What Happens Now?

            The 2022 mid-term election is over, but many votes are still being counted. The red tsunami definitely did not hit anywhere but Florida. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) did not win enough votes to kick Gov. Kathy Hochul out of office. However, he had long coattails.

            New York is a cobalt blue state. Yet, Republicans flipped U.S. House seats from New York. They even flipped the seat of Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). Nicole Gelinas of the New York Post reported the following statistics. 

On Staten Island, the city’s most conservative borough, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo eked out a tiny victory four years ago, 49% to 48%. This time around, Zeldin won by a double-digit margin, 67% to 33%.

That may be expected, with Staten Island voters not as put off by President Donald Trump and his antics as the rest of the city is.

But in Brooklyn four years ago, Cuomo won 81% to 13% (third parties won the rest). This year, Zeldin earned a full 29% of the vote, to Hochul’s 71%.

In Queens in 2018, Cuomo won 78% to 18%. This year, Zeldin garnered a full third of the vote, to Hochul’s two-thirds.

Even in the Bronx and Manhattan, Zeldin did relatively well. Four years ago, Molinaro earned just 8% and 10% of those respective boroughs’ votes. This year, Zeldin won 22% and 18%, respectively.

It’s worth repeating: For a Republican to win nearly a quarter of the Bronx vote is a big deal. It’s not a big enough deal, of course. That and $6 will get Zeldin a latte this morning.

But Zeldin proved something important: New York City is what makes New York a one-party state, but even the Democratic city has its limits.

            As things look now, Republicans will take control of the U.S. House of Representatives. It is also possible that Republicans will win more governorships and Senate seats. There is a chance to save America with Republicans controlling the House. The chance will grow if Republicans can take control of the Senate.