The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the 27 U.S. representatives from the State of New York, one from each of the state's 27 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primary election was held on June 23, 2020.
The 1st district is based in eastern Long Island, and includes most of central and eastern Suffolk County, including most of Smithtown and all of Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, Southampton, East Hampton, and Shelter Island. The incumbent is Republican Lee Zeldin, who was reelected with 51.5% of the vote in 2018.[1]
The 2nd district is based on the South Shore of Long Island, and includes the southwestern Suffolk County communities of Amityville, Copiague, Lindenhurst, Gilgo, West Babylon, Wyandanch, North Babylon, Babylon, Baywood, Brentwood, Brightwaters, Central Islip, Islip, Great River, Ocean Beach, Oakdale, West Sayville, Bohemia, West Islip and Ronkonkoma, in addition to a sliver of southeastern Nassau County encompassing Levittown, North Wantagh, Seaford, South Farmingdale and Massapequa. The incumbent is Republican Peter T. King, who was reelected with 53.1% of the vote in 2018.[1] On November 11, 2019, King announced he would retire after more than 26 years in Congress.[39]
Rick Lazio, former U.S. Representative for New York's 2nd congressional district (1993–2001), nominee for U.S. Senate in 2000, and candidate for Governor of New York in 2010[52]
The 3rd district is based on the North Shore of Long Island, and includes the northwestern Suffolk County and northern Nassau County communities of West Hills, Sands Point, Laurel Hollow, Upper Brookville, Munsey Park, Brookville, Oyster Bay Cove, Old Brookville, Kings Point, Lattingtown, Matinecock, Muttontown, Lloyd Harbor, Syosset, Glen Cove, Roslyn, Manhasset, Huntington, Dix Hills, Plainview, Bethpage, northern Farmingdale, Hicksville, Northport, Commack, Port Washington and Great Neck. Queens neighborhoods in the district include Little Neck, Whitestone, Glen Oaks and Floral Park. The incumbent is Democrat Thomas Suozzi, who was re-elected with 59.0% of the vote in 2018.[1]
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
Declared[]
Melanie D'Arrigo, activist and healthcare professional[72]
The 4th district is based central and southern Nassau County, and includes the communities of Baldwin, Bellmore, East Rockaway, East Meadow, the Five Towns, Lynbrook, Floral Park, Franklin Square, Garden City, Hempstead, Long Beach, Malverne, Freeport, Merrick, Mineola, Carle Place, New Hyde Park, Oceanside, Rockville Centre, Roosevelt, Uniondale, Wantagh, West Hempstead, Westbury and parts of Valley Stream. The incumbent is Democrat Kathleen Rice, who was re-elected with 61.3% of the vote in 2018.[1]
The 5th district is based mostly in southeastern Queens, and includes all of the Rockaway Peninsula and the neighborhoods of Broad Channel, Cambria Heights, Hollis, Jamaica, Laurelton, Queens Village, Rosedale, Saint Albans, Springfield Gardens, and South Ozone Park, as well as John F. Kennedy International Airport, as well as parts of Nassau County including Inwood and portions of Valley Stream and Elmont. The incumbent is Democrat Gregory Meeks, who was re-elected unopposed in 2018.[1]
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
Declared[]
Shaniyat Chowdhury, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and bartender[81]
The 6th district encompasses northeastern Queens, taking in the neighborhoods of Elmhurst, Flushing, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, and Bayside. The incumbent is Democrat Grace Meng, who was re-elected with 90.9% of the vote, without major-party opposition.[1]
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
Declared[]
Sandra Choi, economic development policy expert[85]
The 7th district takes in the Queens neighborhoods of Maspeth, Ridgewood, and Woodhaven; the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Bushwick, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Dumbo, East New York, East Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Gowanus, Red Hook, Sunset Park, and Williamsburg; and parts of Manhattan's Lower East Side and East Village. The incumbent is Democrat Nydia Velázquez, who was re-elected with 93.4% of the vote, without major-party opposition.[1]
The 8th district is centered around eastern Brooklyn, taking in Downtown Brooklyn, Bed-Stuy, Canarsie, and Coney Island, as well as a small portion of Queens encompassing Howard Beach. The incumbent is Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, who was re-elected with 94.3% of the vote, without major-party opposition.[1]
The 9th district encompasses Central and Southern Brooklyn, and includes the neighborhoods of Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Kensington, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Midwood, Sheepshead Bay, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach and Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Prospect Park, Grand Army Plaza and the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket. The incumbent is Democrat Yvette Clarke, who was re-elected with 89.3% of the vote in 2018.[1]
The 10th district stretches across the southern part of Morningside Heights, the Upper West Side, the west side of Midtown Manhattan, the west side of Lower Manhattan including Greenwich Village and the Financial District, and parts of southern Brooklyn, including Borough Park. The incumbent is Democrat Jerry Nadler, who was re-elected with 82.1% of the vote in 2018.[1]
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
Declared[]
Lindsey Boylan, former Deputy Secretary for Economic Development and Special Advisor to the Governor[81][120]
Jonathan Herzog, Harvard Law School student and former staffer for Andrew Yang's presidential campaign[7]
The 11th district contains the entirety of Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn, including the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights, southwestern Gravesend, western Sheepshead Bay, and parts of southern Bensonhurst. The incumbent is Democrat Max Rose, who flipped the district and was elected with 53.0% of the vote in 2018, only the second time the House district flipped blue for the Democratic Party since Republicans won the seat in 1980.[1]
Based on city and state-reported election night results, with all election districts reporting, in 2020 the traditionally conservative 11th district reverted to the Republican Party. While polls had predicted a close race, Conservative/Republican challenger AssemblywomanNicole Malliotakis defeated Democratic freshman incumbent Rose to win the seat back for the GOP by a 6.4 point margin. Malliotakis earned 53.2 percent of the vote in the district over Rose's 46.8 percent. Malliotakis won her home borough of Staten Island while Rose won the Brooklyn portion of the district. Rose formally conceded the race to Malliotakis on November 12.[143] Final recanvassing and certification of results happened within 25 days of the November 3 general election.[144][145]
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
Declared[]
Max Rose, U.S. representative
Withdrawn[]
Richard-Olivier Marius, former volunteer for Max Rose[146][147]
Endorsements[]
Max Rose
U.S. Presidents
Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States[63]
The 12th district includes several neighborhoods in the East Side of Manhattan, the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, western Queens, including Astoria and Long Island City. The incumbent is Democrat Carolyn Maloney, who was re-elected with 86.4% of the vote in 2018.[1]
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
Declared[]
Lauren Ashcraft, JPMorgan Chase project manager, activist, and comedian[176]
The 13th district encompasses the Upper Manhattan neighborhoods of Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood, as well the western Bronx neighborhoods of Kingsbridge and Bedford Park. The incumbent is Democrat Adriano Espaillat, who was re-elected with 94.6% of the vote in 2018.[1]
The 14th district covers the eastern part of the Bronx and part of north-central Queens, including the neighborhoods of College Point, Corona, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside. The incumbent was Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who had been elected with 78.2% of the vote in 2018.[1] Ocasio-Cortez easily won the primary against former CNBC anchor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, her large margin of victory was partly attributed by Fortune's Rey Mashayekhi to her substantial fundraising advantage and focus on digital advertising.[195]
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
Declared[]
Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, business news reporter[196]
The 15th district is located entirely within the Bronx, including the neighborhoods of Hunts Point, Castle Hill, and Tremont. According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, the 15th district is one of the most Democratic congressional districts in the country, with a PVI of D+39. As a result, victory in the Democratic Primary in the district would be tantamount to election.[citation needed] The incumbent Democrat, José E. Serrano, announced on March 25, 2019, that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and would not be seeking re-election.[226]
The 16th district contains the northern parts of the Bronx and the southern half of Westchester County, including the cities of Mount Vernon, Yonkers, and Rye. The incumbent was Democrat Eliot Engel.[276]
Cynthia Nixon, actress and activist; candidate for Governor of New York in 2018[295]
Diane Ravitch, historian of education, educational policy analyst, and research professor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development[296]
Zephyr Teachout, attorney, author, and Associate Professor of Law at Fordham University; Democratic nominee for U.S. representative from NY-19 in 2016; candidate for Attorney General in 2018 and Governor in 2014[298]
Hillary Clinton, 67th United States Secretary of State (2009–2013), Senator from New York (2001–2009) and 2016 Democratic Presidential nominee[307]
U.S. Senators
Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator from New York (2009–present)[308]
Chuck Schumer, Senator from New York (1999–present) and Senate Minority Leader (2017-present)[309]
U.S. Representatives
Jim Clyburn, Representative from South Carolina (1993–present) and House Majority Whip (2007–2011) (2019-present)[277]
Hakeem Jeffries, Representative from New York (2013-present)[277]
John Lewis, Representative from Georgia (1987-2020)[310]
Nita Lowey, Representative from New York (1989–2021)[311]
Gregory Meeks, Representative from New York (1998–present)[312]
Grace Meng, Representative from New York (2013–present)[312]
Jerry Nadler, Representative from New York (1992-present)[311]
Nancy Pelosi, Representative from California (1987–present) and Speaker of the House (2007–2011, 2019–present)[214]
Adam Schiff, Representative from California (2001–present)[309]
Maxine Waters, Representative from California (1991–present)[311]
State officials
Jamaal Bailey, New York State Senator representing New York's 36th District in the New York Senate (2017–present)[313]
Michael Benedetto, member of the New York State Assembly representing the 82nd District (2005–present)[314]
Alessandra Biaggi, State Senator from District 34 (2019-present)(switched endorsement to Bowman)[291]
Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York (2011–present), former Attorney General of New York, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development[277]
Jeffrey Dinowitz, member of the New York State Assembly representing the 81st District (1994–present)[315]
Aurelia Greene, former member of the New York State Assembly representing the 77th District (1982–2009)[316]
Carl Heastie, member of the New York State Assembly from the 83rd district (2001–present) and Speaker of the New York State Assembly (2015–present)[317]
Latoya Joyner, member of the New York State Assembly representing the 77th District (2015–present)[316]
Shelley Mayer, New York State Senator representing New York's 37th District in the New York Senate (2019–present)[318]
Andrea Stewart-Cousins, New York State Senator representing New York's 35th District in the New York Senate (2007-present) and Majority Leader of the New York State Senate (2019–present)[318]
Local officials
Noam Bramson, Mayor of New Rochelle, New York[319]
Andrew Cohen, member of the New York City Council[316]
The 17th district encompasses the lower Hudson Valley taking in Rockland County as well as northwestern and central Westchester County. The incumbent was Democrat Nita Lowey, who was re-elected with 88.0% of the vote in 2018, without major-party opposition.[1] On October 10, 2019, Lowey announced she was retiring from Congress and would not seek re-election.[327]
Incumbent representative Nita Lowey had served as U.S. Representative for the area since 1988, and had not faced a primary challenger or serious Republican opponent in that time.[344] On August 19, 2019, attorney and former Justice Department official Mondaire Jones announced a primary challenge to Lowey, her first since 1988, citing a range of issues on which he felt Lowey was not left-wing enough.[344] On October 10, Lowey announced that she was retiring in a surprise announcement.[345] Following Lowey's retirement, several Democratic candidates announced campaigns for the seat. In the resulting primary, four frontrunners emerged; Jones, Evelyn Farkas, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence, David Carlucci, a state senator and former member of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), and Adam Schleifer, a former federal prosecutor who used his considerable personal wealth to self-finance his campaign.[346]
In the ensuing campaign, Carlucci attacked the other three main candidates, accusing them of being carpetbaggers, while Jones also attacked the other major candidates, accusing them of being more akin to Republicans than Democrats.[346] Carlucci was felt to be a formidable candidate, as he was considered to have a lock on support from voters west of the Hudson River, which bisects the district.[347] However, his past association with the IDC earned him the enmity of both progressive and more moderate Democrats.[346] Six of the eight members of the former IDC had been primaried in 2018, with Carlucci being one of the two survivors.[348]Pro-choice groups devoted money and resources to opposing his bid, as during his period in the state senate he had helped block pro-abortion legislation.[349]
By January 2020, Schleifer was leading the field in fundraising, having raised $1 million largely through self-financing.[350] Schleifer attracted personal criticism for self-financing rather than campaigning through donations, and Farkas also criticised him for refusing to divest from stocks while campaigning.[346] In response, Schleifer called Farkas a "snake", and declared that "all [she] knows is the fog of the beltway".[346] Controversy arose between the two campaigns when Farkas sent a mailer to voters in the district denouncing Schleifer, which featured an image of a man stuffing money into another man's pocket. Schleifer, who is Jewish, accused Farkas of anti-semitism in response to the mailer, claiming that it played on negative stereotypes of Jews.[351] Farkas campaign spokesperson Wellesley Daniels rejected the accusations, calling them "disgusting".[351] Carlucci's campaign began to falter as the primary went on, suffering from poor fundraising and a lack of prominent endorsements, while Jones began to gain traction as endorsements and donations from national progressives boosted his candidacy.[347][352]
Debates[]
2020 New York's 17th congressional district democratic primary debates
No.
Date & Time
Host
Moderator
Link
Participants
Key: P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee W Withdrawn
Tom Malinowski, U.S. Representative (NJ-7) since 2019[367]
Seth Moulton, U.S. Representative (MA-6) since 2015, former 2020 presidential candidate[364]
Lucille Roybal-Allard, U.S. Representative (CA-40) since 1993[368]
Donna Shalala, U.S. Representative (FL-27) (2019-2021), former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (1993–2001)[369]
Eric Swalwell, U.S. Representative (CA-15) since 2013, former 2020 presidential candidate[370]
State elected officials
Thomas Duane, former New York State Senator (District 29) (1999 to 2012)[371]
Party officials
Denis McDonough, Chief of Staff to Barack Obama[364]
John Podesta, Chief of Staff to Hillary Clinton and Advisor to Barack Obama[372]
Individuals
Jane Alexander, author, actress, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts[366]
Stuart Eizenstat, White House Special Advisor for Holocaust Issues (2013-2017)[373]
Ezekiel Emanuel, Obama Special Advisor for Health Policy, Chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania[374]
Daniel B. Shapiro, former U.S, Ambassador to Israel (2011–2017)[375]
Julián Castro, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (2014–2017), former mayor of San Antonio (2009–2014), former 2020 presidential candidate[379]
U.S. Senators
Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts since 2013[380]
Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont since 2007[381]
U.S. Representatives
David Cicilline, U.S. Representative (RI-1) since 2011[382]
Deb Haaland, U.S. Representative (NM-1) since 2019[383]
Pramila Jayapal, U.S. Representative (WA-7) since 2017[382]
Ro Khanna, U.S. Representative (CA-17) since 2017[384]
Barbara Lee, U.S. Representative From California since 1998[385]
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. Representative (NY-14) since 2019[386]
Mark Pocan, U.S. Representative (WI-2) since 2013[382]
Ayanna Pressley, U.S. Representative (MA-7) since 2019[361]
Originally, businessman Josh Eisen was considered the Republican frontrunner, as he had posted relatively strong fundraising numbers.[399] However, his campaign imploded when allegations were revealed that he had threatened former employees, and that while embroiled in a legal dispute he had told his opponents' wife that she would "bathe in the warm semen of Mengele" and had also written sexual polemics about this same opponents' daughter.[399] This revelation caused the local Rockland and Westchester Republican parties to disavow Eisen's campaign, and he withdrew from the race.[400] Eisen's withdrawal paved the way for two other candidates, retired firefighter Maureen McArdle-Schulman and chemical engineer Yehudis Gottesfeld, to compete for the nomination.[399]
The 18th district is located in the mid-Hudson Valley covering all of Orange County and Putnam County, as well as parts of southern Dutchess County and northeastern Westchester County, including the city of Poughkeepsie. The incumbent is Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney, who was re-elected with 55.5% of the vote in 2018.[1]
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
Declared[]
Sean Patrick Maloney, incumbent U.S. representative
The 19th district is based in the upper Hudson Valley and Catskills. The incumbent is Democrat Antonio Delgado, who flipped the district and was elected with 51.4% of the vote in 2018.[1]
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
Declared[]
Antonio Delgado, incumbent U.S. representative
Endorsements[]
Antonio Delgado (D)
U.S. Presidents
Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States[63]
The 20th district is located in the Capital District and includes all of Albany and Schenectady Counties, and portions of Montgomery, Rensselaer and Saratoga Counties. The incumbent is Democrat Paul Tonko, who was re-elected with 66.5% of the vote in 2016.[1]
The 21st district is based in upstate New York, encompassing the Adirondack Mountains and North Country regions. The incumbent is Republican Elise Stefanik, who was re-elected with 56.1% of the vote in 2018.[1]
Republican primary[]
Candidates[]
Declared[]
Elise Stefanik, incumbent U.S. representative[415]
The 22nd district is based in central New York and the Mohawk Valley, including the cities of Utica, Rome, Cortland and Binghamton. The incumbent is Democrat Anthony Brindisi, who flipped the district and was elected with 50.9% of the vote in 2018.[1] This was a rematch of the 2018 election where Brindisi unseated Tenney.
The election went into lengthy legal proceedings during the counting of absentee ballots. Several errors by county boards of election were uncovered during the proceedings, affecting thousands of voters.[418]
The Oneida County Board of Elections used sticky notes to mark disputed ballots, which fell off and adhered to other ballots: this came to be called "stickygate".[419]
More significantly, Oneida County failed to process registrations for 2,400 voters,[420]
and incorrectly rejected 700 absentee ballots.[421] Oneida County would later face legal action from the federal Department of Justice over these errors.[422] Other county boards of elections also made errors affecting dozens of ballots.
The seat officially became vacant when Brindisi's term expired on January 3, 2021.[423][424]
On February 5, 2021, Judge Scott DelConte ruled that Tenney had won the election by 109 votes.[425]
Brindisi conceded the election on February 8.[426]
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
Declared[]
Anthony Brindisi, incumbent U.S. representative[427]
The 23rd district is based in the Southern Tier, adjacent to Lake Erie and the state's border with Pennsylvania, and is home to the cities of Jamestown, Olean, Elmira, and Ithaca. The incumbent is Republican Tom Reed, who was re-elected with 54.2% of the vote in 2018.[1]
The 24th district is centered around the Syracuse area and contains Cayuga, Onondaga, and Wayne counties, as well as western Oswego County. The incumbent is Republican John Katko, who was re-elected with 52.6% of the vote in 2018.[1]
The 25th district is located entirely within Monroe County, encompassing Rochester and the surrounding suburbs, including Irondequoit and Brighton. The incumbent is Democrat Joseph Morelle, who was elected with 59.0% of the vote in 2018.[1]
The 26th district is centered around the city of Buffalo and its inner suburbs, including Cheektowaga, Tonawanda, Amherst, Grand Island, and Niagara Falls. The incumbent is Democrat Brian Higgins, who was re-elected with 73.3% of the vote in 2018.[1]
The 27th district is based in rural western New York and covers the outer suburbs of Buffalo and Rochester. The former incumbent Republican Chris Collins, pled guilty to charges of insider trading and resigned his seat effective immediately on October 1, 2019.[460] Republican Chris Jacobs won the special election to replace Collins on June 23, 2020.
^Walsh, Christopher (February 20, 2020). "Political Briefs 02.20.20". East Hampton Star. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021.