United States Senate election in New York, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 12
- Early voting: N/A
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: No
- Poll times: 6:00 a.m. and close at 9:00 p.m.
2022 →
← 2016
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U.S. Senate, New York |
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Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
Election details |
Filing deadline: April 12, 2018 |
Primary: June 26, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent: Kirsten Gillibrand (Democrat) |
How to vote |
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. (general elections); primary times vary by county Voting in New York |
Race ratings |
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic Inside Elections: Solid Democratic |
Ballotpedia analysis |
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st • 22nd • 23rd • 24th • 25th • 26th • 27th New York elections, 2018 U.S. Congress elections, 2018 U.S. Senate elections, 2018 U.S. House elections, 2018 |
Voters in New York elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the election on November 6, 2018.
The election filled the Class 1 Senate seat held by Kirsten Gillibrand (D). She was first appointed in 2009.
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for U.S. Senate New York
Incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand defeated Chele Farley in the general election for U.S. Senate New York on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Kirsten Gillibrand (D) | 67.0 | 4,056,931 | |
Chele Farley (R) | 33.0 | 1,998,220 |
Total votes: 6,055,151 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate New York.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Chele Farley advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. Senate New York.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jim Samsel (R)
- David Webber (R)
- Rafael Jones (R)
- Pat Hahn (R)
Key votes
Key votes cast by Gillibrand
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) cast the following key votes—votes that help citizens understand where their legislators stand on major policy issues—during the 115th Congress, which convened on January 3, 2017, and adjourned on January 3, 2019.
Click show to see key votes for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) → |
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Key votes: 115th Congress, 2017-2018
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Noteworthy events
Brett Kavanaugh confirmation vote
- See also: Supreme Court vacancy, 2018: An overview
On October 6, 2018, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Fifty senators voted to confirm Kavanaugh's nomination, 48 voted against, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted present. A simple majority was required to confirm Kavanaugh.[41]
Gillibrand voted against Kavanaugh's confirmation on October 6, 2018. In a tweet before the vote, she said, "The stakes of the vote on Kavanaugh? Deciding whether we’re a country that listens to and believes women. Each of my colleagues in the Senate needs to determine if women’s voices, traumas and stories matter to them. I’ve made my decision."[42]
Farley stated that she would have voted to confirm Kavanaugh, saying, "The judicial confirmation process is broken. Washington itself is broken. Too many career politicians like Kirsten Gillibrand have placed their personal ambitions ahead of the best interests of our nation. Not advancing Judge Kavanaugh would set a dangerous precedent for future nominees of both parties. It is time to move forward and confirm Judge Kavanaugh."[43]
2016 Pivot Counties
New York features 12 congressional districts that, based on boundaries adopted after the 2010 census, intersected with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.
The 206 Pivot Counties are located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. Heading into the 2018 elections, the partisan makeup of the 108 congressional districts intersecting with Pivot Counties was more Republican than the partisan breakdown of the U.S. House. Of the 108 congressional districts that had at least one Pivot County, 63 percent were held by a Republican incumbent, while 55.4 percent of U.S. House seats were won by a Republican in the 2016 elections.[44]
Campaign finance
The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kirsten Gillibrand | Democratic Party | $20,882,387 | $12,540,956 | $10,315,402 | As of December 31, 2018 |
Chele Farley | Republican Party | $1,400,440 | $1,385,101 | $15,338 | As of December 31, 2018 |
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
Campaign themes
Kirsten Gillibrand
Gillibrand's campaign website stated the following:
“ |
An Economy That Rewards Work Supporting Our Working Families Seniors Protecting The Environment Women’s Empowerment And Opportunity Transparency And Accountability Health Care Immigration Defending Those Who Protect Us Women’s Health And Reproductive Rights National Security |
” |
—Kirsten Gillibrand’s campaign website (2018)[46] |
Chele Farley
Farley's campaign website stated the following:
“ |
Put New York First Jobs and Taxes Term Limits Standing with Israel
A Strong Foreign Policy We must also refocus our trade policies by opening up new negotiations with countries to create a fairer deal for the United States. This includes the threat of tariffs as a way to bring countries to the negotiating table. My years of private sector experience taught me how to renegotiate a bad deal, and that’s what too many of our trade deals are – bad for Americans. We need to fight for American workers, American businesses and American interests. As your Senator, I will make sure New York comes FIRST when negotiating these deals. Opioid Epidemic We must get serious about addressing the opioid-addiction epidemic that is plaguing our communities. As your Senator, I will work to combat overprescribing of opioids, work to increase access to longer-term treatment facilities across the state, work to update privacy laws to make sure medical providers know if a person has struggled with opioid addiction when treating them for other ailments, and support the death penalty for drug kingpins who sell lethal heroin. |
” |
—Chele Farley’s campaign website (2018)[47] |
Other 2018 statewide elections
This race took place in one of twenty-two states that held elections for both governor and U.S. Senate in 2018.
A table of where these elections occurred, the names of incumbents prior to the 2018 elections, and links to our coverage of these races can be viewed by clicking "[show]" on the banner below:
Wave election analysis
- See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)
The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?
Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.
Applying this definition to U.S. Senate elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose seven seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.
The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 10 U.S. Senate waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.
U.S. Senate wave elections | ||||||
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Year | President | Party | Election type | Senate seats change | Senate majority[48] | |
1932 | Hoover | R | Presidential | -13 | D (flipped) | |
1958 | Eisenhower | R | Second midterm | -12 | D | |
1946 | Truman | D | First midterm | -10 | R (flipped) | |
1980 | Carter | D | Presidential | -9 | R (flipped) | |
2014 | Obama | D | Second midterm | -9 | R (flipped) | |
1942 | Roosevelt | D | Third midterm | -8 | D | |
2008 | George W. Bush | D | Presidential | -8 | D | |
1926 | Coolidge | R | First midterm[49] | -7 | R | |
1930 | Hoover | R | First midterm | -7 | R | |
1986 | Reagan | R | Second midterm | -7 | D (flipped) |
Election history
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated New York's U.S. Senate race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Chuck Schumer (D) defeated Wendy Long (R), Alex Merced (L), and Robin Laverne Wilson (G) in the general election on November 8, 2016. No candidate faced a primary opponent in June.[50]
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
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Democratic | Chuck Schumer Incumbent | 70.7% | 5,182,006 | |
Republican | Wendy Long | 27.1% | 1,988,261 | |
Green | Robin Wilson | 1.5% | 112,521 | |
Libertarian | Alex Merced | 0.7% | 47,666 | |
Total Votes | 7,330,454 | |||
Source: New York Board of Elections |
2012
On November 6, 2012, incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand (D) won re-election to the United States Senate. She defeated Wendy Long (R), Colia Clark (G), Chris Edes (L) and John Mangelli (Common Sense Party) in the general election.
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
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Democratic | Kirsten Gillibrand Incumbent | 72.2% | 4,822,330 | |
Republican | Wendy Long | 26.3% | 1,758,702 | |
Green | Colia Clark | 0.6% | 42,591 | |
Libertarian | Chris Edes | 0.5% | 32,002 | |
CSP | John Mangelli | 0.3% | 22,041 | |
N/A | Write-in votes | 0% | 2,012 | |
Total Votes | 6,679,678 | |||
Source: New York State Board of Elections, "NYS Board of Elections U.S. Senator Election Returns November 6, 2012," accessed August 30, 2021 |
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in New York heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Democrats held both U.S. Senate seats in New York.
- Democrats held 17 of 27 U.S. House seats in New York.
State executives
- As of September 2018, Democrats held 5 of 11 state executive positions, and the remaining positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of New York was Democrat Andrew Cuomo. The state held elections for governor and lieutenant governor on November 6, 2018.
State legislature
- Democrats controlled both chambers of the New York State Legislature. They had a 104-41 majority in the state Assembly and a 32-31 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- New York was a Democratic trifecta, meaning that the Democratic Party controlled the office of the governor, the state House, and the state Senate.
2018 elections
- See also: New York elections, 2018
New York held elections for the following positions in 2018:
- One U.S. Senate seat
- 18 U.S. House seats
- Governor and lieutenant governor
- Two lower state executive positions
- 63 state Senate seats
- 150 state Assembly seats
- Municipal elections in New York, Buffalo, and Erie County
Demographics
Demographic data for New York | ||
---|---|---|
New York | U.S. | |
Total population: | 19,747,183 | 316,515,021 |
Land area (sq mi): | 47,126 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White: | 64.6% | 73.6% |
Black/African American: | 15.6% | 12.6% |
Asian: | 8% | 5.1% |
Native American: | 0.4% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
Two or more: | 2.9% | 3% |
Hispanic/Latino: | 18.4% | 17.1% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate: | 85.6% | 86.7% |
College graduation rate: | 34.2% | 29.8% |
Income | ||
Median household income: | $59,269 | $53,889 |
Persons below poverty level: | 18.5% | 11.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in New York. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
As of July 2016, New York's three largest cities were New York (pop. est. 8,622,698), Hempstead (pop. est. 774,959), and Brookhaven (pop. est. 486,170).[51][52]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in New York from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the New York State Board of Elections.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in New York every year from 2000 to 2016.
Election results (President of the United States), New York 2000-2016 | |||||
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Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
2016 | Hillary Clinton | 59.0% | Donald Trump | 36.5% | 22.5% |
2012 | Barack Obama | 63.3% | Mitt Romney | 35.2% | 28.1% |
2008 | Barack Obama | 62.9% | John McCain | 36.0% | 26.1% |
2004 | John Kerry | 58.4% | George W. Bush | 40.1% | 18.3% |
2000 | Al Gore | 60.2% | George W. Bush | 35.2% | 25.0% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in New York from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Election results (U.S. Senator), New York 2000-2016 | |||||
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Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
2016 | Chuck Schumer | 70.7% | Wendy Long | 27.1% | 43.6% |
2012 | Kirsten Gillibrand | 67.6% | Wendy Long | 24.7% | 42.9% |
2010 | Chuck Schumer | 64.0% | Jay Townsend | 31.1% | 32.9% |
2008 | Hillary Clinton | 67.0% | John Spencer | 31.0% | 36.0% |
2004 | Chuck Schumer | 71.2% | Howard Mills | 24.2% | 47.0% |
2000 | Hillary Clinton | 55.3% | Rick Lazio | 43.0% | 22.3% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in New York.
Election results (Governor), New York 2000-2016 | |||||
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Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
2014 | Andrew Cuomo | 50.3% | Rob Astorino | 40.3% | 10.0% |
2010 | Andrew Cuomo | 61.0% | Carl Paladino | 32.5% | 28.5% |
2006 | Eliot Spitzer | 65.3% | John Faso | 27.1% | 38.2% |
2002 | George Pataki | 49.4% | Carl McCall | 33.5% | 15.9% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent New York in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
New York Party Control: 1992-2024
Eight years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
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Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Assembly | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 2018
- United States Senate elections, 2018
- Kirsten Gillibrand
- United States Senate election in New York (2018 Democratic primary)
- United States Senate election in New York (2018 Republican primary)
Footnotes
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment with an Amendment)," December 18, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Conference Report (Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 2)," December 11, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Nomination (Confirmation Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," October 6, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture Re: Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," October 5, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 2, As Amended)," June 28, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Amdt. No. 1959)," February 15, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Amdt. No. 1958 As Modified)," February 15, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Amdt. No. 1948)," February 15, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Amdt. No. 1955)," February 15, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to the Consideration of S. 2311)," January 29, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Amendment (McConnell Amdt. No. 667)," July 28, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Amendment (Paul Amdt. No. 271 )," July 26, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Amdt. No. 270)," July 25, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Proceed to H.R. 1628)," July 25, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Senate, "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," April 7, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Senate, "On the Cloture Motion (Upon Reconsideration, Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," April 6, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Senate, "On the Decision of the Chair (Shall the Decision of the Chair Stand as the Judgment of the Senate?)," April 6, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Senate, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," April 6, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Conference Report (Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 6157)," September 18, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Conference Report (Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 5895)," September 12, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H. R. 6157 As Amended)," August 23, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 5895 As Amended)," June 25, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1625)," March 23, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1892 with an Amendment (SA 1930))," February 9, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 695)," February 8, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment with Further Amendment)," January 22, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 195)," January 22, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 195)," January 19, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1370)," December 21, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion to Recede from the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1 and Concur with Further Amendment ," December 20, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Joint Resolution (H.J. Res. 123)," December 7, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 1 As Amended )," December 2, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Concurrent Resolution (H. Con. Res. 71 As Amended)," October 19, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amdt. to the Senate Amdt. with an Amdt. No. 808 to H.R. 601)," September 7, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Senate, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 244)," May 4, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Joint Resolution (S.J. Res. 54, As Amended), December 13, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 2810 As Amended)," September 18, 2017
- ↑ The Hill, "Senate sends $692B defense policy bill to Trump's desk," November 15, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 3364)," July 27, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (S. 722 As Amended)," June 15, 2017
- ↑ New York Times, "Kavanaugh Is Sworn In After Close Confirmation Vote in Senate Video," October 6, 2018
- ↑ National Review, "Gillibrand: Kavanaugh Confirmation Vote Is about Whether ‘Women’s Voices’ ‘Matter’," October 3, 2018
- ↑ Chele Farley for U.S. Senate, "Farley: Time to Move Forward and Confirm Judge Kavanaugh," September 28, 2018
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Kirsten Gillibrand’s campaign website, “Our Values,” accessed November 1, 2018
- ↑ Chele Farley’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed November 1, 2018
- ↑ Denotes the party that had more seats in the U.S. House following the election.
- ↑ Calvin Coolidge's (R) first term began in August 1923 after the death of President Warren Harding (R), who was first elected in 1920. Before he had his first midterm in 1926, Coolidge was re-elected as president in 1924.
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Filings received for the 2016 Primary Election," accessed May 9, 2016
- ↑ New York Demographics, "New York Cities by Population," accessed September 4, 2018
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts New York," accessed September 4, 2018
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