Democratic challenger Josh Riley flips NY 19th District House seat in upset victory

Josh Riley defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro in an upset victory flipping the seat to the Democrats as the party looked to gain a House majority.

The race, a bitter rematch from 2022, saw Riley win by a scant 7,000 votes, a margin of 51-49, uncertified ballot returns showed after the polls closed, according to the Associated Press. 

The fight to represent New York’s 19th congressional district, which stretches from the state’s border with Massachusetts to the Finger Lakes region, was one of six extremely competitive House races in New York.

Republicans currently hold a majority in the House by an eight-seat margin. New York, typically a deep-blue state, emerged as a battleground this year, with several seats seen as possible to flip back to Democrats. 

As of early Wednesday, it’s too soon to tell which direction the House will go.

Immigration, a major issue for the state after an influx of migrants arriving from the southern border, and abortion rights featured heavily in the race. 

Molinaro has sought to link Riley to what he has said are failed border policies. Previously a more moderate Republican, this election cycle Molinaro has embraced former President Trump and more hard-right ideologies. 

In September, Molinaro repeated a debunked conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, had been eating pets — which he laced into political attacks where he claimed Riley enabled migrants to illegally enter the U.S. when working as counsel for the U.S. Senate. 

Riley, an attorney, has jabbed the finger right back at his opponent, pointing out that the influx of migrants from the southern border happened under his watch as Congressman. He has also criticized Molinaro for repeatedly voting to restrict abortion access.

Molinaro, who also was the Republican nominee running for governor against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2018, defeated Riley by less than two points in 2022.