Republican state Senator Lee Zeldin soundly defeated six-term incumbent Democrat Tim Bishop in New York's first Congressional District.
Going into the night, both campaigns expected the race to be so tight that a winner might not be known until December when all the absentee ballots were counted. But an hour after polls closed Zeldin was up by several thousand votes. The margin ultimately grew to 16 thousand votes, or ten percent.
Zeldin attributed his win to growing dissatisfaction with the direction of the country, naming ISIS and unaccompanied immigrant children as two main woes.
"Now there’s an Ebola threat, and a whole new angle of how do we keep the homeland secure and how do we protect Americans,” Zeldin said.
Some Democrats accused Zeldin of campaigning on irrational fears.
In an interview after his concession speech, Bishop said 2014 was voters' last opportunity to vote against President Obama and they took it.
Bishop promised a smooth transition and praised his staff for 12 years of service. Incumbents Republican Peter King in New York's second Congressional District and Democrat Steve Israel in the Third Congressional District easily won re-election.
Democrats lost election bids for Suffolk County Comptroller and in the state's third Senate District. Even though Governor Andrew Cuomo and Attorney General Eric Shneiderman won their campaigns, neither candidate won the majority in Suffolk.
