NEW YORK MINUTE: With many New Yorkers in this deeply Democratic city on edge over what appears to be a victory for Donald Trump, Mayor Eric Adams is holding a briefing this morning “to discuss the impacts of the 2024 presidential election on New York City.” Adams has been rare among Democrats in his reluctance to criticize Trump, and New Yorkers will be dissecting his every word, to see if Trump’s chummy feelings toward the mayor will benefit the city — or him personally after his federal indictment. OUR TAKEAWAYS: Voters handed Democrats victories in key upstate New York House races, POLITICO reports, but Republicans were poised to hold onto seats in the crucial suburban counties outside of the city. The success of the GOP on Long Island and parts of the Hudson Valley will be dissected by Democrats whose statewide dominance could be challenged in 2026. Here are five things we learned: AT TRUMP TOWER: Former President Donald Trump did not win New York. But there are early indications he did better in his native state than in 2020 — a result Republicans will try to build on and one that is likely to worry Democrats. Trump’s bold predictions that he would win neighboring New Jersey did not come to pass. But Republicans expected he would make gains in New York, where issues like the migrant crisis and crime have been priority concerns for voters. Tuesday night in Manhattan, roughly 70 supporters gathered around Trump’s eponymous midtown tower. They held banners with slogans like “TRUMP WON” despite the fact that Vice President Kamala Harris won New York in the presidential contest. Demonstrators were heard chanting “Fake news CNN!” “Make America Great Again!” and “Trump is the man!” NAIL-BITERS: In the three tightest House races — one upstate and two on Long Island — Democrats held leads throughout the night, but the margins remained razor thin into the wee hours. In sprawling NY-19, attorney Josh Riley toppled freshman Rep. Marc Molinaro in one of the country’s biggest upsets and one of its most expensive races. Border security, migrants and crime were central issues. In Nassau County, Laura Gillen, the former Town of Hempstead supervisor, was holding off Rep. Anthony D’Esposito. With a less-than-2 percent lead, the Democrat declared victory, telling reporters just after midnight, “We feel very confident that we won this race.” The race for NY-03 was much closer than anticipated, too. Moderate Democrat Rep. Tom Suozzi, holding the seat once occupied by George Santos, got the endorsement of the Nassau County PBA. But he held only a slight advantage over former Assemblymember Mike LiPetri. Suozzi declared victory after midnight. FLIPPING SYRACUSE: Republicans knew holding onto freshman Brandon Williams’ seat was going to be an uphill climb. Democrats in the state Legislature redrew the seat to be friendlier for Democrat John Mannion. In the final days of the race, House Speaker Mike Johnson botched a question about repealing the CHIPS and Science Act, a federal measure that’s the linchpin of bringing thousands of high-tech jobs to the district. The central New York region has been a House battleground for the last decade. But Mannion’s victory marks the first time Democrats were able to flip the seat since moderate Republican John Katko won the district in 2014. DYSFUNCTION ASIDE: An amendment to bolster abortion rights in New York passed handily. This shouldn’t necessarily be headline news for a blue state, but the effort for the so-called Equal Rights Amendment was riven by internal squabbles among supporters. Democratic strategists were concerned an opposition campaign was making in-roads with voters by seizing on the amendment’s expansive language, especially in swing House seats. Hochul was prodded into steering what ultimately became a $2 million infusion of cash to prop up the ballot measure. Success for the proposal came despite a $6 million effort by opponents to sink it — a push based largely on claims that Prop 1 would lead to trans people playing in girls’ sports and allow non-citizens to vote. “In every corner of the state, voters showed up at the polls to protect their rights, and the rights of generations of New Yorkers to come,” said Sasha Ahuja, the campaign director of New Yorkers for Equal Rights, the committee formed to press for the amendment. Despite the hand-wringing and behind-the-scenes recriminations, voters backed the referendum — a sign that abortion rights resonated with New York voters despite the headwinds. WHAT’S NEXT: GOP Rep. Mike Lawler’s victory over Democrat Mondaire Jones could be a prelude to 2026. Lawler, a Hudson Valley moderate first elected in 2022, has made little secret of his desire to run for governor. And his victory over Jones in a swing House district north of New York City will likely fuel his argument he can take bellwether suburban counties crucial to winning statewide. “We'll look at what comes next, but obviously the bottom line is we have a lot of challenges in New York and across the country, and I'm focused on what I can do to address those challenges,” Lawler said Tuesday night. Running for governor would be a gamble: A Republican last won statewide office in 2002 when George Pataki was elected to a third term. — Madina Touré, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman HAPPY WEDNESDAY: Get any sleep last night? Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City with nothing on her public schedule. WHERE’S ERIC? Holding a press briefing to discuss the impacts of the 2024 presidential election. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Things being unsettled now, I think it's important that I stay here. I was planning to. I got my plane ticket, but I just don't think it's the right thing for me to do right now.” — New York Dems Chair Jay Jacobs, on whether he’s attending the Somos conference in Puerto Rico, which kicks off today.
| 
