Lee Zeldin Edges Out Tim Bishop In NY-01 Congressional Race

Six-term Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop was defeated by Republican challenger Lee Zeldin in the NY-01 Congressional Race on Election Day. Bishop, of Southampton, was endorsed in 2014 by both the Independence and Working Families parties, while Zeldin, a New York State Senator from Shirley, was endorsed by the Conservative Party. The race was significant as this is the first time in 12 years the district, which spans from Smithtown to Montauk and Orient points, will be under Republican control.

Zeldin defeated Bishop by a large margin, taking home 54.8 percent of the vote as compared to Bishop’s 45.2 percent. The race was a rematch of 2008, when Zeldin first attempted to unseat Bishop, which had significantly different results. In 2008, Zeldin gained 41.6 percent of the vote leaving Bishop with 58.4 percent.

“In Congress, I will fight tirelessly every day to restore the American dream for my family and yours by working to grow our economy and create good paying private sector jobs, securing our borders and America’s interests abroad, fighting for our veterans who have fought for us, repealing and replacing Obamacare and improving the quality of education in our schools,” Zeldin released in a statement following his win.

In the race for Governor, Democrat Andrew M. Cuomo easily earned his second term by defeating Republican challenger Rob Astorino 53.98 percent to 40.58 percent.

But nationwide, the Republicans won control of Senate and the GOP retains majority in House.