New York's 27th Congressional District election, 2018

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New York's 27th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: April 12, 2018
Primary: June 26, 2018
General: November 6, 2018
Pre-election incumbent:
Chris Collins (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. (general elections); primary times vary by county
Voting in New York
Race ratings
Cook Partisan Voter Index (2018): R+11
Cook Political Report: Lean Republican
Inside Elections: Lean Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
New York's 27th Congressional District
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st • 22nd • 23rd • 24th • 25th • 26th • 27th
New York elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018

Incumbent Rep. Chris Collins (R) defeated Nate McMurray (D) and Larry Piegza (Reform Party) in the 2018 general election for New York's 27th Congressional District.

All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. The Democratic Party gained a net total of 40 seats, winning control of the chamber. This race was identified as a 2018 battleground that might have affected partisan control of the U.S. House in the 116th Congress. Heading into the election, the Republican Party was in the majority holding 235 seats to Democrats' 193 seats, with seven vacant seats. Democrats needed to win 23 GOP-held seats in 2018 to win control of the House. From 1918 to 2016, the president’s party lost an average of 29 seats in midterm elections.

On August 11, 2018, Collins announced he was suspending his campaign and would not seek re-election in 2018. Three days earlier, he had been arrested by the FBI after being charged with insider trading, which he denied.[1] On September 19, Collins announced that he would continue to campaign for re-election, saying, "The stakes are too high to allow the radical left to take control of this seat in Congress."[2]

Before the election, election forecasters said the race slightly favored Collins. The district voted for Donald Trump by 24.5 percentage points in 2016.[3] In 2012, Collins defeated incumbent Kathy Hochul (D), who had been elected in a 2011 special election, by 1.5 percentage points. Collins won re-election in 2014 and 2016 with nearly 70 percent of the vote.

New York's 27th Congressional District is located in the western portion of the state and includes Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming counties and areas of Erie, Monroe, Niagara and Ontario counties.[4]


Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election
General election for U.S. House New York District 27

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Chris Collins
Chris Collins (R)
 
49.1
 
140,146
Image of Nate McMurray
Nate McMurray (D)
 
48.8
 
139,059
Image of Larry Piegza
Larry Piegza (Reform Party)
 
2.1
 
5,973

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 285,178
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Political party key:
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
Darkred.png Conservative Party
Begins.png Green Party
Darkpurple.png Independence Party
Blueslashed.png Reform Party
Cyanslashed.png Tax Revolt Party
Women's Equality Party Women's Equality Party
Darkgreen.png Working Families Party

Fusion voting candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 27

Candidate
✔
Image of Nate McMurray
Nate McMurray

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 27

Candidate
✔
Image of Chris Collins
Chris Collins

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages


Nate McMurray, Grand Island town supervisor
Nate McMurray.PNG

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: Grand Island town supervisor (assumed office: 2016)

Biography: McMurray was born in North Tonawanda, New York. He received his bachelor's degree from SUNY Buffalo, his J.D. from Hastings College of Law, and his Master’s Degree in Law from Tsinghua University, in Beijing, China. His professional experience includes representing U.S. businesses in Asia through his private law practice and teaching American law at the Judicial Research and Training Institute in Seoul, South Korea. He was elected Town Supervisor of Grand Island in 2015.[5]

Key messages
  • McMurray said he was "locally grown, with private sector know-how," emphasizing his childhood in the Buffalo area, his business experience in Asia, and his service as the town supervisor of Grand Island.[5]
  • McMurray said he was running against the local political machine by opposing Collins and wanted to break the hold he said the machine had on local politics.[6][7][8]
  • McMurray drew attention to Collins' indictment on insider trading charges. He said he was a better fit for the district by emphasizing his support for Social Security and gun ownership and distancing himself from House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and potential plans to impeach President Donald Trump.[8][9][10]



Chris Collins, U.S. representative from NY-27
Chris Collins.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Republican

Incumbent: Yes

Political office: United States House of Representatives (assumed office: 2013), executive of Erie County (2007-2011)

Biography: Collins received his B.S. from North Carolina State University and his M.B.A. from the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Prior to being elected to the House, Collins started multiple small businesses including Bloch Industries, Easom Automation, Innate Immunotherapeutics, Mead Supply, Oxygen Generating Systems Intl., Schlyer Machine, Volland Electric and ZeptoMetrix Corporation.[11] After the 2016 presidential election, he served on President-elect Donald Trump's transition team.[12]

Key messages
  • Collins said he was running for re-election because "the stakes are too high to allow the radical left to take control of this seat in Congress." He said Democrats wanted to reverse the 2017 tax cuts, move to a single-payer healthcare system, enact regulations that would decrease jobs, and impeach President Donald Trump.[13]
  • Collins said he was a supporter of President Trump and his America First agenda.[14][13]
  • Collins said McMurray helped send American jobs overseas when he worked in the private sector and was too liberal for the district.[15]



Larry Piegza, businessman
Larry Piegza.jpeg

Campaign website Facebook

Party: Reform

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Piegza received his B.A. from Binghamton University and his master's in business from the University of Buffalo. He started the company Gap Technologies, Inc.[16]

Key messages
  • Piegza said he was an alternative for voters so they did not have to choose "between voting for a criminal and voting for a Democrat."[17]
  • Piegza said he was conservative voters' best chance to keep the district in Republican hands. He said he would caucus with Republicans and said he supported President Trump and his agenda.[17][18]
  • Piegza said he would dedicate his congressional salary to paying his expenses and charitable donations because he believed people did not trust politicians. He supported term limits to "get the career politicians out," a three political party system, and a website called eDemocracy.us that would allow voters to tell their representatives their thoughts on legislation.[18]


Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
New York's 27th Congressional District, general election
Poll Poll sponsor Nate McMurray (D) Chris Collins (R)Undecided/OtherMargin of errorSample size
Dixie Strategies
(Oct. 29-30)		NewsNBC10 38%45%17%+/-3.46801
Siena College
(Oct 24-29)		New York Times 40%44%16%+/-4.8501
Tulchin Research
(Oct 25-28)		McMurray campaign 47%43%10%+/-4.9400
Siena College
(Oct 6-11)		Spectrum News 43%46%11%+/-4.7490
Tulchin Research
(Oct 6-8)		McMurray campaign 42%42%16%+/-5.0400
AVERAGES 42% 44% 14% +/-4.57 518.4
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.


Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Chris Collins Republican Party $1,321,298 $1,816,059 $204,416 As of December 31, 2018
Nate McMurray Democratic Party $1,387,654 $1,364,110 $23,543 As of December 31, 2018
Larry Piegza Reform Party $266,674 $266,674 $0 As of December 29, 2018

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[19][20][21]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

Potential national party involvement

On October 3, Politico reported on whether national party organizations would become involved in the race.

National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Steve Stivers (R-Oh.) said, "I don't plan to spend a thing in that race. I think Chris will win."

Monroe County Republican Committee Chair Bill Reilich said, “It’s hard to predict because with so many races this year, the NRCC is going to put their resources where they’re most needed. Quite honestly if they don’t put ’em in this race, it’s not that they don’t support him. It’s because they feel he doesn’t need that level of assistance.”

When asked whether it would spend in the race, a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson said, “The voters of New York 27th Congressional District now have the clearest of choices between scandal-plagued Chris Collins and Nate McMurray, who will be a real fighter for the families of Western New York, and the stakes just got a whole lot higher on November.”[22]

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[23]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[24][25][26]

Race ratings: New York's 27th Congressional District election, 2018
Race trackerRace ratings
October 30, 2018October 23, 2018October 16, 2018October 9, 2018
The Cook Political ReportLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+11, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 11 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made New York's 27th Congressional District the 121st most Republican nationally.[27]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.10. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.10 points toward that party.[28]

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Noteworthy general election endorsements
Endorsement McMurray (D) Collins (R)
Individuals
Steve Bannon[29] ✔
Ted Howard (R), former Pavilion supervisor[30] ✔
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D)[31] ✔
Newspapers
The New York Post[32] ✔
The Buffalo News[33] ✔

Timeline

  • November 1, 2018: An News10NBC/Dixie Strategies poll found Collins with 45 percent and McMurray with 38 percent. The margin of error was 3.46 percentage points.
  • October 30, 2018: McMurray and Reform Party candidate Larry Piegza participated in a debate hosted by St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute. Collins did not attend. Read more below.
  • October 29, 2018: A New York Times/Siena College poll found Collins with 44 percent and McMurray with 40 percent. The margin of error was 4.8 percentage points.
  • October 29, 2018: A Tulchin Research poll commissioned by McMurray's campaign found McMurray with 47 percent and Collins with 43 percent. The margin of error was 4.9 percentage points.
  • October 25, 2018: McMurray received two noteworthy endorsements:
    • Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) campaigned with McMurray in the suburbs of Buffalo.[31]
    • The Buffalo News endorsed McMurray.
  • October 24, 2018: Steve Bannon held a rally for Chris Collins.
  • October 20, 2018: The New York Post endorsed Nate McMurray.
  • October 17, 2018: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added McMurray to its Red to Blue list.[29]
  • October 15, 2018: McMurray reported raising about $520,000 in the third quarter of 2018. Collins reported raising about $34,000.[34]
  • October 15, 2018: A Spectrum News/Siena College poll found Collins leading McMurray 46-43. The margin of error was 4.7 percentage points.
  • October 11, 2018: U.S. District Court Judge Vernon S. Broderick set Collins' trial date as February 3, 2020.
  • October 10, 2018: A Tulchin Research poll commissioned by the McMurray campaign released an internal poll that showed him and Collins both with 42 percent of the vote.
  • September 21, 2018: Chris Collins released an ad that featured Nate McMurray speaking Korean and said he had sent American jobs to China and Korea.
  • September 19, 2018: Chris Collins announced that he reversed his decision to suspend the campaign and would remain on the ballot.
  • August 11, 2018: Chris Collins announced that he was suspending his re-election
  • August 8, 2018: Chris Collins was charged with insider trading.

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Democratic Party Nate McMurray

Support

"America" - McMurray campaign ad, released October 12, 2018
"THIS IS WHO I AM--#DEBATENATE" - McMurray campaign ad, released September 22, 2018
"IF IT BLEEDS...." - McMurray campaign ad, released September 8, 2018
"SAY NO TO CLOWNS" - McMurray campaign ad, released September 3, 2018
"CHOOSE WINNING!" - McMurray campaign ad, released August 19, 2018

Oppose

"Impeachment" - Collins campaign ad, released October 10, 2018
"Take Him At His Word" - Collins campaign ad, released September 21, 2018

Republican Party Chris Collins

Oppose

"This Time" - McMurrary campaign ad, released October 24, 2018
"COLLINS HAS FAILED--WE NEED JOBS" - AFSCME for Erie County campaign ad, released September 22, 2018
"He Lied" - McMurray campaign ad, released September 18, 2018

Noteworthy events

Collins charged with insider trading

See also: Noteworthy criminal misconduct in American politics (2017-2018)

On October 1, Collins pleaded guilty to conspiracy and making false statements. Collins submitted his letter of resignation to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D), effective October 1.[35] The charges stemmed from an August 2018 charge of insider trading.[36] Prior to the plea deal, Collins was set to stand trial on February 3, 2020.[37] On January 17, 2020, Collins was sentenced to two concurrent 26-month terms of imprisonment for one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and one count of lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Collins was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on March 17, 2020.[38] On December 22, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) pardoned Collins.[39]

On August 8, 2018, Collins turned himself into the FBI after federal prosecutors charged him with insider trading. According to the charges, Collins passed private information related to Innate Immunotherapeutics to his son to "make timely trades in Innate stock and tip others."[40] A grand jury indictment charged Collins and his son with trading Innate Immunotherapeutics stocks before news broke that recent drug trials failed. The company's stock ultimately fell 92 percent. Prosecutors also accused Collins' son of giving the information to other unnamed individuals who allegedly tried to trade the stocks at the time. According to NBC News, the defendants avoided more than $768,000 in losses.[41]

Collins' attorneys released the following statement in response to the congressman's arrest:[42]

“ We will answer the charges filed against Congressman Collins in Court and will mount a vigorous defense to clear his good name. It is notable that even the government does not allege that Congressman Collins traded a single share of Innate Therapeutics stock. We are confident he will be completely vindicated and exonerated.[43] ”

On August 11, 2018, Collins announced that he was suspending his re-election campaign and would not seek re-election in 2018. Politico reported that he would attempt to have his name removed from the ballot and replaced by another Republican.[44] On September 19, 2018, Collins announced that he would continue to campaign for re-election. Collins said, "The stakes are too high to allow the radical left to take control of this seat in Congress."[2]

Debates and forums

Oct. 30 St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute debate

McMurray and Reform Party candidate Larry Piegza participated in a debate hosted by St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute. Collins did not attend.

Read roundups of the debate here:

Campaign themes

Democratic Party Nate McMurray

McMurray’s campaign website stated the following:

“

Husband, father, and community leader, Nathan McMurray is uniquely qualified to serve the people of the 27th District. As Town Supervisor of Grand Island, Nate brings vitality and a fresh perspective to issues and challenges that have plagued the Island for many years.

Nathan’s energetic, effective leadership has brought millions of dollars in business development to Grand Island. He has championed the State’s plan for a major hike and bike trail along the waterfront, secured Grand Island as the location for the State’s Western New York Visitors’ Center, and spearheaded removal of the much-despised toll barriers at the North and South Grand Island Bridges...

Nate’s experience as Grand Island Town Supervisor has taught him important lessons. “We are barely scratching the surface of Western New York’s potential,” Nate says. “We have amazing people, wonderful natural resources, and unbelievable potential. With the right leadership and some hard work, there is no limit to what we can do!”

With his wide-ranging experience, deep love for Western New York, and vision for our future: Nathan McMurray is the perfect fit for the 27th District. [43]

”
—Nate McMurray’s campaign website (2018)[5]

Republican Party Chris Collins

Collins' campaign website stated the following:

“

Respecting Future Generations
Not robbing our children and grandchildren of a bright future.

Government that Serves Taxpayers
Not a government that serves the special interests.

Fiscal Discipline
Balance the federal budget in 10 years.

Local Decision Making
Stopping Washington from telling us how to live our lives.

Personal Accountability
Never increasing entitlement programs.

Smaller Government
Reform the tax code lowering rates and eliminating loopholes.

[43]

”
—Chris Collins' campaign website (2018)[45]

Social media

Twitter accounts

Facebook accounts

Click the icons below to visit the candidates' Facebook pages.

Democratic Party Nate McMurray Facebook

Republican Party Chris Collins Facebook

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Eighteen of 62 New York counties—29 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Broome County, New York 2.01% 5.31% 8.02%
Cayuga County, New York 11.64% 11.40% 8.48%
Cortland County, New York 5.58% 9.11% 9.96%
Essex County, New York 1.14% 18.77% 13.32%
Franklin County, New York 5.45% 26.07% 22.23%
Madison County, New York 14.20% 0.89% 0.87%
Niagara County, New York 17.75% 0.84% 1.00%
Orange County, New York 5.50% 5.65% 4.13%
Oswego County, New York 21.99% 7.93% 2.44%
Otsego County, New York 11.13% 2.72% 5.91%
Rensselaer County, New York 1.41% 12.19% 9.34%
St. Lawrence County, New York 8.82% 16.71% 16.33%
Saratoga County, New York 3.21% 2.44% 3.40%
Seneca County, New York 11.01% 9.08% 2.60%
Suffolk County, New York 6.84% 3.69% 5.99%
Sullivan County, New York 11.23% 9.02% 9.46%
Warren County, New York 8.47% 2.32% 2.64%
Washington County, New York 18.40% 1.90% 0.81%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won New York with 59 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 36.5 percent. In presidential elections between 1792 and 2016, New York voted Democratic 45.6 percent of the time and Republican 35 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, New York voted Democratic all five times.[46]

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in New York. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[47][48]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 114 out of 150 state Assembly districts in New York with an average margin of victory of 46.5 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 99 out of 150 state Assembly districts in New York with an average margin of victory of 50.3 points. Clinton won four districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 36 out of 150 state Assembly districts in New York with an average margin of victory of 10.5 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 51 out of 150 state Assembly districts in New York with an average margin of victory of 17.6 points. Trump won 13 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

District history

2016

See also: New York's 27th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Chris Collins (R) defeated Diana Kastenbaum (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Neither candidate faced any opposition in the primaries on June 28, 2016.[50][51]

U.S. House, New York District 27 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngChris Collins Incumbent 67.2% 220,885
     Democratic Diana Kastenbaum 32.8% 107,832
Total Votes 328,717
Source: New York Board of Elections

2014

See also: New York's 27th Congressional District elections, 2014
U.S. House, New York District 27 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngChris Collins Incumbent 71% 144,675
     Democratic Jim O'Donnell 28.9% 58,911
     N/A Write-in votes 0% 59
Total Votes 203,645
Source: New York State Board of Elections, NYS Board of Elections Rep. in Congress Election Returns November 4, 2014," accessed August 30, 2021

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in New York heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

  • Democrats controlled both chambers of the New York State Legislature. They had a 104-41 majority in the state Assembly and a 32-31 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

  • New York was a Democratic trifecta, meaning that the Democratic Party controlled the office of the governor, the state House, and the state Senate.

2018 elections

See also: New York elections, 2018

New York held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for New York
 New YorkU.S.
Total population:19,747,183316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):47,1263,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:64.6%73.6%
Black/African American:15.6%12.6%
Asian:8%5.1%
Native American:0.4%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.9%3%
Hispanic/Latino:18.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:85.6%86.7%
College graduation rate:34.2%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$59,269$53,889
Persons below poverty level:18.5%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in New York.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2016, New York's three largest cities were New York (pop. est. 8,622,698), Hempstead (pop. est. 774,959), and Brookhaven (pop. est. 486,170).[52][53]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in New York from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the New York State Board of Elections.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in New York every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), New York 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 59.0% Republican Party Donald Trump 36.5% 22.5%
2012 Democratic Party Barack Obama 63.3% Republican Party Mitt Romney 35.2% 28.1%
2008 Democratic Party Barack Obama 62.9% Republican Party John McCain 36.0% 26.1%
2004 Democratic Party John Kerry 58.4% Republican Party George W. Bush 40.1% 18.3%
2000 Democratic Party Al Gore 60.2% Republican Party George W. Bush 35.2% 25.0%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in New York from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), New York 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Chuck Schumer 70.7% Republican Party Wendy Long 27.1% 43.6%
2012 Democratic Party Kirsten Gillibrand 67.6% Republican Party Wendy Long 24.7% 42.9%
2010 Democratic Party Chuck Schumer 64.0% Republican Party Jay Townsend 31.1% 32.9%
2008 Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 67.0% Republican Party John Spencer 31.0% 36.0%
2004 Democratic Party Chuck Schumer 71.2% Republican Party Howard Mills 24.2% 47.0%
2000 Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 55.3% Republican Party Rick Lazio 43.0% 22.3%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in New York.

Election results (Governor), New York 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Democratic Party Andrew Cuomo 50.3% Republican Party Rob Astorino 40.3% 10.0%
2010 Democratic Party Andrew Cuomo 61.0% Republican Party Carl Paladino 32.5% 28.5%
2006 Democratic Party Eliot Spitzer 65.3% Republican Party John Faso 27.1% 38.2%
2002 Republican Party George Pataki 49.4% Democratic Party Carl McCall 33.5% 15.9%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent New York in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, New York 2000-2016
Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
2016 Republican Party 9 33.3% Democratic Party 18 66.7% D+7
2014 Republican Party 9 33.3% Democratic Party 18 66.7% D+7
2012 Republican Party 6 22.2% Democratic Party 21 77.8% D+15
2010 Republican Party 8 27.6% Democratic Party 21 72.4% D+13
2008 Republican Party 3 10.3% Democratic Party 26 89.6% D+23
2006 Republican Party 6 20.7% Democratic Party 23 79.3% D+17
2004 Republican Party 9 31.0% Democratic Party 20 69.0% D+9
2002 Republican Party 10 34.5% Democratic Party 19 65.5% D+9
2000 Republican Party 12 38.7% Democratic Party 19 61.3% D+7

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

New York Party Control: 1992-2025
Nine years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
Senate R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D
Assembly D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D



See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Politico, "Rep. Chris Collins, fighting prosecution, seeks to end reelection bid," August 11, 2018
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 NPR, "Indicted Congressman Reverses Course, Says He Will Campaign For Re-Election," September 19, 2018
  3. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for the 2016 and 2012 elections," accessed November 20, 2017
  4. ↑ New York Redistricting Map, "Map," accessed September 25, 2012
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Nate McMurray for Congress, “Get To Know Nate,” accessed October 2, 2018
  6. ↑ YouTube, "IF IT BLEEDS...." September 8, 2018
  7. ↑ YouTube, "SAY NO TO CLOWNS," September 3, 2018
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 YouTube, "He Lied," September 18, 2018
  9. ↑ YouTube, "THIS IS WHO I AM--#DEBATENATE," September 22, 2018
  10. ↑ YouTube, "Vote for Common Sense," September 28, 2018
  11. ↑ Chris Collins campaign website, "About Collins," accessed June 21, 2013
  12. ↑ Fox News, "Who's who in the new Trump transition team line-up," November 11, 2016
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Twitter, "Chris Collins on September 19, 2018"
  14. ↑ Twitter, "Chris Collins on September 21, 2018"
  15. ↑ City and State NY, "Vulnerable New York Republicans resort to racial campaign ads," September 26, 2018
  16. ↑ Larry Piegza for Congress, "About me," accessed November 1, 2018
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 YouTube, "Chris Collins is OUT. What This Means for Western New Yorkers | Fix It Larry Piegza," August 13, 2018
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Larry Piegza for Congress, "Home," accessed November 1, 2018
  19. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  20. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  21. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  22. ↑ Politico, "Collins challenger fights to break through in New York," October 3, 2018
  23. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  24. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  25. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  26. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  27. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  28. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Buffalo News, "Steve Bannon to stump for Chris Collins as national Dems pledge to aid McMurray," October 17, 2018
  30. ↑ New York State of Politics, "NY-27: McMurray’s Ad Highlights GOP Endorsement," October 25, 2018
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Associated Press, "Biden campaigns with NY candidate, mentions bomb mailings," October 26, 2018
  32. ↑ The New York Post, "The Post’s endorsements in NY, NJ House races," October 20, 2018
  33. ↑ The Buffalo News, "Editorial: Endorsements for Congress," October 25, 2018
  34. ↑ Buffalo News, "Fundraising, poll show Nate McMurray picking up speed in race against Collins," October 16, 2018
  35. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named resignation
  36. ↑ Twitter, "Associated Press," October 1, 2019
  37. ↑ Buffalo News, "Chris Collins to stand trial in 2020; Nate McMurray calls delay an 'injustice,'" October 11, 2018
  38. ↑ CNBC, "Ex-New York congressman Chris Collins sentenced to 26 months for insider-trading tip to son," January 17, 2020
  39. ↑ ABC News via Yahoo! News, "Trump issues flurry of pardons, commutations," accessed December 22, 2020
  40. ↑ Newsweek, "WHO IS CHRIS COLLINS? DONALD TRUMP’S FIRST CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORTER ARRESTED BY FBI ON INSIDER-TRADING CHARGES," August 8, 2018
  41. ↑ NBC News, "New York Rep. Chris Collins indicted on insider trading charges," August 8, 2018
  42. ↑ Congressman Chris Collins, "Statement from Jonathan Barr and Jonathan New, Baker Hostetler," August 8, 2018
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  44. ↑ Politico, "Rep. Chris Collins, fighting prosecution, seeks to end reelection bid," August 11, 2018
  45. ↑ Chris Collins for Congress, “Values,” accessed October 2, 2018
  46. ↑ 270towin.com, "New York," accessed June 1, 2017
  47. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  48. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  49. ↑ Democrats won Assembly District 9 in a special election on May 23, 2017. The seat was previously held by a Republican.
  50. ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Filings received for the 2016 Primary Election," accessed May 15, 2016
  51. ↑ Politico, "New York House Races Results," June 28, 2016
  52. ↑ New York Demographics, "New York Cities by Population," accessed September 4, 2018
  53. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts New York," accessed September 4, 2018
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New York's current delegation to the United States Congress
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Kirsten Gillibrand (D)
Chuck Schumer (D)
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District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
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District 16
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Pat Ryan (D)
District 19
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Democratic Party (21)
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