Midterm Elections: New York Wins Deliver House to Republicans

All the undecided House races have been called, and Republicans will hold 222 seats. That’s just above the 218 they need for a majority.

For the first time in decades, New York was the deciding factor in a midterm election. Fueled by Lee Zeldin’s 47 percent showing against Governor Kathy Hochul, a dramatic improvement over the 36 percent showing of Republican gubernatorial candidate Marc Molinaro in 2018, New York Republicans this year won four Democratic congressional seats: two on Long Island and two in the Hudson Valley. They also held on to an open Syracuse seat that voted for Joe Biden by nine points. Those five victories are the difference between a GOP takeover of the House and Nancy Pelosi’s continuing on as speaker. New York was truly relevant in this election.

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John Fund

John Fund is National Review’s national-affairs reporter.

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All the undecided House races have been called, and Republicans will hold 222 seats. That’s just above the 218 they need for a majority.

For the first time in decades, New York was the deciding factor in a midterm election. Fueled by Lee Zeldin’s 47 percent showing against Governor Kathy Hochul, a dramatic improvement over the 36 percent showing of Republican gubernatorial candidate Marc Molinaro in 2018, New York Republicans this year won four Democratic congressional seats: two on Long Island and two in the Hudson Valley. They also held on to an open Syracuse seat that voted for Joe Biden by nine points. Those five victories are the difference between a GOP takeover of the House and Nancy Pelosi’s continuing on as speaker. New York was truly relevant in this election.