On a night when Democrats fell short of their national goals, a blue wave washed over Tompkins County.
Every local and state representative elected for the County on Tuesday night is a Democrat. That includes the winner of the toss-up House of Representatives seat, Josh Riley, as well as the victors of state legislature and county official races.
Ballot Breakdown
In the presidential election, New York State was called for Vice President Kamala Harris, with Harris winning the state’s 28 electoral votes by over 11 percent. This follows 40 years of New York State leaning blue in presidential elections. New Yorkers also reelected incumbent Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who led in her election by over 15 percent.
A critical House seat, New York’s 19th Congressional District turned in favor of Democratic candidate Josh Riley, who beat Republican incumbent Rep. Marc Molinaro by a margin of one percent when the AP called the vote. The 19th Congressional District includes 10 counties, including Tompkins County, which voted for Riley by a margin of 74 percent to 26 percent.
In the State Assembly, Democrats defended their supermajority. At time of publication, they are on pace to win 103 out of 150 seats, according to The New York Times. 125th District Assemblymember Anna Kelles (D-N.Y.) ran uncontested and won against a last-minute write-in candidate.
The Democratic Party lost at least two seats in the State Senate, while maintaining a decisive majority, having won 40 seats out of 63 at time of publication. This loss means Democrats will no longer hold a veto-proof majority in the chamber, allowing the governor to override actions taken by the legislature. One additional seat remains undecided, after results showed Democrat Chris Ryan leading Republican Nick Paro by less than 0.5 percent, likely sending the race towards a recount. In New York Senate District 52, which includes Tompkins County, Democratic State Sen. Lea Webb was reelected by a margin of 18 percent.
All County and city officials running for office across Tompkins County were Democrats who went uncontested, facing only write-in opponents. These officials included the Tompkins County District Attorney, County Judge and various city judicial positions.
On the backs of their ballots, New Yorkers overwhelmingly voted yes on Proposition 1, an amendment codifying broad healthcare protections for women and LGBTQ+ residents in the New York State Constitution. The proposition received support from over 60 percent of voters.
Xavier Rolston ’28 is a Sun Contributor and can be reached at [email protected].