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New York's 14th Congressional District election (June 26, 2018 Democratic primary)

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New York's 14th Congressional District
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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:
Joseph Crowley (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
Cook Partisan Voter Index (2018): D+29
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
New York's 14th Congressional District
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New York elections, 2018
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U.S. House elections, 2018

First-time office-seeker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) defeated long-time incumbent Rep. Joseph Crowley (D), who had not seen a primary challenge since 2004, in the 2018 Democratic primary for New York's 14th District.[1] Stark fundraising differences and notable endorsements on both sides fueled debate over which candidate had the most progressive credentials.

Crowley, a U.S. representative since 1999 and chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, had a 22-to-1 fundraising lead over newcomer Ocasio-Cortez at the end of March 2018.[2] Ocasio-Cortez pledged not to accept contributions from lobbyists.[3]

Ocasio-Cortez garnered endorsements from progressive groups including Justice Democrats, Brand New Congress, and NYC Democratic Socialists of America.[4] Crowley's list of endorsements included more than 20 labor unions, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and more than a dozen state legislators.[5]

Both candidates expressed support for $15 minimum wage and Medicare for All policies; Ocasio-Cortez credited her campaign with pushing Crowley to the left on these issues, while Crowley's campaign argued that "he's always been a progressive advocate."[6][7]

Crowley won re-election with at least 70 percent support in the four elections between 2010 and 2016. This seat was rated as Safe/Solid Democratic by ratings outlets.[8]


New York voter? Dates you need to know.
Primary electionJune 26, 2018
Candidate filing deadlineApril 12, 2018
Registration deadlineJune 1, 2018
Absentee application deadlineJune 19 (by mail) & June 25 (in-person), 2018
General electionNovember 6, 2018
Voting information
Primary typeClosed
Early voting deadlineN/A
Polling locations: Go to this page to find early voting locations and your assigned precinct for election day.


For more on related elections, please see:


Candidates and election results

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated incumbent Joseph Crowley in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 14 on June 26, 2018.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 14

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
 
56.7
 
16,898
Image of Joseph Crowley
Joseph Crowley
 
43.3
 
12,880

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 29,778
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidates

See also: Statistics on U.S. Congress candidates, 2018

Democratic Party Joseph Crowley

Joseph Crowley.jpeg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter Youtube Campaign finance Endorsements

Incumbent Rep. Joseph Crowley (D) was first elected to the House representing New York's 7th Congressional District in 1998 and was moved to the 14th District in 2012 as a result of redistricting. Before serving in Congress, Crowley was a representative in the New York State Assembly. He chaired the House Democratic Caucus and the Queens Democratic Party as of 2018. Roll Call included Crowley in its list of six Democrats most likely to become House Democratic leader if Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stepped down.[9]

Crowley's campaign website highlighted his leadership position in the House going into the election and his intent to counter Republicans in Congress: "As Chairman of the Democratic Caucus, I’m focused on organizing resistance to the extreme GOP agenda that is threatening our middle class. Congress should be working on increasing access to health care and housing, protecting seniors’ hard-earned benefits, and creating greater opportunity for students and families." His list of "the most pressing issues facing our country today" included healthcare, equal pay for women, immigration, gun control, and education.[10]

Crowley had endorsements from NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood; Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America; over 20 labor unions, including the New York State AFL-CIO and the Communications Workers of America; and several state legislators and New York City Council members.[5]

Democratic Party Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter Youtube Campaign finance Endorsements

Ocasio-Cortez had not sought elected office prior to challenging Crowley. She worked in Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-Mass.) foreign affairs and immigration office from 2008 to 2009 while attending Boston University. After graduating, she returned to the Bronx where she volunteered for Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) 2016 presidential Democratic primary campaign.[11] Brand New Congress, a group founded by former Sanders presidential campaign staffers, encouraged her to challenge Crowley in New York's 14th District primary.[12]

During an "Ask Me Anything" Reddit session at the start of her campaign, Ocasio-Cortez said, "My campaign is challenging Joseph Crowley, one of the most Corporate-funded members of Congress, on an entirely progressive and grassroots campaign."[12] Her campaign site emphasized her working-class background, stating, "Ocasio2018 is a campaign that brings New Yorkers together to champion the needs of working families in the Bronx and Queens. Together we will create a nation of dignified healthcare, tuition-free higher education, quality employment, and justice for all - and we’re the only ones to do it without corporate money."[13]The policy priorities highlighted on her campaign site included Medicare for All, housing as a human right, a federal jobs guarantee, criminal justice reform/ending private prisons, and immigration justice/abolishing ICE.[3]

Ocasio-Cortez was endorsed by Brand New Congress, Justice Democrats, The People for Bernie Sanders, NYC Democratic Socialists of America, and Demand Universal Healthcare.[4]

Endorsements

Joseph Crowley

Labor unions[14]

  • New York AFL-CIO
  • New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council
  • Communications Workers of America
  • Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ
  • Service Employees International Union Local 1199
  • International Brotherhood of Teamsters Joint Council 16
  • New York State United Teachers
  • Transport Workers Union Local 100
  • United Food and Commercial Workers Union
  • AFSCME District Council 37
  • International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, and Transportation Workers
  • Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association Local 831
  • Enterprise Association of Steamfitters Local 638
  • New York State Building & Construction Trades Council
  • International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen
  • Amalgamated Transit Union
  • Iron Workers Local 361
  • International Union of Elevator Constructors
  • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
  • International Union of Operating Engineers
  • Mason Tenders District Council
  • Laborers' International Union of North America Local 79
  • Painters and Allied Trades District Council 36
  • Plumbers Local Union No. 1

Gun policy groups[5]

  • Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence
  • Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Groups supporting legalized abortion[5]

Minor political parties

Elected officials[5]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Campaign finance

Campaign finance disclosures through March 31, 2018, showed the following:


Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Joseph Crowley Working Families Party, Democratic Party $4,007,216 $5,119,793 $8,779 As of December 31, 2018
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Democratic Party $2,147,896 $1,782,302 $365,237 As of December 31, 2018
Anthony Pappas Republican Party $8,161 $2,500 $5,662 As of November 15, 2018
Elizabeth Perri Conservative Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

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."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.


Campaign themes and policy stances

Campaign themes

Democratic Party Joseph Crowley

“

Healthcare
Health care is right for all Americans – not a privilege for the wealthy. Joe is an outspoken supporter of Obamacare and an impassioned advocate for local health care facilities in the Bronx and Queens. He’s a co-sponsor of the Medicare for All Act, which would dramatically increase health care coverage in this country. He was a leading advocate for a permanent Children’s Health Insurance Program to ensure that vulnerable children have access to a doctor. Joe even demanded that Republican lawmakers give up their own health care before they stripped access away from hard-working Americans.

Equal Pay for Women
Women deserve equal pay for equal work – period. Joe is a strong advocate for equal pay and other measures to ensure that are women are treated with dignity and respect in the work place. He is a co-sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which strengthens the Equal Pay Act and helps ensure women earn a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

Immigration
As the son and grandson of immigrants, Joe is proud to represent one of the most diverse congressional districts in the nation. Joe is fighting to protect immigrants from harassment by federal authorities and is defending immigrant communities against hate crimes. He supports fixing our broken immigration system by creating a system that would provide an earned path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants, keep the best and brightest here, and secure our borders.

Gun Control
Gun violence is an epidemic in our country. Joe has consistently opposed the NRA’s radical positions on gun ownership and he’s fighting to crack down on illegal firearms from being brought into New York.

Education
Joe is firmly committed to preparing all young Americans for successful careers by advocating for public education, championing increased federal support for Head Start and other pre-kindergarden programs, and fighting to maintain critical financial aid, such as Pell Grants, so more students can afford a college education. Joe is also committed to expanding vocational training and on-the-job training programs so that all Americans can find careers that work best for them.

Affordability
Joe authored the Rent Relief Act to help working families and seniors afford to live in increasingly expensive cities like New York City, by providing tax relief to renters struggling to afford housing. Without assistance, men and women will be forced out of their communities – diminishing what makes Queens and the Bronx great.

Crime and Safety
Joe established the Crime Stoppers program to support local organizations working to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods. This program has delivered more than $1 million dollars in federal funding to the Bronx-Queens community for graffiti clean-up, after-school programming, and civic patrol efforts.

911 and National Security
In the wake of 9/11, Joe stepped to defend New York City and protect our brave first responders. He was instrumental in passing the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to provide 9/11 workers with health care, and led efforts to create the Urban Area Security Initiative that has steered more than $950 million cdollars in funding to make New York’s airports, train stations, and ports more secure.[25]

”
—Crowley for Congress[10]


Democratic Party Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

“

Medicare For All
Improved and Expanded Medicare for All is the ethical, logical, and affordable path to ensuring no person goes without dignified healthcare. Medicare for All will reduce the existing costs of healthcare (and make Medicare cheaper, too!) by allowing all people in the US to buy into a universal healthcare system.

What’s even better is that Improved and Expanded Medicare for All includes full vision, dental, and mental healthcare - because we know that true healthcare is about the whole self, not just your yearly physical.

Almost every other developed nation in the world has universal healthcare. It’s time the United States catch up to the rest of the world in ensuring all people have real healthcare coverage that doesn’t break the bank. This is very different than universal “access” to healthcare, which is lobbyist talk for more for-profit plans.

You can count on Alexandria to fight for people-centered healthcare more than any other candidate, because she’s the ONLY candidate that doesn’t accept money from Pharmaceutical lobbyists or private insurance companies.

Extending single payer to the American public has rippling positive effects: people will take less time off work, have more money in their pocket, and other issues - like mass incarceration, homelessness, and more - will also be alleviated with an increase in the number of people getting the mental and physical healthcare they need.

At this point in the US, we’ve tried almost every other system of healthcare, and we know it doesn’t work. The Affordable Care Act was a great step forward to insure the previously “uninsurable,” but for many Americans, costs are still far too high. The prices of co-pays, premiums, and deductibles are skyrocketing. We’re paying more for less every year. Improving Medicare and extending it to all Americans can fix these problems.

Alexandria Endorses: Improved and Expanded Medicare for All Act (H.R. 676)

Housing As a Human Right
Housing in the United States has become a playground for wealthy developers instead of a leg up towards the American Dream. In New York City specifically, money from luxury real estate developers have taken over our political establishment - leading to luxury rezonings that push out small businesses and working families, and leave a wake of empty units in their place.

Working New Yorkers can’t afford to stay in the communities their families have called home for generations. Families are rent burdened, and the city is experiencing the highest levels of homelessness since the Great Depression. While shelters go up, housing actually remains empty - there are three times the amount of empty luxury units as there are people experiencing homelessness in New York City.

So, what do we do?

Alexandria believes that housing is a right, and that Congress must tip the balance away from housing as a gambling chip for Wall Street banks and fight for accessible housing that’s actually within working families’ reach.

Congress has allowed most of our existing housing investments to go towards benefitting the wealthy. Alexandria supports extending tax benefits to working and middle-class homeowners, expanding the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, housing (not sheltering) the homeless, and permanently funding the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

By refusing money from luxury real estate developers, Alexandria can be trusted to fight for fair, inclusive housing policies that upend the overdevelopment that real estate speculators have imposed on New Yorkers.

Alexandria Endorses: The Common Sense Housing Investment Act (H.R.948)

A Federal Jobs Guarantee
Alexandria endorses a Federal Jobs Guarantee, because anyone who is willing and able to work shouldn’t struggle to find employment.

A Federal Jobs Guarantee would create a baseline quality for employments that guarantees a minimum $15 wage (pegged to inflation), full healthcare, and paid child and sick leave for all. This proposal would dramatically upgrade the quality of employment in the United States, by providing training and experience to workers while bringing much-needed public services to our communities in areas such as parks service, childcare and environmental conservation.

Furthermore, a federal jobs guarantee program would establish a floor for wages and benefits for the nation’s workforce. This program would provide a baseline minimum wage of $15 an hour and guarantee for public workers a basic benefits package, including healthcare and childcare. By investing in our own workforce, we can lift thousands of American families out of poverty.

Criminal Justice Reform, End Private Prisons
It is time to reform our criminal justice system to be safer for everyone. Alexandria believes in ending mass incarceration and the war on drugs, and closing the school-to-prison pipeline.

Alexandria supports the federal legalization of marijuana, ending for-profit prisons/detention centers, releasing individuals sentenced for nonviolent drug offenses, ending cash bail, and automatic, independent investigations in instances where individuals are killed in exchanges with law enforcement.

We must also fully fund the offices of public defenders, decriminalize poverty, end arbitration clauses that shield corporate abuses of everyday Americans, and provide comprehensive mental health care to both incarcerated communities and law enforcement.

Mass incarceration is the latest iteration of a long line of policies (Jim Crow, redlining, etc) rooted in the marginalization of African Americans and people of color. Comprehensive criminal justice reform is part of the work that must be done to heal our past and pursue racial justice in the United States.

Alexandria Endorses: The Pretrial Integrity and Safety Act of 2017 (S. 1593/H.R. 4019) The Arbitration Fairness Act of 2017 (H.R. 1374) The Justice is Not For Sale Act of 2017 (H.R.3227)

Immigration Justice / Abolish ICE
It’s time to abolish ICE, clear the path to citizenship, and protect the rights of families to remain together.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency was created in 2003, in the same suite of post-9/11 legislation as the Patriot Act and the Iraq War. It’s founding was part of an unchecked expansion of executive powers that led to the widespread erosion of Americans’ civil rights. Unlike prior immigration enforcement under the INS, ICE operates outside the scope of the Department of Justice and is unaccountable to our nation’s standards of due process.

Now we see the consequences: young children are being ripped from their parents and kept in detention centers without due process and without accountability to Congress.

As overseen by the Trump administration, ICE operates with virtually no accountability, ripping apart families and holding our friends and neighbors indefinitely in inhumane detention centers scattered across the United States. Alex believes that if we are to uphold civic justice, we must abolish ICE and see to it that our undocumented neighbors are treated with the dignity and respect owed to all people, regardless of citizenship status.

Alexandria Endorses: DREAM Act of 2017

Solidarity with Puerto Rico
Months after Hurricane Maria, which ravaged Puerto Rico, our fellow Americans still suffer for want of basic utilities and billions in federal aid that they are entitled to as citizens. In that time the United States has allowed its own citizens to go without reliable electricity, potable water, and open schools. That includes Alexandria’s own family. Our friends and family in Puerto Rico thus suffer the double humiliation of being denied disaster relief from their own government on the basis of their disenfranchisement. As a member of Congress, Alex commits to championing justice for Puerto Rico on the House floor.

The US Government has done nothing while Puerto Ricans have suffered an island-wide blackout, seen public tuition double for all aspiring collegiate students, and been deprived of their humanity with under-reporting of hurricane-related deaths. A recent Harvard report stating that the real numbers are approaching 5,000, more than 70 times what is being reported. Americans would not stand for this in any other city or state, and we can’t stand for it now. Our government has a responsibility to act and pursue a just recovery in Puerto Rico.

As a Congresswoman, Alexandria intends to fight for sweeping change in the way that the United States relates to Puerto Rico, including 5 main policy priorities:

1) A Marshall Plan for Puerto Rico, helping the island not only recover from Hurricane Maria, but thrive with modern infrastructure and renewable energy systems.

2) A community-led, sustainable, and just recovery - including protections for Puerto Rico’s public education system from kindergarten to college and trade school.

3) An immediate waiver and full review of the Jones Act, which hamstrings the Puerto Rican economy with restrictions that other American communities do not have to face.

4) Cancellation of Puerto Rico’s Wall Street debt: this debt has been accrued by vulture funds using irresponsible and unjust behavior reminiscent of the 2008 financial crisis.

5) Condemnation of the PROMESA Act, which handed over the island to “La Junta,” a corporate governance board installed with the support of my opponent and his private equity donors.

These issues just scrape the surface of the long and difficult history of the U.S. in Puerto Rico. In fact, many of our most pressing issues of justice today - from Puerto Rico, to Standing Rock, to Riker’s Island - are extensions of the dark histories that our nation has never fully remedied: whether that be slavery, Jim Crow, and the War on Drugs; the genocide of native peoples and the plight of modern-day reservations; or the colonization and continued disenfranchisement of Puerto Ricans and people in U.S. territories. To move forward, we must recognize that our present-day issues have deep-past roots. That healing feat is both emotionally and legislatively difficult, but ultimately, it’s the right thing to do.

Over time, we hope to continue our work with activists, community leaders, and policymakers to figure out what social, economic, and racial justice looks like in the modern day. As your Congresswoman, Alexandria will seek to make sure that everyone in the United States is treated fairly by our government, and that the unequal, traumatic relationships of the past are replaced with the true spirit of this great nation: liberty and justice for all.

Mobilizing Against Climate Change
n order to address runaway global climate change, Alexandria strongly supports transitioning the United States to a carbon-free, 100% renewable energy system and a fully modernized electrical grid by 2035. She believes renewable fuels must be produced in a way that achieves our environmental and energy security goals, so we can move beyond oil responsibly in the fight against climate change. By encouraging the electrification of vehicles, sustainable home heating, distributed rooftop solar generation, and the conversion of the power grid to zero-emissions energy sources, Alexandria believes we can be 100% free of fossil fuels by 2035.

Furthermore, Alex believes in recognizing the relationship between economic stability and environmental sustainability. It’s time to shift course and implement a Green New Deal – a transformation that implements structural changes to our political and financial systems in order to alter the trajectory of our environment. Right now, the economy is controlled by big corporations whose profits are dependent on the continuation of climate change. This arrangement benefits few, but comes at the detriment of our planet and all its inhabitants. Its effects are life-threatening, and are especially already felt by low-income communities, both in the U.S. and globally. Even in NY-14, areas like Throgs Neck, College Point, and City Island are being affected by erosion and rising sea levels. Rather than continue a dependency on this system that posits climate change as inherent to economic life, the Green New Deal believes that radically addressing climate change is a potential path towards a more equitable economy with increased employment and widespread financial security for all.

Climate change is the single biggest national security threat for the United States and the single biggest threat to worldwide industrialized civilization, and the effects of warming can be hard to predict and self-reinforcing. We need to avoid a worldwide refugee crisis by waging a war for climate justice through the mobilization of our population and our government. This starts with the United States being a leader on the actions we take both globally and locally.

Clean Campaign Finance
Alexandria believes that the only way for real reform to happen in Washington is for the means by which elections are funded to be overhauled from the bottom up. In 2010, as a result of a disastrous Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v. FEC, 5 out of the 9 Justices gave the wealthiest people in this country the opportunity to purchase the U.S. Government, the White House, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House, Governors’ seats, State legislatures, and State judicial branches with unaccountable dark money.

The Citizens United ruling is centered around the notion that money is speech and that corporations are people. This idea is far from any reasonable interpretation of the Constitution, and is deeply harmful to the institutions of social democracy. Not only does this situation favor those with extreme wealth, but also discourages those who are less privileged from even considering a run. After growing up in a working class family and working in Senator Ted Kennedy’s office as college student, Alexandria left thinking there wasn’t a place in politics for someone like her. As someone unable to fund her own campaign and without the connections to wealthy individuals willing to invest, she felt as though her party, the Democratic Party, had no place for her.

The first pledge Alexandria made to voters in this election was to commit herself to clean campaign finance. As a candidate, Alexandria recognizes the corrupting influence of corporate fundraising on legislative policy. Where she stands farthest apart from her primary opponent Joe Crowley is in her steadfast refusal to allow her campaign to be underwritten by lobbyist contributions. If elected, Alexandria vows to reform campaign finance laws that undermine democracy for the benefit of corporate interests. This is not a progressive or a conservative issue. It is an issue that should concern all Americans, regardless of their political point of view, who wish to preserve the longest standing democracy in the world, and a government that represents all of the people and not a handful of powerful and wealthy special interests.

Campaign finance reform can’t happen soon enough. That is why Alexandria is supportive of big ideas like the overturning, through a constitutional amendment, of the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, along with other disruptive rulings such as the Buckley v. Valeo decision and SpeechNOW.org v. FEC. Sweeping legislation that moves us toward the public funding of elections is the ultimate goal.

However, Alexandria knows that constitutional amendments and the overturning of Supreme Court decisions are a long process. In the meantime, Alexandria will insist on legislation to require wealthy individuals and corporations who make large campaign contributions to disclose where their money is going. This will be enforced via legislation, action by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Election Commission, and Federal Communication Commission, and federal legislation requiring government contractors to disclose their political spending.

Higher Education for All
Roughly every 100 years, the United States expands its public education system to match its increasingly advanced economy. It’s now time to expand our national education system to include tuition-free public college and trade school.

In fact, we’ve had this system before: The University of California system offered free tuition at its schools until the 1980s. In 1965, average tuition at a four-year public university was just $243 and many of the best colleges – including the City University of New York – did not charge any tuition at all. Alexandria’s plan would make tuition free at public colleges and universities throughout the country.

In tandem with making public colleges tuition-free, Alexandria supports a one-time policy of student debt cancellation, in which the federal government cancels the loans it holds directly and buys back the financing of privately owned loans on behalf of borrowers to liberate generations of Americans trapped in student loan debt and holding back from participating in the greater US economy.

A policy of debt cancellation could boost real GDP by an average of $86 billion to $108 billion per year. Over the 10-year forecast, the policy generates between $861 billion and $1,083 billion in real GDP (2016 dollars).

Women's Rights
Alexandria believes that Women’s Rights are Human Rights, and that all women deserve equal access to workplace safety, equal pay, paid parental leave, full access to healthcare, and more. She wants to create a society in which women - which includes Black women, Native women, poor women, immigrant women, disabled women, Muslim women, lesbian queer and trans women - are free and able to care for and nurture their families in safe and healthy environments free from structural impediments.

Reproductive freedom is especially essential for all individuals of marginalized genders, including cisgender women and trans people. Alexandria does not accept any federal, state or local rollbacks, cuts or restrictions on the ability of individuals to access quality reproductive healthcare services, birth control, HIV/AIDS care and prevention, or medically accurate sexuality education. This means open access to safe, legal, affordable abortion, birth control, and family planning services, as well as access to adequate, affordable pre- and post-natal care, for all people, regardless of income, location or education.

Alexandria is a firm believer in equal pay for all genders. The pay and hiring discrimination that women, particularly mothers, women of color, Indigenous women, lesbian, queer and trans women still face each day in our nation, as well as discrimination against workers with disabilities, is atrocious and must end. Equal pay for equal work will provide families with upward mobility and boost the economy.

Alexandria is a proponent of labor legislation that reduces the discrimination and exploitation of working women. She believes we should be creating workforce opportunities for caregivers and parents; and stands in opposition to gun laws that allow those convicted of domestic abuse to have firearms and the criminalization of sex work, both of which increase violence against women. In Congress she will support legislation that promotes caregiving and basic workplace protections—including benefits like paid family leave, access to affordable childcare, sick days, healthcare, fair pay, vacation time, and healthy work environments—benefit society as a whole.

Support LGBTQIA+
Given the current administration’s attacks on LGBTQIA+ rights, one thing is clear: support for and solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community is more important than ever. At the federal level, our President has rescinded guidance protecting the rights of trans students in federally funded schools, and wants to take away the rights of trans people to serve in the United States military. Republicans at every level of government are eager to make trans and non-binary people targets for persecution, and routinely draft legislation that would deny many people their rights to basic employment, housing, healthcare and education on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. This legislation especially affects queer people from low-income communities of color.

Discrimination at both the local and federal level concretely impacts queer and trans people from an early age – among LGBTQIA+ youth, rates of homelessness, incarceration, and substance abuse are all disproportionately high. Clearly, we must do more to end intolerance and bigotry throughout our nation.

Alexandria believes in the urgency of acting to safeguard the livelihoods of LGBTQIA+ people. To this end, Alex will advocate for legislation such as the Equality Act, which would expand existing civil rights law to make discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity illegal. As we advocate for Universal Healthcare, we must also do more to provide affordable healthcare coverage that is gender-affirming and conscientious of the unique medical struggles faced by LGBTQIA+ patients. The issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community are not isolated from the issues facing many of us regarding race and class. It is critical in times like these that we stand together in solidarity, to build just public policy that works for all of us, not just some of us.

Alexandria Endorses: Equality Act (H.R.2282) Every Child Deserves a Family Act (H.R. 2640) Student Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 5374)

Support Seniors
Alexandria is a strong supporter of Social Security, which is the most successful program for social uplift and social justice in the history of this country. She believes that everyone should be able to retire with dignity. She believes that Social Security should be expanded and that benefits should be linked to inflation. This includes raising the cap on taxable income so that everyone who makes over $250,000 a year pays the same percentage of their income into Social Security as the middle class and working families. Legislation to that effect would not only extend the solvency of Social Security for the next 50 years, but also bring in enough revenue to expand benefits by an average of $65 a month; increase cost-of-living-adjustments; and lift more seniors out of poverty by increasing the minimum benefits paid to low-income seniors. Additionally, Alexandria believes that funds borrowed from Social Security by Congress must be paid back to ensure its solvency. Without Social Security, more than 40% of seniors would have incomes below the poverty line. With this program running to full effect, only 8.8% of American seniors live in poverty, which is a number that is still too high and that Alexandria will work to reduce.

Until comprehensive universal healthcare is a reality in this country, Alexandria believes Medicaid needs expansion. It is a vital lifeline for 72 million Americans, and two-thirds of Medicaid spending supports senior citizens and the disabled. Expanding Medicaid to provide quality long term services, nursing home care, and home healthcare support is how we can best help our seniors.

Alexandria believes affordable housing should be within the means of all full-time working Americans. For the seniors who have retired, they should be able to stay in their homes without getting priced out. Seniors who are more financially secure in retirement and don’t have to contend with rising rent costs will be able to choose for themselves whether to move in with their children and families, not be forced to do so by economic realities.

Curb Wall Street Gambling: Restore Glass Steagall
Systemic risk in our banking system leads to the concentration of wealth and power into fewer and fewer hands and also leads to increased risk that individuals will lose their savings due to the irresponsible decisions of bank management. We should restore Glass-Steagall to make sure our banks can’t gamble with our money.

We also should make sure that no bank is allowed to become “too-big-to-fail” and that oversized banks are broken up to reduce the likelihood of a financial crash.

Finally, we need to make postal banking a reality in the United States, which will revitalize the United States Postal Service, provide a low-cost source of basic banking services for disenfranchised communities, and increase competition in the banking industry. [25]

”
—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez[3]


Noteworthy events

Rep. Ro Khanna co-endorses Crowley, Ocasio-Cortez

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) announced on June 12 that he was endorsing both Crowley and Ocasio-Cortez.

The week prior, Khanna endorsed Crowley, saying, "Joe Crowley is the type of progressive leader we need in Congress fighting for working Americans. I’ve been proud to work alongside him advocating for a more just criminal justice system, decriminalization of marijuana, and programs that bring new opportunities to all Americans."[26]

On June 12, Khanna wrote the following on Twitter:[27]

“

[I] have listened today to hundreds of progressives from around the nation who have been inspired by @ocasio2018 campaign. I am equally inspired & dual endorsing her. I explained why I support Joe. But I want to affirm Ocasio-Cortez’s bold progressive positions.

As a son of immigrants, I feel strongly we need more millennials, women of color, and disenfranchised communities entering the political process. She is a trailblazer. Competition is good, and the voters of NY-14 will only benefit from the spirited election.[25]

”

Debate scheduled

Crowley and Ocasio-Cortez were scheduled to participate in a televised debate hosted by NY1 on June 15, 2018.[28]

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Race ratings: New York's 14th Congressional District election, 2018
Race tracker Race ratings
October 30, 2018 October 23, 2018October 16, 2018October 9, 2018
The Cook Political Report Solid Democratic Solid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales Solid Democratic Solid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball Safe Democratic Safe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+29, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 29 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made New York's 14th Congressional District the 29th most Democratic nationally.[29]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.73. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.73 points toward that party.[30]

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Eighteen of 62 New York counties—29 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Broome County, New York 2.01% 5.31% 8.02%
Cayuga County, New York 11.64% 11.40% 8.48%
Cortland County, New York 5.58% 9.11% 9.96%
Essex County, New York 1.14% 18.77% 13.32%
Franklin County, New York 5.45% 26.07% 22.23%
Madison County, New York 14.20% 0.89% 0.87%
Niagara County, New York 17.75% 0.84% 1.00%
Orange County, New York 5.50% 5.65% 4.13%
Oswego County, New York 21.99% 7.93% 2.44%
Otsego County, New York 11.13% 2.72% 5.91%
Rensselaer County, New York 1.41% 12.19% 9.34%
St. Lawrence County, New York 8.82% 16.71% 16.33%
Saratoga County, New York 3.21% 2.44% 3.40%
Seneca County, New York 11.01% 9.08% 2.60%
Suffolk County, New York 6.84% 3.69% 5.99%
Sullivan County, New York 11.23% 9.02% 9.46%
Warren County, New York 8.47% 2.32% 2.64%
Washington County, New York 18.40% 1.90% 0.81%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won New York with 59 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 36.5 percent. In presidential elections between 1792 and 2016, New York voted Democratic 45.6 percent of the time and Republican 35 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, New York voted Democratic all five times.[31]

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in New York. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[32][33]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 114 out of 150 state Assembly districts in New York with an average margin of victory of 46.5 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 99 out of 150 state Assembly districts in New York with an average margin of victory of 50.3 points. Clinton won four districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 36 out of 150 state Assembly districts in New York with an average margin of victory of 10.5 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 51 out of 150 state Assembly districts in New York with an average margin of victory of 17.6 points. Trump won 13 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


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

State executives

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:

Demographics

Demographic data for New York
 New YorkU.S.
Total population:19,747,183316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):47,1263,531,905
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).[35][36]

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
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 59.0% Republican Party Donald Trump 36.5% 22.5%
2012 Democratic Party Barack Obama 63.3% Republican Party Mitt Romney 35.2% 28.1%
2008 Democratic Party Barack Obama 62.9% Republican Party John McCain 36.0% 26.1%
2004 Democratic Party John Kerry 58.4% Republican Party George W. Bush 40.1% 18.3%
2000 Democratic Party Al Gore 60.2% Republican Party 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
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Chuck Schumer 70.7% Republican Party Wendy Long 27.1% 43.6%
2012 Democratic Party Kirsten Gillibrand 67.6% Republican Party Wendy Long 24.7% 42.9%
2010 Democratic Party Chuck Schumer 64.0% Republican Party Jay Townsend 31.1% 32.9%
2008 Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 67.0% Republican Party John Spencer 31.0% 36.0%
2004 Democratic Party Chuck Schumer 71.2% Republican Party Howard Mills 24.2% 47.0%
2000 Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 55.3% Republican Party 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
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Democratic Party Andrew Cuomo 50.3% Republican Party Rob Astorino 40.3% 10.0%
2010 Democratic Party Andrew Cuomo 61.0% Republican Party Carl Paladino 32.5% 28.5%
2006 Democratic Party Eliot Spitzer 65.3% Republican Party John Faso 27.1% 38.2%
2002 Republican Party George Pataki 49.4% Democratic Party 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.

Congressional delegation, New York 2000-2016
Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
2016 Republican Party 9 33.3% Democratic Party 18 66.7% D+7
2014 Republican Party 9 33.3% Democratic Party 18 66.7% D+7
2012 Republican Party 6 22.2% Democratic Party 21 77.8% D+15
2010 Republican Party 8 27.6% Democratic Party 21 72.4% D+13
2008 Republican Party 3 10.3% Democratic Party 26 89.6% D+23
2006 Republican Party 6 20.7% Democratic Party 23 79.3% D+17
2004 Republican Party 9 31.0% Democratic Party 20 69.0% D+9
2002 Republican Party 10 34.5% Democratic Party 19 65.5% D+9
2000 Republican Party 12 38.7% Democratic Party 19 61.3% D+7

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: 1992-2025
Nine 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 25
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 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 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 D



See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The New York Times, "New York Primary Election Results," June 27, 2018, 10:26AM ET
  2. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "New York - House District 14," accessed May 30, 2018
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Alexandria for NY-14, "Issues," accessed May 30, 2018
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Alexandria for NY-14, "Endorsements," accessed May 30, 2018
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Crowley for Congress, "Endorsements," accessed May 29, 2018
  6. ↑ Queens Chronicle, "Ocasio-Cortez on the ballot in NY-14," updated May 17, 2018
  7. ↑ The Intercept, "A Primary Against the Machine: A Bronx Activist Looks to Dethrone Joseph Crowley, The King of Queens," May 22, 2018
  8. ↑ Ratings are based on projections found in Larry Sabato, The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, and The Cook Political Report. These ratings are updated periodically throughout the election season.
  9. ↑ Roll Call, "Six Who Could Succeed Pelosi — Someday," June 28, 2017
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Crowley for Congress, "Issues," accessed May 30, 2018
  11. ↑ Mic, "Meet the young progressive Latina trying to oust one of the most powerful Democrats in the House," February 28, 2018
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Reddit, "AMA, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez," June 7, 2017
  13. ↑ Alexandria for NY-14, "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat for Congress NY-14," accessed May 30, 2018
  14. ↑ Facebook, "Joseph Crowley," May 1, 2018
  15. ↑ New York State of Politics, "Crowley’s Loss A Seismic Shift For New York," accessed June 26, 2018
  16. ↑ Crowley for Congress, "Congressman Crowley Endorsed by Women’s Rights Organizations," May 9, 2018
  17. ↑ Twitter, "James J. Zogby," March 16, 2018
  18. ↑ Wire Service, "Media Release: DSA Endorse Four More Women in California and New York," June 4, 2018
  19. ↑ Twitter, "MoveOn," June 18, 2018
  20. ↑ '"Twitter, "Zephyr Teachout," May 31, 2018
  21. ↑ Our Revolution, "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez," accessed June 25, 2018
  22. ↑ Twitter, "Democracy for America," June 22, 2018
  23. ↑ Twitter, "Cynthia Nixon," June 25, 2018
  24. ↑ New York Post, "Queens Democratic club snubs longtime Rep. Joe Crowley," June 15, 2018
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  26. ↑ Crowley for Congress, "Congressman Crowley Endorsed By Progressive Champions," June 5, 2018
  27. ↑ Twitter, "Ro Khanna," June 12, 2018
  28. ↑ Twitter, "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez," May 24, 2018
  29. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  30. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  31. ↑ 270towin.com, "New York," accessed June 1, 2017
  32. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  33. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  34. ↑ Democrats won Assembly District 9 in a special election on May 23, 2017. The seat was previously held by a Republican.
  35. ↑ New York Demographics, "New York Cities by Population," accessed September 4, 2018
  36. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts New York," accessed September 4, 2018


New York's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Kirsten Gillibrand (D)
Chuck Schumer (D)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
Pat Ryan (D)
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
Democratic Party (21)
Republican Party (7)


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