rates on student loans, investments in programs that promote energy efficiency, and providing support for immigrants arriving in the city.

Zmich was defeated in the race for the seat in Congress against Meng in 2020.

Congressional District 7: Democrat Nydia Velázquez Declared Winner

U.S. Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez was the projected winner of a race to represent a significant stretch of a new borough, according to an Associated Press projection.

Velázquez is new to Queens: after representing North Brooklyn since 1993, redistricting saw her district lines shift significantly, now covering Long Island City and parts of Astoria, Sunnyside, and other neighborhoods in West and Central Queens.

The progressive congresswoman has named climate change, reducing income inequality and providing universal healthcare as among her top policy goals.

Pagan, her Republican opponent, said his main concerns include inflation, unsafe streets and failing infrastructure.

Congressional District 14: Alexandria Ocacio-Cortez Declared Winner

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was projected to win the race, according to the Associated Press.

The democratic socialist was arguably the most prominent incumbent on the ballot. Ocasio-Cortez's 14th Congressional District covers the northern part of Astoria above 35th Avenue as well as parts of Jackson Heights, Corona, College Point and the East Bronx.

Ocasio-Cortez's campaign website mentions top policy goals including Medicare for All, tenant protections and the construction of more affordable housing, and ending police violence.

Her Republican challenger, Forte, is a conservative influencer and owner of a beverage distribution company who said she was running to stop "radical socialists from destroying the American dream." A resident of Rockland County, she was on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots, but told NY1 she "didn't participate n anything that went on that day."

Conservative Party nominee Cuellar is a Bayside native who lost to Forte in the August GOP primary. He said his top issues included "securing our families" and supporting law enforcement.

Read more coverage here.

Patch writers Nick Garber, Coral Murphy Marcos, Peter Senzamici and Gus Saltonstall contributed to this report.