The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the 27
U.S. representatives from the state, one from each of the state's 27
congressional districts, a loss of two seats following the
2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial
presidential election, and a
U.S. Senate election. The two existing districts that were eliminated were District 9, held by Republican Rep. Bob Turner,[1][2] and District 22, held by retiring Democratic Rep. Maurice Hinchey.[3][4]
Party primary elections occurred on June 26, 2012,[5] with the general election coinciding with the national elections on November 6, 2012.
On election day, the Democratic Party regained two seats previously held by Republicans, while the Republican Party regained one seat previously held by a Democrat.[6] In the 113th Congress, which first met on January 3, 2013, the New York delegation initially consisted of 21 Democrats and six Republicans.[7][8]
Incumbent Democrat
Tim Bishop], who had represented the district since 2002, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 50.2% of the vote in 20. The district had a
PVI of Even.
Democratic primary
Bishop kicked off his re-election campaign in April 2011.[15]
Republican incumbent
Peter King, who was redistricted from the 3rd district, said in May 2011 that the
Nassau County Republican Party had encouraged him to
run for president. King also said, however, that he was focused "entirely on getting re-elected to Congress."[38]
Incumbent Democrat
Carolyn McCarthy, who had represented the district since 1997, ran for re-election. She was re-elected with 53.7% of the vote in 2010. The district had a
PVI of D+4.
On June 26, 2012, Nassau County legislator Fran Becker defeated
Frank Scaturro in a primary election for the Republican nomination, while Scaturro defeated Becker in the
Conservative Party primary as a write-in candidate.
Incumbent Democrat
Gregory Meeks, who had represented the district since 1998, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 87.8% of the vote in 2010. The district had a
PVI of D+33.
The 6th district was an open seat, consisting mostly of territory from the former 5th and 9th districts. Neither of the two incumbents in those districts, Democrat
Gary Ackerman from the 5th and Republican
Bob Turner from the 9th, sought re-election. Ackerman retired,[45] while Turner, who represented 51% the voters of the new seat, dropped out of the race in March 2012 to run against incumbent Democrat
Kirsten Gillibrand in the
Senate election.[46]
Incumbent
Nydia Velazquez, who was redistricted from the 12th district, ran for re-election.
Democratic primary
New York City Councilman
Erik Martin Dilan, the son of current New York State Senator
Martin Malave Dilan, challenged Velazquez in the primary with the backing of Brooklyn Democratic Party chair
Vito Lopez; the Dilan family and Velazquez supporters had been engaged in a political feud for several years.[53][54]
Incumbent Democrat
Edolphus Towns, who was redistricted from the 10th district and was first elected in
1982, announced in April 2012 that he would abandon his plans for re-election.[57]
Democratic primary
Towns's son Darryl, a former member of the
New York State Assembly, was formerly considered the "next in line" for the seat; however, in 2011 he accepted a position in the administration of
GovernorAndrew Cuomo.[58]
Democrat
Yvette Clarke, who was redistricted from the 11th district and had represented that district since 2007, sought re-election in her new district.
Incumbent Democrat
Charles B. Rangel, who was redistricted from the 15th district and was
censured by the House of Representatives after being found guilty of ethics violations, filed to run for re-election in February 2011.[84]
On the night of the June 26 primary, it seemed as though the incumbent Rangel had defeated his closest challenger, State Senator Espaillat, by a 45%-40% margin; Rangel celebrated victory and Espaillat conceded defeat.[88] However, as the counting continued, that margin narrowed considerably. A number of precincts were very late in reporting and Espaillat went to court claiming irregularities in that his supporters had been improperly turned away from polling locations.[88][89] On Saturday July 7, 2012, Rangel received the primary victory by a margin of 990 votes. The
New York City Board of Elections released that Rangel received 18,940 votes and Espaillat had 17,950.[89] On July 9, 2012, Espaillat conceded the election to Rangel.[89]
The redrawn 14th district runs from Newtown Creek in Sunnyside and over
LaGuardia Airport and over the three Long Island Sound bridges to the Pelham, Westchester, border. Incumbent Democrat
Joe Crowley, who had been redistricted from the 7th district, ran for re-election.
Mark Rosen who ran against in Lowey 2010, but was forced to drop out of the race after being
deployed to
Afghanistan, was expected to seek the Republican nomination.[94] Rosen retired from the Army, eliminating the threat of redeployment during election cycle, but was redistricted out of the district and choose not to run against Lowey a second time.
Candidates
Nominee
Joe Carvin,
Rye town supervisor, and candidate for senate in
2012[95]
Eliminated in primary
Jim Russell, computer programmer, conservative Christian activist and nominee for this seat in
2010
Frank Morganthaler, former NYFD lieutenant and private investigator, challenged Nita Lowey and ran on an independent line, We the People.[citation needed]
Incumbent Republican
Chris Gibson, who was redistricted from the 20th district, had represented that district since 2011, ran for re-election. He was elected with 53.19% of the vote in 2010. The district had a
PVI of Even.
With redistricting settled, the new 19th district went from being a Republican-leaning district to being a swing district.[107]
Because of the dissolution of
Maurice Hinchey's district, much of that district, including all of Ulster and Sullivan counties, was dissolved into this new district.
Incumbent Democrat
Bill Owens, who had represented the district since 2009, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 47.5% of the vote in 2010. The district had a
PVI of R+2.
Matt Doheny a businessman who came within 2,000 votes of beating Owens in 2010, faced Kellie Greene, an Oswego County native and theologian who most recently lived in Arizona, in the primary.
Candidates
Nominee
Matt Doheny, businessman and nominee for this seat in
2010[114][115]
Eliminated in primary
Kellie Greene, Oswego County native and theologian[116]
Incumbent Republican
Tom Reed, who was redistricted from the 29th district having represented that district since 2010, ran for re-election. He was elected with 56.3% of the vote in 2010. The district had a
PVI of R+3.
Republican primary
Reed was initially noncommittal regarding re-election, stating in July 2011 that "Re-election is the farthest thing from my mind;"[131] he officially announced for re-election on April 30, 2012.[132]
The new 24th district included all of
Cayuga,
Onondaga and
Wayne counties, and the western part of
Oswego County. Incumbent Republican
Ann Marie Buerkle, who had represented the 25th district since 2011, sought re-election in the redrawn
24th district.[137] The district had a
PVI of D+3.
Republican primary
On February 6, Robert Paul Spencer announced he would run in the Republican primary against Buerkle, citing his opposition to Buerkle's vote in favor of the
National Defense Authorization Act, which Spencer believed to be unconstitutional.[138] However, he did not appear on the primary ballot.
Incumbent Democrat
Louise Slaughter, who was redistricted from the 28th district and had represented the Rochester metropolitan area since 1987, ran for re-election.[144]
Incumbent Democrat
Brian Higgins, who was redistricted from the 27th district, sought re-election.
Democratic primary
Although his district was expected to become more friendly to Democrats in redistricting, the defeat of Higgins' protege, Chris Fahey, to Republican-backed Democrat
Michael P. Kearns in a New York State Assembly race led to the perception that Higgins might have been more vulnerable than previously believed.[148]
Incumbent Democrat
Kathy Hochul, who was redistricted from the 26th district seat that she won in a June 2011 special election, sought election to her first full term.
^Brown, Nathan (June 2, 2011).
"Doheny tries for 2012". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Archived from
the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the 27
U.S. representatives from the state, one from each of the state's 27
congressional districts, a loss of two seats following the
2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial
presidential election, and a
U.S. Senate election. The two existing districts that were eliminated were District 9, held by Republican Rep. Bob Turner,[1][2] and District 22, held by retiring Democratic Rep. Maurice Hinchey.[3][4]
Party primary elections occurred on June 26, 2012,[5] with the general election coinciding with the national elections on November 6, 2012.
On election day, the Democratic Party regained two seats previously held by Republicans, while the Republican Party regained one seat previously held by a Democrat.[6] In the 113th Congress, which first met on January 3, 2013, the New York delegation initially consisted of 21 Democrats and six Republicans.[7][8]
Incumbent Democrat
Tim Bishop], who had represented the district since 2002, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 50.2% of the vote in 20. The district had a
PVI of Even.
Democratic primary
Bishop kicked off his re-election campaign in April 2011.[15]
Republican incumbent
Peter King, who was redistricted from the 3rd district, said in May 2011 that the
Nassau County Republican Party had encouraged him to
run for president. King also said, however, that he was focused "entirely on getting re-elected to Congress."[38]
Incumbent Democrat
Carolyn McCarthy, who had represented the district since 1997, ran for re-election. She was re-elected with 53.7% of the vote in 2010. The district had a
PVI of D+4.
On June 26, 2012, Nassau County legislator Fran Becker defeated
Frank Scaturro in a primary election for the Republican nomination, while Scaturro defeated Becker in the
Conservative Party primary as a write-in candidate.
Incumbent Democrat
Gregory Meeks, who had represented the district since 1998, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 87.8% of the vote in 2010. The district had a
PVI of D+33.
The 6th district was an open seat, consisting mostly of territory from the former 5th and 9th districts. Neither of the two incumbents in those districts, Democrat
Gary Ackerman from the 5th and Republican
Bob Turner from the 9th, sought re-election. Ackerman retired,[45] while Turner, who represented 51% the voters of the new seat, dropped out of the race in March 2012 to run against incumbent Democrat
Kirsten Gillibrand in the
Senate election.[46]
Incumbent
Nydia Velazquez, who was redistricted from the 12th district, ran for re-election.
Democratic primary
New York City Councilman
Erik Martin Dilan, the son of current New York State Senator
Martin Malave Dilan, challenged Velazquez in the primary with the backing of Brooklyn Democratic Party chair
Vito Lopez; the Dilan family and Velazquez supporters had been engaged in a political feud for several years.[53][54]
Incumbent Democrat
Edolphus Towns, who was redistricted from the 10th district and was first elected in
1982, announced in April 2012 that he would abandon his plans for re-election.[57]
Democratic primary
Towns's son Darryl, a former member of the
New York State Assembly, was formerly considered the "next in line" for the seat; however, in 2011 he accepted a position in the administration of
GovernorAndrew Cuomo.[58]
Democrat
Yvette Clarke, who was redistricted from the 11th district and had represented that district since 2007, sought re-election in her new district.
Incumbent Democrat
Charles B. Rangel, who was redistricted from the 15th district and was
censured by the House of Representatives after being found guilty of ethics violations, filed to run for re-election in February 2011.[84]
On the night of the June 26 primary, it seemed as though the incumbent Rangel had defeated his closest challenger, State Senator Espaillat, by a 45%-40% margin; Rangel celebrated victory and Espaillat conceded defeat.[88] However, as the counting continued, that margin narrowed considerably. A number of precincts were very late in reporting and Espaillat went to court claiming irregularities in that his supporters had been improperly turned away from polling locations.[88][89] On Saturday July 7, 2012, Rangel received the primary victory by a margin of 990 votes. The
New York City Board of Elections released that Rangel received 18,940 votes and Espaillat had 17,950.[89] On July 9, 2012, Espaillat conceded the election to Rangel.[89]
The redrawn 14th district runs from Newtown Creek in Sunnyside and over
LaGuardia Airport and over the three Long Island Sound bridges to the Pelham, Westchester, border. Incumbent Democrat
Joe Crowley, who had been redistricted from the 7th district, ran for re-election.
Mark Rosen who ran against in Lowey 2010, but was forced to drop out of the race after being
deployed to
Afghanistan, was expected to seek the Republican nomination.[94] Rosen retired from the Army, eliminating the threat of redeployment during election cycle, but was redistricted out of the district and choose not to run against Lowey a second time.
Candidates
Nominee
Joe Carvin,
Rye town supervisor, and candidate for senate in
2012[95]
Eliminated in primary
Jim Russell, computer programmer, conservative Christian activist and nominee for this seat in
2010
Frank Morganthaler, former NYFD lieutenant and private investigator, challenged Nita Lowey and ran on an independent line, We the People.[citation needed]
Incumbent Republican
Chris Gibson, who was redistricted from the 20th district, had represented that district since 2011, ran for re-election. He was elected with 53.19% of the vote in 2010. The district had a
PVI of Even.
With redistricting settled, the new 19th district went from being a Republican-leaning district to being a swing district.[107]
Because of the dissolution of
Maurice Hinchey's district, much of that district, including all of Ulster and Sullivan counties, was dissolved into this new district.
Incumbent Democrat
Bill Owens, who had represented the district since 2009, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 47.5% of the vote in 2010. The district had a
PVI of R+2.
Matt Doheny a businessman who came within 2,000 votes of beating Owens in 2010, faced Kellie Greene, an Oswego County native and theologian who most recently lived in Arizona, in the primary.
Candidates
Nominee
Matt Doheny, businessman and nominee for this seat in
2010[114][115]
Eliminated in primary
Kellie Greene, Oswego County native and theologian[116]
Incumbent Republican
Tom Reed, who was redistricted from the 29th district having represented that district since 2010, ran for re-election. He was elected with 56.3% of the vote in 2010. The district had a
PVI of R+3.
Republican primary
Reed was initially noncommittal regarding re-election, stating in July 2011 that "Re-election is the farthest thing from my mind;"[131] he officially announced for re-election on April 30, 2012.[132]
The new 24th district included all of
Cayuga,
Onondaga and
Wayne counties, and the western part of
Oswego County. Incumbent Republican
Ann Marie Buerkle, who had represented the 25th district since 2011, sought re-election in the redrawn
24th district.[137] The district had a
PVI of D+3.
Republican primary
On February 6, Robert Paul Spencer announced he would run in the Republican primary against Buerkle, citing his opposition to Buerkle's vote in favor of the
National Defense Authorization Act, which Spencer believed to be unconstitutional.[138] However, he did not appear on the primary ballot.
Incumbent Democrat
Louise Slaughter, who was redistricted from the 28th district and had represented the Rochester metropolitan area since 1987, ran for re-election.[144]
Incumbent Democrat
Brian Higgins, who was redistricted from the 27th district, sought re-election.
Democratic primary
Although his district was expected to become more friendly to Democrats in redistricting, the defeat of Higgins' protege, Chris Fahey, to Republican-backed Democrat
Michael P. Kearns in a New York State Assembly race led to the perception that Higgins might have been more vulnerable than previously believed.[148]
Incumbent Democrat
Kathy Hochul, who was redistricted from the 26th district seat that she won in a June 2011 special election, sought election to her first full term.
^Brown, Nathan (June 2, 2011).
"Doheny tries for 2012". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Archived from
the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.