This story will be updated as results are called.
Read The Sun’s previous election coverage on the 2022 Midterm Elections here.
New York’s Environmental Bond Act Passes Statewide
Around 60 percent of New Yorkers and 77 percent of Tompkins County residents voted ‘yes’ on proposal one, solidly approving the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022.
The Environmental Bond Act will invest $4.2 billion of state bonds in environmental resiliency, natural restoration, sustainability and clean energy projects across New York state. Thirty-five to 45 percent of funds will be allocated to green initiatives in disadvantaged communities.
Funds will be distributed across four major categories: Climate change mitigation ($1.5 billion), flood risk reduction ($1.1 billion), water quality improvement and resilient infrastructure ($650 million) and land conservation and restoration ($650 million).
Proposed climate change mitigation efforts include implementing renewable energy systems throughout buildings and converting state school buses to electric power. Flood risk reduction funds will provide flood prevention infrastructure to New York’s most threatened areas. Water quality improvement plans will restore and protect drinking water reserves across the state, and land conservation projects will monitor sustainable management of natural resources.
New York’s first environmental bond act since 1996, the Environmental Bond Act of 2022 is the largest investment of bonds in state history supporting environmental protection efforts.
Democrat Incumbent Elissa Slotkin ’98 Wins Michigan’s 7th Congressional District
Democrat Incumbent Elissa Slotkin ’98 (M.I.-7) wins Michigan’s 7th congressional district in a tight race against Republican Tom Barrett.
Slotkin has served as representative of Michigan’s 8th district since 2019. Prior to being a representative, Slotkin worked in the Central Intelligence Agency as a Middle East analyst and worked alongside the U.S. military during three tours in Iraq.
Of main priority for Slotkin is access to affordable healthcare, lowering prescription drug costs, access to clear water and campaign finance reform.
Riley Defeated in Ithaca’s Congressional Election
In New York’s 19th district — a newly formed swing district encompassing Ithaca, which candidate Josh Riley (D.-N.Y.) called the seventh most competitive in the nation at a Friday town hall in Goldwin Smith Hall — the New York Times called the election in favor of Marc Molinaro (R.-N.Y.).
Riley largely toed the party line with his positions, focusing on abortion rights, gun control legislation, and climate justice; however, he also supports putting “environmental cops on the beat to stop polluters.”
Molinaro, the incumbent Dutchess County executive, portrayed himself as a moderate Republican, telling Middletown’s Times Herald-Record that he supports “common-sense legislation to keep our communities safe from gun violence” and banning stock trading for members of Congress and their families, and that he has vowed to accept the results of the election regardless of the victor.
The two candidates are separated by slightly only six thousand votes. Given the closeness of the race, Riley has said that he won’t concede the election until all the absentee ballots are counted.
Ithaca City Manager Referendum Passes
The city manager referendum passes with 78.96 percent of Ithacans voting ‘yes’ on the proposition.
The referendum will create a new position in Ithaca appointed by Common Council. The city manager will work closely with the Council, providing management experience and building the budget.
The proposition also gives the mayor, Laura Lewis, a vote on Common Council.
John Fetterman (D.-Penn.) Defeats Mehmet Oz (R.-Penn.), Flips Senate Seat in Pennsylvania
Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman is set to win against TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania’s senate race, replacing retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R.-Penn.).
As Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor since 2018, Fetterman has championed efforts to legalize marijuana, reform the criminal justice system and overhaul the state’s clemency process, providing second chances to wrongfully convicted and longtime inmates.
Letitia James (D-N.Y.) Wins Reelection As New York Attorney General
With 73 percent of the vote in, Democratic incumbent Letitia James wins a second term as New York Attorney General, defeating Republican candidate Michael Henry. James assumed office in 2019 and has taken on opponents including former President Donald Trump, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the National Rifle Association during her three-year tenure.
James significantly outraised her opponent and was the favorite to win. James also had the upper hand as a Democrat in New York, where no Republican has been elected attorney general since 1994.
Laura Lewis (D-N.Y.) to Serve as Ithaca’s Next Mayor
Democratic candidate Laura Lewis has been elected as mayor of Ithaca, having stepped in after the resignation of previous incumbent Svante Myrick ’09 and is now slated to finish the remainder of his term for one year.
This November, the City’s mayoral seat was up for re-election, with Republican Zachary Winn and Progressive Katie Sims ’20 running alongside incumbent Lewis.
Leading up to the election, Lewis’s and Sims’s campaign spending far exceeded Winn’s. According to The Ithaca Voice, Lewis’s campaign had raised $6,893 and spent $4,057; Sims’s had raised $6,845 and spent $2,698 and Winn’s had raised $769 — $489 of which the Tompkins County Republican Party contributed.
Lewis ran on issues including housing, infrastructure, staffing needs, public safety and sustainability, telling The Sun that she supported development within the city center and in public transportation. Lewis was also known for her lax campaign style, including not using lawn signs to campaign due to the waste they produce.
Katherine Clark J.D. ’89 (M.A.-5) Won Massachusetts’s Fifth District
Democrat Katherine Clark J.D. ’89 (M.A.-5) won Massachusett’s fifth district against Caroline Colarusso. Formerly a State Senator and State Representative, Clark first won election to the House in a special election in 2013. According to her campaign website, Clark’s policy priorities include a focus on families and children through initiatives like paid family leave, improving child care access and school safety, protecting women’s health care and stopping wage discrimination.
Clark supported the attempt to impeach former President Donald Trump. She was a sponsor for several bills which have passed, including the Support for Veterans in Effective Apprenticeships Act, the Pet and Women Safety Act and the Protecting Our Infants Act.
In an interview with the Sun in 2019, Clark said her interest in public service was in part driven by involvement in the Cornell Law School Legal Aid clinic and as the president of the Women’s Law Coalition at Cornell Law School. Clark is part of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Women’s Caucus.
Beth Van Duyne ’95 (TX-24) won over Jan McDowell in Texas Congressional Race
In a solidly Republican district, Beth Van Duyne ’95 will serve as congressional representative in Texas’s 24th district for a second term.
Previously serving as the mayor of Irving, Texas, Van Duyne was appointed by former President Trump to a regional administrator position for the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2017.
Van Duyne was first elected in 2020 and her district is located in the suburban area in between Fort Worth and Dallas.
Wesley Hunt M.P.A. ’15, M.B.A. ’15, M.I.L.R. ’16 won over Duncan Klussmann in Texas Congressional Race
Republican Wesley Hunt M.P.A. ’15, M.B.A. ’15 and M.I.L.R. ’16 easily won his Congressional race for Texas’ new district 38th formed after the 2020 census.
This win comes as no surprise, given the district’s solid Republican rating earlier this year from Politico.
Earning a Trump endorsement, Hunt became the clear candidate for the Republican Party. The West Point graduate and Cornell Alum will now represent the outskirts of Houston. His campaign was centered around being pro-life, restricting immigration from the southern border, advocating for voter ID laws, being pro-second amendment and standing with law enforcement.
In an interview with The Sun, Hunt mentioned that defending energy sources like oil and gas that operate through the energy corridor that runs through his district is also part of his priorities. He will become the third Black Republican serving in the 118th Congress House of Representatives.
Dan Meuser ’88 Wins Against Amanda Waldman for Pennsylvania’s Ninth Congressional District
Incumbent Rep. Dan Meuser ’88 (R.-Penn.) defeated Democratic candidate Amanda Waldman in the election for Pennsylvania’s ninth congressional district.
Previously, Meuser worked as Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Revenue, before his election as ninth district representative in 2018. In 2020, Meuser won election to the 117th Congress, serving on the House Committee on Small Business and House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Meuser also appeared in The New York Times’s list of 97 members of Congress facing potential conflicts of interest regarding recent financial trades — Rep. Katherine Clark J.D. ’89 (D.-Mass.) and former Rep. Kurt Schrader ’95 (D.-Ore.) were also listed.
Having grown up on a small farm in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, Waldman prioritized supporting rural communities, as well as expanding funding for public education and improving healthcare accessibility. Alternatively, Meuser’s campaign focused on supporting the middle class, preserving energy sector jobs and strengthening borders — though, like Waldman, he also emphasized healthcare affordability.
After a Close Race, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D.-N.Y.) Triumphs in New York Gubernatorial Election
Following a bruising campaign that wound up significantly closer than many predicted, especially given New York’s strong Democratic tilt, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D.-N.Y.) has won the race for governor of New York, according to NBC News.
Hochul has been elected to her first full term as governor, having stepped in after the resignation of previous incumbent Andrew Cuomo due to a sexual harassment scandal. She is the first elected female governor of New York as well as the first governor from Upstate New York since Nathan L. Cortland (R.-N.Y.) was elected governor in 1921. Hochul is a moderate liberal who focused on corruption in Albany, voting rights, and ending the shortage of teachers and healthcare workers in her 2022 State of the State address.
The race was originally seen as a race that would be safely Democratic, but Zeldin’s focus on crime catapulted his own candidacy and the race into the national spotlight; Florida governor Ron DeSantis (R.-Fla.) and former presidents Bill Clinton (D.-Ark.) and Barack Obama (D.-Ill.). Funding has also poured into the race, with Hochul bringing in upwards of $46 million over her first 14 months of office.
NYC: Independent Mike Itkis ’91 Lost New York’s Twelfth District to Democrat Jerry Nadler (N.Y.-12)
Controversial Independent candidate Mike Itkis ’91 (N.Y.-12) lost New York’s Twelfth District.
Itkis ran a controversial and headline grabbing campaign, with a tagline that stated, “Not married. No kids. Not celibate. Atheist.” At one point, he published a sex tape to highlight his sex positive policy positions, which include legalizing sex work, ending child support requirements without a prior agreement and redefining the abortion debate as the right to unplanned sex.
According to his campaign website, Itkis was born in Odessa, Ukraine, in what was then the USSR, and moved to New York City in 1979. He was a major in the US army reserve, and has information technology work experience in the private sector. Itkis’s policy positions focus on ending the war in Ukraine, protecting United States cyber security and opposing the idea that sex should only happen between a woman and man who are married.
J.D. Vance (R.-Ohio) Defeats Tim Ryan (D.-Ohio) in the Ohio Senate Race
Republican J.D. Vance set to win the Ohio senate race, defeating Democratic candidate Rep. Tim Ryan (O.H.-13). Vance, author of the best-selling book “Hillbilly Elegy”, was considered to be a slight favorite in the received former President Trump’s endorsement during the Republican primary.
A first-time politician, Vance is a former venture capitalist and a graduate of Yale Law School. Despite identifying himself as a “Never Trumper” in 2016, on the campaign trail, Vance questioned the validity of the 2020 election.
2.7 percent of Cornellians hail from Ohio, according to College Factual.
Sharice Davids J.D. ’10 Defeats Adkins in Kansas Congressional Race
In one of the tightest elections in the country, Rep. Sharice Davids J.D. ’10 (D.-Kan.) has defeated Amanda Adkins (R.-Kan.) in Kansas’s 3rd congressional district.
The district, which encompasses the Kansas City, Missouri suburb of Overland Park, is currently the only one in Kansas represented by a Democrat.
Davids first won election to the House in the “blue wave” of 2018, then won re-election in 2020, also over Adkins.
Davids is, along with Deb Haaland (D.-N.M.), one of the first two Native American congresswomen elected to the House of Representatives.
Democrats Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) Win Reelection in California
Democrat Alex Padilla set to win the California senate race. Padilla was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2021 following a special election race to replace Vice President Kamala Harris. Padilla served as the 32nd secretary of state of California from 2015 to 2021. Padilla is the first Latino to be elected to the U.S. Senate from California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) won reelection in California, with the senate race being called after just 10 percent of votes were counted, defeating Republican Brian Dahle. Newsom has been governor since 2019. The win gives Newsom four more years to carry out goals he set in his first term, including addressing California’s housing crisis and combating climate change.
9.6 percent of Cornellians hail from California, according to College Factual.
Democrat Josh Shapiro (D-Penn.) Takes Governor Seat
Democrat Josh Shapiro projected to win the Pennsylvania governor race, beating Trump-endorsed opponent Doug Mastriano (R-Penn.) who sued the Jan. 6 select committee, investigating the events of the insurrection. 4.73 percent of Cornell’s undergraduate population hail from Pennsylvania, according to College Factual.
Shapiro served as Pennsylvania’s attorney general since 2017, working to protect access to healthcare and reproductive services, exposing child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and tackling the state’s opioid crisis.
Democrat Melanie Stansbury ’07 NM-1 Beats Michelle Garcia Holmes in Re-election
Democratic Incumbent Melanie Stansbury ’07 retains her seat as House Representative for New Mexico’s 1st congressional district, a seat she has held since 2021. An alumni of the development studies program in CALS, Stansbury returned to her hometown of Albuquerque in 2007, aiming to make a difference in her community.
Stansbury came to Cornell due to her interest in food systems and now works on the food insecurity crisis in New Mexico as a policymaker. She has previously served in the state legislature in New Mexico.
Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) Wins Senate Re-Election in New York
Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) secured a quick victory in New York, with the senate race being called after just 10 percent of votes were counted. Schumer has held his seat in the New York Senate since 1999.
A reliable candidate for New Yorkers, Schumer has consistently prioritized improving New York’s economy. According to the United States Senate website, he has been successful in creating thousands of family-supporting new jobs and passing immigration laws such as the Immigration Modernization Act.
Schumer was expected to win the Senate Re-election with voters noting his consistency and dedication to the state, as he begins his fifth term this January.
Democrat Maura Healey (D-Mass.) Wins Massachusetts Governor Seat
Democrat Maura Healey set to win Massachusetts governor race, becoming the first female governor of the state and the first openly gay governor in the nation. 4.9 percent of Cornellians hail from Massachusetts, according to College Factual.
Healey, the attorney general of Massachusetts since 2014, attained a decisive victory over Republican candidate and former state Rep. Geoff Diehl. This win gives the Massachusetts governorship back to the Democrats following Republican Gov. Charlie Baker two terms.
Her top priorities include expanding affordable housing, investing in public transportation, creating universal child care and tackling the climate crisis.