In one of the more closely-watched Congressional races nationwide, Democrat Antonio Delgado won a slim victory late Tuesday night, defeating incumbent Republican Rep. John Faso in New York's 19th District.

NY-19 will have a new representative in January

“Being a politician in a democracy means that you speak to, and listen to and serve everyone irrespective of party or the size of one’s bank account," Delgado said in his speech. 

Polls leading up to the race showed the two in a dead heat.

“This is what it means to truly promote the public good. To put people before party and to strive for a better future grounded in our shared values," Delgado said.

The mood at Senate Garage where Delgado met his supporters became increasingly celebratory as the night went on.

Delgado said in his victory speech he wants to restore Democratic values to Congress

“The values that give life to America’s promise that no matter your class your gender your sexual orientation, or race, you get a fair shake here," he said.

And that this hard fought campaign is just the beginning.

“Those of us in this room and across this district never gave up hope even in the darkest times. And tonight we sent out an unmistakable message. That we can fix what’s broken," said Delgado. 

The race was widely expected to affect the struggle for party control in Washington, on a night that the Democrats looked to make gains and claim control of the House of Representatives.

Faso was first elected to office in 2016, defeating Democrat Zephyr Teachout to claim the seat previously held by Republican Chris Gibson. Faso was also the Republican candidate for governor in 2006.

Now that the campaign is over, Rep.-Elect Delgado says he’s going to work on bringing the Democratic Party back together. He has a long list of things he wants to achieve, including fixing some of the things he says are broken, like health care and immigration.

The 19th District includes the mid-Hudson Valley, plus Otsego and Delaware counties in the SouthernTier and Schoharie, Montgomery and Rensselaer counties in the Capital Region.