New York voters chose their nominees for the U.S. House of Representatives and state Senate, ending the second of two primary campaigns in the state as the focus now turns to the general election.
The road to a majority in the House likely runs through New York, and given the history and political environment, it should still be a good night nationally for Republicans in November. But the results on Tuesday evening in parts of New York state could give Democrats some reason to hope amid close races in parts of upstate New York.
That said, there are limits for what lessons can be drawn from a low-turnout night of voting.
Here are six takeaways from Tuesday and primary night part two:
1. Ryan's victory in NY-19 means a lot, or very little.
If you're a Democrat, the 19th congressional district victory for Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan lands like a thunderclap. Despite the political headwinds, Ryan was able to defeat a fellow county executive and well-known Republican, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro. Democrats will argue this bodes well for November, and demonstrates their voters are engaged on issues like abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Republicans, however, won't be willing to read the tea leaves like this. Low turnout, plus the stakes themselves are quite low. Ryan and Molinaro were not vying for a seat to win control of the House, but a district that was vacated by Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. Ryan will fill out the remainder of that term. The district itself in the Hudson Valley has been redrawn, and Ryan and Molinaro will both be running for separate newly drawn seats this fall.
2. Reed's seat stays red.
It's another "yes, but" outcome in a special election to fill the unexpired term of Republican Rep. Tom Reed.
Just over 4,000 votes separate projected Republican winner Joe Sempolinski and Democrat Max Della Pia for this Southern Tier district. Democrats were able to get their voters out to the polls in a district that is otherwise deep Republican red.
The big caveat: Many of those votes came from Tompkins County, a blue Democratic oasis in a sea of Republican red. Della Pia's strong showing there was not enough to win.
3. Langworthy defeats Paladino.
A dozen years ago, Carl Paladino ran a campaign for governor of New York some would call a test run for Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Paladino didn't care who he offended, drew on a populist message and lost badly to Andrew Cuomo in 2010. But the groundwork was laid, thanks in large part to then-Erie County Republican Chairman Nick Langworthy.
They have subsequently found themselves on different sides of the primary ballot for a newly drawn and deeply Republican western New York House seat. This was not a contest over who could be sufficiently loyal to Trump given both candidates are allies and supporters of the former president.
Instead, it was something of a leadership proxy fight between Langworthy, now the state party chairman, and Paladino, who had the backing of Rep. Elise Stefanik.
Stefanik, the No. 3 ranking Republican in the U.S. House, endorsed Paladino early on, and her allies pointed to the success the Buffalo developer has had in the region in 2010. But Langworthy was able to do well in the Southern Tier counties of the district, blunting leads for Paladino in the Erie County suburbs.
4. New York City loses clout, gains Goldman.
Either way, New York City is losing some power in Congress given the battle between Carolyn Maloney and Jerry Nadler after the dust settled from redistricting. In the end, Nadler prevailed over Maloney and Suraj Patel in a decisive race early on in the evening in the 12th congressional district.
In the nearby 10th district, Dan Goldman was able to use his own fortune to stand out from the crowded field, defeating progressive favorite Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou as well as Rep. Mondaire Jones. Goldman, like Nadler, had the all-important endorsement of The New York Times.
5. A win for the mainstream?
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney fended off his primary challenge from state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi in the newly drawn lower Hudson Valley House seat. Maloney, the head of the Demcoratic Congressional Campaign Committee, called it a victory for the "mainstream" of politics. It's a phrase that may clang in the ears of progressives, but the night was a sign establishment Democrats have found ways of fending off challenges to their left flank.
6. Redistricting confusion
New York had to hold two primary votes this year due to the mess that was redistricting and a successful court challenge that found maps for U.S. House and state Senate districts drawn by Democratic lawmakers in Albany violated the state constitution. The result? Low turnout, voter confusion and a muddled political picture heading to November.