EAST MEADOW, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — There appeared to be a big win for Republicans on Long Island Tuesday night, in two of New York’s most hotly contested races.
Long-time Republican Congressman Peter King announced that he would not be seeking re-election in New York’s 2nd District, leaving the seat up for grabs.
The race came down to Republican Andrew Garbarino, who closely aligned himself with King, and Democrat Jackie Gordon, a combat veteran and immigrant.
On Tuesday evening, the vote was too close to call, but with 100% of the district reporting on Friday afternoon, Garbarino lead with 58% of the vote.
While it currently appears he will be elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, Garbarino’s lead is slim and around 40,000 absentee ballots still need to be counted. On Long Island, mail-in ballots are not counted until seven days after the election.
Though, even after all the ballots are counted, it doesn't appear that Long Island will see the "blue wave" Democrats were hoping for.
Collectively, Democrats from the area raised thousands of dollars prior to Election Day, but it didn't appear to translate into votes.
"Republicans had two big things going for them. One is, a lot of outside money. And the other is that Republican county organizations had a tremendous ground game, they were able to get out there vote," said Larry Levy, dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University.
He says that this is a "Yogi Bear election, it ain't over 'til it's over."
Another big win came when Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin declared victory in New York’s 1st District on Tuesday night.
The 40-year-old Republican defeated Democratic challenger Nancy Goroff, a Stony Brook University professor, with over 61% of the vote.
Zeldin was seeking his fourth term in New York’s 1st District and has been a vocal defender and ally to President Donald Trump.
Goroff has frequently criticized the president and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
While there are still thousands of mail-in ballots to tally up, Zeldin felt confident enough to declare his victory late Tuesday.
“I am deeply honored and humbled that the families of Long Island have entrusted me to continue representing our great Congressional District,” he told supporters in a statement.
He continued: “Since the day I was first elected, I have been willing to work with anyone to find common ground however possible. Whether it's coronavirus response resources, the $2 billion Electron Ion Collider headed now to Brookhaven National Laboratory, combating MS-13, securing critical Army Corps of Engineers projects and much more, our work has delivered for Long Island families, just like our work with Democrats helped get the Great American Outdoors Act over the finish line, full funding for the National Estuary Program and SeaGrant, permanent funding for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, and many other important priorities.”
Zeldin says in his next term, he will work to defeat the coronavirus and “continue growing our economy.” He has vowed to work with democrats and boasted being ranked the 12th most bipartisan congressman in America.
“Working together does not mean compromising our values,” Zeldin said in a statement. “To the voters of Long Island I say thank you. I am proud to have always called Long Island my home and it’s an honor to represent the greatest Congressional District in America.”
Meanwhile, in NY-3, Republican challenger George Santos had a slim lead over well-known Democratic incumbent Thomas Suozzi.
However, Suozzi’s campaign is confident that the Democrat will overcome the challenge once the absentee ballots are in.
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