As we prepare for the 2020 elections, Yesh Ginsburg and Steen Kirby will give a general overview of all 435 United States House of Representatives races. This is a basic overview to introduce you to the major candidates. All Partisan Lean numbers are taken from the Cook Partisan Voting Index. We will update this page as the races progress if anything noteworthy arises.
New York is too large a state to put all in one article. We will be splitting the Empire State’s 27 districts into three articles. One article contains the first nine districts, which have two of the six Republican districts in the state. All nine of the second group of districts have Democratic representatives, while four of this final group have Republicans.
New York’s 19th Congressional District
Incumbent: Antonio Delgado (Democratic, first term)
Partisan Lean: R+2
2018 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Antonio Delgado (D) | 147,873 | 51.36 |
| John Faso (R) | 132,873 | 46.15 |
| Steven Greenfield (G) | 4,313 | 1.5 |
2016 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| John Faso (R) | 164,800 | 54.28 |
| Zephyr Teachout (D) | 138,800 | 45.72 |
Republican Candidate:
Kyle Van De Water (campaign website)
Van De Water is a somewhat moderate Republican, though he is campaigning on supporting President Trump. He is focusing on finding ways to help other areas absorb new workers who we sees as leaving New York City due to COVID-19. He also wants to simplify the tax code.
Democratic Candidate:
Antonio Delgado (campaign website)
Delgado is a somewhat liberal Democrat, campaigning on creating a public option for healthcare, and fighting climate change in ways geared more towards fiscal responsibility. He has an enormous funding and campaign advantage in this race, so he shouldn’t be too overly concerned about Van De Water.
New York’s 20th Congressional District
Incumbent: Paul Tonko (Democratic, sixth term)
Partisan Lean: D+7
2018 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Paul Tonko (D) | 176,811 | 66.5 |
| Joe Vitollo (R) | 89,058 | 33.5 |
2016 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Paul Tonko (D) | 213,021 | 67.89 |
| Joe Vitollo (R) | 100,738 | 32.11 |
Republican Candidate:
Elizabeth Joy (campaign website)
Joy is a fiscal conservative, campaigning to lower taxes and spending. She is also staunchly anti-abortion and is campaigning against the dangers of Socialism.
Democratic Candidate:
Paul Tonko (campaign website)
Tonko is a consistent Democratic voice in Congress, campaigning on his record and general liberal positions on healthcare, the environment, and other issues. Joy is spending a fair bit in this race, but it’s unlikely that Tonko has to do much to hold the seat.
New York’s 21st Congressional District
Incumbent: Elise Stefanik (Republican, third term)
Partisan Lean: R+4
2018 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Elise Stefanik (R) | 131,981 | 56.11 |
| Tedra Cobb (D) | 99,791 | 42.43 |
| Lynn Kahn (G) | 3,437 | 1.46 |
2016 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Elise Stefanik (R) | 177,886 | 65.28 |
| Mike Derrick (D) | 82,161 | 30.15 |
| Matthew Funiciello (G) | 12,452 | 4.57 |
Republican Candidate:
Elise Stefanik (campaign website)
Stefanik is considered by many a rising star in the Republican Party, and has a national following for her support of President Trump. She has generally standard Republican positions across the board, but campaigns more on her voice and profile than specific policy issues.
Democratic Candidate:
Tedra Cobb (campaign website)
Cobb cut Stefanik’s margin of victory by more than half two years ago, and she has serious funding to try it again. This district is moving away from Republicans, and Cobb wants to take advantage. She is a liberal Democrat, though a few of her positions are more moderate–which makes sense in a right-leaning district.
New York’s 22nd Congressional District
Incumbent: Anthony Brindisi (Democratic, first term)
Partisan Lean: R+6
2018 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Anthony Brindisi (D) | 127,715 | 50.89 |
| Claudia Tenney (R) | 123,242 | 49.11 |
2016 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Claudia Tenney (R) | 129,444 | 46.5 |
| Kim Myers (D) | 114,266 | 41.05 |
| Martin Babinec (Reform) | 34,638 | 12.44 |
Republican Candidate:
Claudia Tenney (campaign website)
Tenney is running to win back this seat, which she held for one term. She is campaigning on support for President Trump, pushing back against China, and general conservative solutions to healthcare, immigration, and other issues.
Yesh’s notes: It’s strange that Republicans seem to be capitulating a district that they held so recently, and which should support them. Tenney is woefully out-funded, and never did well enough in this district for Republicans to view her as the stronger candidate.
Democratic Candidate:
Anthony Brindisi (campaign website)
Brindisi is a somewhat moderate Democrat, campaigning against what he sees as Republican mistakes, as well as focusing on local issues in this rural right-leaning district. He has a serious spending and cash advantage in this race, which he is using to try to hold the seat.
New York’s 23rd Congressional District
Incumbent: Tom Reed (Republican, fifth term)
Partisan Lean: R+6
2018 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Tom Reed (R) | 130,323 | 54.24 |
| Tracy Mitrano (D) | 109,932 | 45.76 |
2016 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Tom Reed (R) | 161,050 | 57.59 |
| John Plumb (D) | 118,584 | 42.41 |
Republican Candidate:
Tom Reed (campaign website)
Reed is a somewhat conservative Republican, focusing on free market solutions to healthcare, strong support for the Second Amendment, and his bipartisan record.
Democratic Candidate:
Tracy Mitrano (campaign website)
Mitrano barely survived her primary, but she’ll get a second chance to try to flip this seat. She is a somewhat moderate liberal, campaigning on local issues like building infrastructure and upstate New York-related climate issues.
New York’s 24th Congressional District
Incumbent: John Katko (Republican, third term)
Partisan Lean: D+3
2018 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| John Katko (R) | 136,920 | 52.63 |
| Dana Balter (D) | 123,226 | 47.37 |
2016 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| John Katko (R) | 182,761 | 60.56 |
| Colleen Deacon (D) | 119,040 | 39.44 |
Republican Candidate:
John Katko (campaign website)
Katko is a conservative Republican, campaigning on lowering healthcare costs by removing medical taxes. He also wants to end Common Core, and is pushing back against multiple general liberal policies.
Democratic Candidate:
Dana Balter (campaign website)
Balter is back to try to flip this seat again, after coming so close in 2018. She has a mix of liberal and progressive policies, anywhere from a $15 minimum wage to a carbon tax. Balter is not as well-funded as you’d expect for a race that was this close in 2018, meaning that Democratic donors might view her last race as a high-water mark.
New York’s 25th Congressional District
Incumbent: Joseph Morelle (Democratic, first term)
Partisan Lean: D+8
2018 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Joseph Morelle (D) | 159,244 | 58.98 |
| Jim Maxwell (R) | 110,736 | 41.02 |
2016 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Louise Slaughter (D) | 182,950 | 56.19 |
| Mark Assini (R) | 142,650 | 43.81 |
Republican Candidate:
George Mitris (campaign website)
Mitris is a moderate Republican who firmly states that he supports the message of Black Lives Matter. He is underfunded and not campaigning much in this race, but it could have been interesting to see how well his bipartisan message would resonate.
Democratic Candidate:
Joseph Morelle (campaign website)
Morelle is a liberal Democrat, focusing on his record on issues like climate change, housing, and geneal equality.
New York’s 26th Congressional District
Incumbent: Brian Higgins (Democratic, eighth term)
Partisan Lean: D+11
2018 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Brian Higgins (D) | 169,166 | 73.34 |
| Renee Zeno (R) | 61,488 | 26.66 |
2016 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Brian Higgins (D) | 215,289 | 74.58 |
| Shelly Schratz (R) | 73,377 | 25.42 |
Republican Candidate:
Ricky Donovan, Sr.
Donovan does not seem to be actively campaigning. His campaign’s only presence is a Facebook with with less than 250 followers.
Democratic Candidate:
Brian Higgins (campaign website)
Higgins’ website doesn’t contain any actual information about his campaign, but he doesn’t need it. He is well-known and well-liked in this Buffalo-based district, and runs on his record and without serious competition.
New York’s 27th Congressional District
Incumbent: Chris Jacobs (Republican, won Special Election in July)
Partisan Lean: R+11
2018 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Chris Collins (R) | 140,146 | 49.15 |
| Nate McMurry (D) | 139,059 | 48.76 |
| Larry Piegza (Reform) | 5,973 | 2.09 |
2016 Results:
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Chris Collins (R) | 220,885 | 67.2 |
| Diana Kastenbaum (D) | 107,832 | 32.8 |
Republican Candidate:
Chris Jacobs (campaign website)
Collins almost lost this seat in 2018 after he was arrested for insider trading, but Jacobs carried it much more comfortably in the Special Election in July. Jacobs is a conservative Republican who is campaigning on supporting President Trump’s policies, especially on immigration and trade.
Democratic Candidate:
Nate McMurry (campaign website)
McMurry is a very liberal Democrat, campaigning on Medicare for All. Because of how close he came in 2018 he gets decent funding for this race, but it’s a curious choice in such a red district.
Overview
Democrats control five of these nine districts. Only one of those districts (the 22nd) looks competitive in November, while all four of the Republican districts are potential battlegrounds.
Interested in the rest of our primers for other House races? We have them all listed on our primer home page.
