In early results, two former candidates for governor of New York were leading in their primaries, hoping to face off in a race to represent the Hudson Valley in Congress. Former state Assembly Minority Leader John Faso, a Republican, and Democrat Zephyr Teachout were headed toward victory with many votes left to count. Teachout addressed supporters and claimed victory in Kingston around 10:23 p.m.
In our region, it's been the most closely-followed race, as Republican Chris Gibson is stepping aside after this term. On the GOP side, voters picked between Faso and businessman Andrew Heaney. Faso bested Heaney by 34 points, 67% to 33%. The race on the Democratic side was between 2014 gubernatorial hopeful Teachout and farmer Will Yandik. Teachout won the primary race by 46 points, 73% to 27%.
In other results:
(AP) Rep. Jerrold Nadler has won the Democratic primary for a New York congressional seat he's held for nearly a quarter-century. Nadler's Tuesday night win came amid a contentious primary battle — the first time he's faced a challenge in a Democratic primary in two decades. Nadler's support of President Barack Obama's Iran nuclear deal was the center of the campaign in a New York City district heavily composed of Jewish voters. His opponent, Oliver Rosenberg, said he thought voters felt betrayed by Nadler's support of the measure. The former investment banker also accused Nadler of being out of touch with younger voters.
A nine-way Democratic primary race in retiring Rep. Charles Rangel's New York City district is too close to call. State Sen. Adriano Espaillat held a small lead over Assemblyman Keith Wright Tuesday night with more than 90 percent of the vote counted. Espaillat had failed to knock off Rangel twice before in Democratic primaries. Wright had the backing of Rangel and other prominent black politicians in a district that has remained a stronghold for black politicians for generations even as the number of Latinos grew. Rangel won his congressional seat in 1970 by defeating Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in a Democratic primary.