The year 2022 was a wild one for New York’s delegation in the House of Representatives — a tumultuous redistricting process, delayed primary elections and four Democratic seats flipping to Republicans that ultimately helped them win their thin majority in the chamber in Washington.
The year 2024 has had its own level of distinction. Another set of congressional maps was submitted and approved, and two special House elections have already taken place — one to replace former Rep. George Santos after his historic ousting. And with House control up for grabs this fall, New York’s congressional races are back in the spotlight.
Voting for primary elections for those races takes place Tuesday. The winners of the primaries will go on to face each other in the November general election. Here are the races in New York state that you’ll want to keep an eye on.
DeWitt Town Councilor Sarah Klee Hood and state Sen. John Mannion. (Spectrum News 1 photo)
NY-22 Democratic primary
Democrats are trying to wrestle this Central New York seat from Republican hands after another bruising in 2022. A white whale of sorts for the party, the district that includes the city of Syracuse has had a Democratic representative only four years out of the last 44, despite a slight Democratic voter advantage and despite voting for Democratic presidential candidates for more than three decades.
The district’s new boundaries in 2024 are perhaps the most different in the state from two years ago. Now consisting of Onondaga, Madison and parts of Oneida, Cortland and Cayuga counties, the district has shifted slightly more left, and Cook Political Report has named the seat one of the most vulnerable in the country for Republicans. It is currently held by GOP Rep. Brandon Williams, who was first elected in 2022.
Looking to be the Democrat who can recapture the seat are state Sen. John Mannion and DeWitt Town Councilor Sarah Klee Hood.
Mannion has served in the state’s upper chamber in Albany for four years, and is used to running in extremely close races the region can produce. He is also a former teacher.
- A look at the candidates in NY-22 primary
- Mannion, Klee Hood tout individual experience in Democratic debate for NY-22 seat
Klee Hood, an Air Force veteran, ran for this seat in 2022 and just narrowly finished second for the Democratic nomination.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer and U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman. (Spectrum News 1 photo)
NY-16 Democratic primary
Where in Central New York Democrats are trying to flip a seat, farther south is a contest where the Democratic Party is at odds with each other, and in many ways is a microcosm for the party’s national division between the progressive and centrist wings, particularly when it comes to the Israel-Hamas War.
Incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman was first elected in 2020 after beating longtime incumbent Eliot Engel in a Democratic primary. A member of the group of progressive Democrats known as "the Squad" and endorsed by progressives from Bernie Sanders to Jumaane Williams and the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, Bowman is now facing his own primary challenge from Westchester County Executive George Latimer.
Bowman has been a prominent voice calling for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza conflict while his opponent, George Latimer, has been a staunch supporter of Israel while calling for a temporary ceasefire.
- Democratic candidates face off in NY-16 debate
Both have their share of heavyweight endorsem*nts. Along with progressive lawmakers and the Working Families Party, Bowman also has the backing of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Latimer has been endorsed by former Gov. David Paterson, the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, former Rep. Mondaire Jones and even Hillary Clinton, who now resides in the district, which includes parts of Westchester County and the Bronx.
John Avlon and Nancy Goroff. (Spectrum News 1 photo)
NY-01 Democratic primary
While the 16thCongressional District is a contest of party dynamics for Democrats, in the 1stDistrict, it’s a regional one.
Consisting of part of Suffolk County, it’s vital part of Long Island, an area of compelling political transition in recent years. After voting for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo by 5 points in 2018 and an even split for Donald Trump and Joe Biden in 2020, Suffolk County overall backed Republican Lee Zeldin, who held this congressional seat at the time, by 17 points in his 2022 race for governor. Republicans have wiped out Democrats in local offices, captured two nearby congressional districts and have held onto the 1st District for a decade.
Those Democratic losses are behind John Avlon’s argument for running. A former CNN commentator, he might be a familiar face to cable viewers, and Avlon says he is best positioned to unseat Republican Rep. Nick LaLota. He has the support of state Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs and New York Reps. Tom Suozzi, Gregory Meeks and Dan Goldman.
Nancy Goroff was the Democratic nominee in the district in 2020, and lost to Zeldin by 10 points. She says she is more connected to the community and, countering Avlon’s argument, worked to defeat “MAGA extremist” school board members on Long Island. She has the backing of EMILYs List, which works to elect Democratic women.
(AP Photo)
NY-24 Republican primary
While it’s mostly Democrats who are on the offensive, there is one Republican incumbent facing a challenge from the right, and it’s also a rematch from two years ago.
After formerly representing parts of the Mohawk Valley and Southern Tier, Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney shifted to the new 24thDistrict in 2022, a large swath that snakes along Lake Ontario’s shoreline from the Thousand Islands to Niagara County.
Tenney, an attorney, former state assemblymember and businesswoman, has long been a supporter of Donald Trump and has the backing of the former president, House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Freedom Caucus founding member Jim Jordan, and others.
- NY-24 GOP primary is a battle over conservative credentials
Still, Geneva attorney Mario Fratto doesn’t believe that’s enough. Fratto has called into question votes Tenney has taken on immigration, transgender rights and funding for Planned Parenthood, among other things.
Fratto garnered 40% of the vote in a three way-competition against Tenney in 2022 and believes he can do better this time.
Early voting runs through June 23 and primary Election Day is June 25.
