4 takeaways from the elections in NY and NJ

What we do and don't know the day after [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] [Ad: New Jersey Symphony's 2022/2023 centennial season with yo yo ma]( Sponsored Message 4 takeaways from the elections in NY and NJ [a screen at the Hochul Election Night party showing that Kathy Hochul was the projected winner] Scott Heins/Gothamist [New York Gov. Kathy Hochul made history early Wednesday]( by becoming the state’s first duly elected woman governor, defeating Republican challenger Lee Zeldin by a surprisingly close single-digit margin. But while the Democratic gubernatorial candidate had a tougher-than-expected election, New Yorkers didn't exactly wake up to the "red wave" many pundits predicted. Here are four key takeaways from the general election: 1. Zeldin reached 30% of the New York City vote but still fell short The day before the election, [Zeldin said he could win]( statewide if he got 30% of the vote in New York City. And if he got to 35%, it would be difficult for him not to win. He ultimately got 30% of the citywide vote and outperformed Hochul on his home turf of Long Island. But Hochul was able to pick up Erie County — which includes Buffalo, where she lives — by about 6 points. Zeldin’s supporters had hoped that he could turn the county red, which would have given him a major boost. "Historic narratives don't hold water this year because I'm the first person running for governor from upstate in 100 years," Hochul said last week. 2. The 'red wave' didn't quite hit Republicans had a few bright spots. In New York's 11th Congressional District, which encompasses Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn, incumbent [Nicole Malliotakis won decisively]( over Democrat Max Rose. In the 17th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, [lost to Republican Michael Lawler]( by about 6%. And in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District — which became far more favorable to the GOP after redistricting brought 30,000 more Republican voters into its borders — Democratic incumbent Tom Malinowski has [conceded to Republican challenger Tom Kean Jr](. But in the 18th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley — a swing district that voted for Donald Trump in 2016 — Democrat Pat Ryan [narrowly beat Republican Colin Schmidt](. And in New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District, [Democratic incumbent Andy Kim]( — who flipped the seat in 2018 — won re-election. 3. Ballot initiatives passed New Yorkers overwhelmingly approved a statewide measure to allow the state Legislature to [borrow $4.2 billion to fund climate resiliency projects]( by selling bonds. The passage was a major win for environmentalists, who have been sounding the alarm for the state to properly adjust for climate change. And in New York City, a trio of [ballot proposals aimed at bolstering racial justice]( across the five boroughs saw an overwhelming victory. 4. Down-ballot races were a mixed bag for both parties In the New York State Legislature, Democrats will retain strong majorities in both the Senate and Assembly — which was never really in doubt. [But the party appeared to suffer some defeats]( in areas of New York City where Hochul and Zeldin ran tight. Longtime Assemblyman Peter Abbate Jr., a Brooklyn Democrat first elected to the chamber in 1986, appeared to lose his district — which includes Bensonhurst and Borough Park — to Republican Lester Chang. Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, a Democrat first elected in 2000, lost his race to Republican Michael Novakhov by more than 4,000 votes in a district that includes part of southern Brooklyn, including Brighton Beach. In the state Senate, Democratic Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins called 40 seats in her party's favor by early Wednesday morning and said three others were still up in the air. Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, a state senator from Queens, suggested that his party's wins came despite a lackluster showing by the governor and a successful effort by conservatives to ultimately [kill a Democrat-drawn district map](. "We stand with the second-largest majority in the state’s history," he said. "Other races at other levels of government created a difficult environment in New York and the state Senate came through with flying colors with districts we didn't even draw." — [Reporting by David Cruz, Jon Campbell, Brigid Bergin and Phil Corso]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ad: New Jersey Symphony's 2022/2023 centennial season with music director xian zhang]( Sponsored Message --------------------------------------------------------------- More political headlines from today: [Kathy Hochul at her victory party] [Kathy Hochul wins, but progressives hope Democrats learned a lesson]( "We can't just be running against Republicans as the boogeyman," said the head of the New York Working Families Party. "Democrats have to put forward an affirmative vision." [The Capitol rotunda] [House inches closer to GOP control as the Senate remains up for grabs]( Follow NPR's live coverage of Congressional midterm results at the national level. [map of NYC neighborhoods shaded based on voter turnout] [Did your neighborhood see high turnout in this election?]( THE CITY has an excellent map showing voter turnout rates in all election districts across the five boroughs. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ad: New Jersey Symphony's 2022/2023 centennial season with yo yo ma]( Sponsored Message [the logo for Brian Lehrer's politics podcast] [The day after election day]( Brian Lehrer and a bipartisan panel of experts make sense of what these midterm results mean for Democrats, Trumpism, and the democratic process itself. [LISTEN]( Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. 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