Read all of our coverage from a busy election night 2022 that saw many incumbents retain their seats, as well as some new faces elected.
Gov. Kathy Hochul declares victory, but Zeldin stops short of conceding
Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York's first woman governor and the first Buffalonian to lead the state in more than a century, appeared headed toward victory Tuesday in her race against Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin of Suffolk County.
Hochul, who held a statewide lead of about 8.4 points as of 11:55 p.m., declared victory on Twitter shortly after NBC News became the first news outlet to say she won the race.
With history-making win, Hochul vows to break barriers out of 'strength and passion'
NEW YORK – Amid the din of her delirious campaign headquarters, Kathy Hochul of Buffalo found herself accepting not only the cheers of victorious Democrats late Tuesday but also stepping into history as the first woman ever elected governor of New York.
Hochul headquarters erupted at 11:11 p.m. when the giant screen at Capitale, a bank-turned-party venue in downtown Manhattan, declared victory over Republican challenger Lee Zeldin. Answering chants of “Kathy, Kathy, Kathy,” she and newly elected Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado took to the microphone to declare their own victory.
Early Wednesday, Zeldin still sees hope he will 'prevail' over Hochul
NEW YORK – Lee Zeldin early Wednesday declined to concede defeat to Gov. Kathy Hochul and instead expressed his hope that he would emerge triumphant as more Election Day votes are counted.
The Republican congressman from Long Island spoke for the first time just after midnight, about half an hour after the Democratic incumbent from Buffalo declared victory in the governor's race.
Minutes after the polls close, Nick Langworthy says he won a seat in Congress
Less than 20 minutes after the polls closed Tuesday, Republican Nicholas A. Langworthy claimed victory in his race for Congress in a heavily Republican Southern Tier district.
“It looks like we’re heading to a massive victory,” said Langworthy," a former congressional aide who eventually became chairman of the state Republican Party.
Samuel Davis, Gary Wilson Jr. win spots on Buffalo City Court bench
Two men appointed in July to fill open positions on the Buffalo City Court bench won in a three-way race for two 10-year terms.
Democrats Samuel P. Davis and Gary A. Wilson Jr. held a wide lead over Republican Christina G. Holdsworth, according to unofficial results from the Erie County Board of Elections.
Democrat Higgins easily wins another term in Congress
Brian Higgins of Buffalo cruised to his 10th term in Congress on Tuesday, winning re-election in a newly drawn district still dominated by the City of Buffalo.
As early returns flowed in, the Democrat held a more than 50,000 vote lead in Erie County over a little-known Republican challenger, retired Army Sgt. Steven Sams II, who served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. While Sams was doing well in the Niagara County portion of the district, Erie dominates the 26th District.
Hat-trick: Incumbent Jennifer Mecozzi elected to third term on Buffalo Board of Education
Jennifer Mecozzi was elected to her third three-year term as West District representative on the Buffalo Board of Education, defeating challengers Mustafa Abdo and Le'Candice Durham by a comfortable margin.
Surrounded by family, friends and volunteers at a campaign party at her Amherst Street headquarters, Mecozzi could finally exhale when she called the race shortly after 10 p.m.
Kearns wins re-election as Erie County clerk against Eden town supervisor
Erie County Clerk Michael "Mickey" Kearns pulled out a win in his bid to retain his seat as Erie County clerk, defeating challenger Melissa Hartman, the Eden town supervisor, Tuesday night.
"I think it’s a victory for the little guy, the independent politician," Kearns said after the results came in late Tuesday.
Michael "Mickey" Kearns declares victory over Eden Town Supervisor Melissa Hartman on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
This year's clerk's race may represent the biggest test incumbent Michael "Mickey" Kearns has faced in his seat for the office since first taking over the position in 2017.
Republicans were trying to improve their numbers and thwart the Democratic super majority in the New York State Assembly, but they did not get much help from Erie County.
All Western New York incumbent Assembly members were reelected Tuesday, according to unofficial results.
Lorigo and four others declare victory in bid for State Supreme Court seats
Republican-endorsed Joseph C. Lorigo, minority leader of the Erie County Legislature, appeared to have a clear upper hand late Tuesday in his bid to win a seat on the Western New York bench of the State Supreme Court. He declared victory shortly before midnight.
"It's my honor to be elected, and I look forward to serving on the bench," he told The Buffalo News.
Four other State Supreme Court candidates for the Eighth Judicial District, who were cross endorsed, won election to their seats.
The race for the final Supreme Court slot came down to two candidates who were not cross-endorsed by both major political parties: Buffalo City Court Judge Shannon M. Heneghan, a Democrat who also had the Working Families Party backing, and Lorigo, a Conservative with Republican backing.
Heneghan had the fewest votes late Tuesday, consistently trailing Lorigo by a few percentage points with most election districts reporting.
She did not concede, saying there were still absentee ballots to be counted and that she remained hopeful.
The four other candidates who won Supreme Court seats – two Republicans and two Democrats cross-endorsed by the Republican and Democratic parties – were Republicans Kelly A. Vacco and Gerald J. Greenan III and Democrats Tracey A. Bannister and Craig D. Hannah.
Vacco is a Town of Boston justice. Greenan, an administrative judge for the state Parole Commission, was making his third bid for Supreme Court.
Bannister is an incumbent Appelate Division justice and Hannah is a former Buffalo City Court judge who was recently appointed to a vacancy on the Supreme Court bench.
Live coverage: Sen. George Borrello wins reelection in 57th Senate District
State Sen. George Borrello, a Republican, won re-election Tuesday night in the 57th Senate District, beating back a challenge from Democrat Dan Brown.
The district includes all of Genesee, Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and part of Allegany counties.
Buffalo City Court Judge Gary Wilson Jr. takes the stage with his partner, Buffalo Common Council Member Mitch Nowakowski, right, as he declares victory during the Erie County Democrats Election Night watch party at the Buffalo Irish Center, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (Derek Gee/Buffalo News)
State Sen. Tim Kennedy, a Democrat, won reelection in the 63rd Senate District, easily beating Conservative challenger Faye Pietrak on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
State Supreme Court Justice-elect Kelly A. Vacco speaks during the Erie County Democrats election night watch party at the Buffalo Irish Center, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
State Supreme Court Justice-elect Gerald J. Greenan III speaks during the Erie County Democrats election night watch party at the Buffalo Irish Center, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
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The room starts to fill up during the Erie County Democrats election night watch party at the Buffalo Irish Center, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (Derek Gee/Buffalo News)
The New York governor race comes up on the television during the Erie County Democrats election night watch party at the Buffalo Irish Center, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (Derek Gee/Buffalo News)
Incumbent Michael "Mickey" Kearns, right, and Eden Town Supervisor Melissa Hartman faced off in the general election for the Erie County Clerk's Office.
A map showing the new congressional districts in New York State. Buffalo developer Carl Paladino is running against state Republican Party chairman Nick Langworthy in a Republican primary in the 23rd Congressional District; Rep. Claudia Tenney, who now represents a Central New York district, is running against Geneva businessman Mario Fratto in the 24th District; and Rep. Brian Higgins is running against businessman Emin Egriu in a Democratic primary in the 26th District.
This is what the election night gathering in New York City for Republican Lee Zeldin, who is running for governor, looked like before the polls closed and a crowd of supporters arrived Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
The West District race for the Buffalo Board of Education pitted incumbent Jennifer Mecozzi, center, against Mustafa Abdo, left, and Le'Candice Durham, right.
Contributed photo of Abdo; others Buffalo News file photos
In the redrawn 61st Senate District, in which two incumbents did battle, Democratic State Sen. Sean M. Ryan was able to win by carrying the dense core of the region.
A successful legal challenge to the New York redistricting process set up the rare election fight between two incumbent state senators.
A quick glance at the detailed results from the Erie County Board of Elections shows Ryan dominated in the parts of Buffalo included in the district (North Buffalo and the West Side) and performed well in a sizable chunk of the Town of Tonawanda and Amherst.
In the 61st Senate District race, the red parts of the map show where Republican Edward A. Rath III won, while the blue parts show where Democrat Sean M. Ryan was victorious.
The votes are cast, speeches are prepared, selfies are made, while smiles and hope abound. The scene behind Election Day pomp and circumstance.
Alan Pergament: WGRZ-TV was the station to watch on election night for multiple reasons
It wasn’t too close to call Tuesday night for Western New Yorkers on which broadcast network affiliate to watch on election night.
There was no denying that WGRZ-TV (Channel 2), the local NBC affiliate, won hands down covering the race won by Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Lee Zeldin.
Election night takeaway: GOP has its eyes on West Seneca
West Seneca has been trending red in national and local elections in recent years, but Republicans were not strong enough in the town to win the 142nd Assembly District Tuesday.
The town is the largest single portion of the district, which also includes parts of Orchard Park, Lackawanna and Buffalo. The district gained a few more Democratic voters with redistricting this year.
Election night takeaway: Intrigue in inaugural November school board race
Even though some voters did not know it was occurring in November, the West District school board race held its own intrigue Tuesday night. Incumbent Jennifer Mecozzi, the eventual winner, wielded a slew of advantages: name recognition, carryover funds from her last campaign, a successful fundraiser and summer backpack giveaway, and a team of 30-40 volunteers.
Even so, there was some concern after Mustafa Abdo, one of Mecozzi's two challengers, won early voting by about 80 votes. Mecozzi said earlier in the day that she and Abdo developed a strong relationship over the course of their campaigns, and she pledged to support him if he won the seat.
Five things to know about voter data from the Hochul-Zeldin race
Four years ago, incumbent Andrew Cuomo coasted to a 23-point re-election triumph over Republican Marc Molinaro in the governor's race.
This year, Gov. Kathy Hochul won re-election by 52% to 47%, or just 5 points, over Republican challenger Lee Zeldin, data from the state Board of Elections show.
