New Yorkers are picking their representatives in Congress, the state Legislature and the White House after a campaign season that unfolded amid the coronavirus pandemic and unrest over racial injustice. Polls close at 9 p.m. Tuesday, but with a record number of votes cast by mail, the hottest races could take weeks to decide. There is no guarantee that leads held at the end of election night will stand up when absentee ballots are opened and counted days from now. Voters had to wait more than a month to know the winners in some races in the state’s June primary. The weakened state of the Republican Party in the New York City metropolitan area, however, is setting up Democrats for some expected easy victories, including a pair of candidates who could make history as the first two openly gay Black men elected to Congress. Democrats could also potentially gain a supermajority in the state Legislature. A victory like that wouldn’t alter the balance of power in a state where Democrats already control the governor’s office. It could, however, give legislators more leverage with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is now a monolithic force in state politics. Here’s a look at New York’s most closely-watched races: HOUSE 1 Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin is trying to fend off a challenge on eastern Long Island from Democrat Nancy Goroff. Zeldin is seeking a fourth term. He praised President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as “phenomenal” during a speech to the Republican National Convention. Goroff is a chemistry professor who took a leave from Stony Brook University to seek elective office for the first time. ___ HOUSE 2 Republican Assemblyman Andrew Garbarino and Democrat Jackie Gordon face off in a race to succeed U.S. Rep. Pete King, a popular Republican who is retiring. The contest on Long Island’s South Shore is taking place in a district that has tilted Republican in the past, but King’s departure has created an opening for the Democrats, who have poured money into Gordon’s campaign. ___ HOUSE 11 Republican Nicole Malliotakis tries to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Max Rose, who is seeking his second term. The district is whiter and more conservative than the rest of New York City and went for Republican Donald Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton by 10 points in 2016. Rose is an Army combat veteran. Malliotakis has been a state Assembly member since 2011. She unsuccessfully challenged New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s reelection in 2017. ___ HOUSE 14 U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the prohibitive favorite in her first reelection bid. The New York City Democrat faces Republican John Cummings, a teacher and former police officer. Ocasio-Cortez has become one of the most well-known voices of the American left in her first term. Her district in parts of Queens and the Bronx was among those hit hardest by the coronavirus. ___ HOUSE 15 Democrat Ritchie Torres is poised to become one of the first openly gay Black men in Congress. Torres, a 32-year-old member of the New York City Council representing the Bronx, faces Republican Patrick Delices in one of the most heavily Democratic districts in the country. Torres, who identifies as Afro-Latino, would succeed U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano, who is retiring. ___ HOUSE 16 Democrat Jamaal Bowman is expected […]
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