Republicans Keep Control of New York's Key Swing Seat

Madison Square Garden was Filled to the Rafters

Donald Trump was in full form on Monday claiming that Republicans could win statewide elections in New York, a state they have not won since 2002.

Yet the Republican candidate for governor, Congressman Lee Zeldin, lost to incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul (appeared to avoid saying her name as he had done throughout the campaign) by 6 percentage points and perhaps more. Zeldin, a close ally of Trump, had hoped to rally his base and ride the wave of discontent with the incumbent, but he appears to have fallen short.

Republican Congressman Marc Molinaro also appears to have lost his bid for re-election in Congress, losing by around 6 points to Democrat Josh Riley.

A bright spot for the Republicans is that Mike Lawler has won the race for the 17th Congressional District. The seat was vacated by Democrat Mondaire Jones who decided to run in the 10th Congressional District which he also lost.

Trump Steals the Show

Donald Trump remained the star of the show that is the Republican Party. Trump came to New York City to rally supporters for Zeldin and Molinaro. Trump, who has been teasing another presidential run, hinted at such a run but did not explicitly announce that he is running in 2024.

He focused his attention on the 2022 election, calling it a "very important election" and slamming the Democrats and the media, as he often does. He also mentioned the "witch hunt" that he says is being directed at him.

There were a few thousand protesters outside of Madison Square Garden as Trump spoke to supporters inside. They called for Trump to be put in prison for January 6th and for fomenting an attempted coup. There were no reports of any violence at the protests.