Democrat Josh Riley appears poised to overwhelm incumbent Republican Rep. Mark Molinaro, who holds a narrow but clear lead in the race for a key seat in upstate New York.
With 96% of votes counted as of early Wednesday morning, Mr. Riley had nearly 52% of the vote, to Mr. Molinaro's 48%, according to the Associated Press.
The official race was too close to be decided, but tallies show Mr. Molinaro has to make up a 13,000-vote gap.
Molinaro refused to concede during vote counting.
“I would have liked to have ended tonight with more votes, but I also want to make sure all absentees and affidavits are counted,” he said in a statement. “I'm so grateful to my family, friends and supporters. I'll have more to say in the coming days.”
The 19th Congressional District covers 11 counties in the northern part of the state, including areas such as Binghamton, Oneonta and the Catskills, and has emerged as one of the tightest and costliest battlegrounds for control of the House.
The district, the most expensive race in the state, has more than $26 million in stakes as Mr. Molinaro fights to protect his seat in a rematch against Mr. Riley, who won by just 4,500 votes in the 2022 election. Money poured in.
Polls show the district has been in turmoil this year as well. According to FiveThirtyEight. In SurveyUSA's most recent survey, conducted Oct. 11-16, Riley saw a 46% increase compared to Molinaro's 42%.
Molinaro, who refused to endorse former President Donald Trump in 2016, spent much of his campaign focusing on President Biden's failures rather than promoting his party's candidates.
But he said he supports Trump.
“I think Donald Trump and the Trump administration, without a doubt, are clearly committed to not only providing border security, but keeping America safe,” Molinaro said recently.
Molinaro received a late boost from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who stumbled against the incumbent on Friday.
Although clearly unrelated to either candidate, the drama of the campaign continued into Election Day.
A car crashed into a polling place in the town of Ithaca, forcing authorities to relocate it.
