As the midterm elections quickly approach, the nation has had their eyes peeled on critical races in sharply divided states. New York is one of those states. According to the New York Times, Democrats must flip at least 23 Republican-held seats to retake the House in November. Currently, there are 73 highly competitive seats, two of which are in districts 19 and 22 where John Faso and Claudia Tenney are incumbents, respectively. In the 27th district, what was supposed to be a cakewalk for incumbent Chris Collins, has become quite the struggle since he was accused of insider trading. Collins’ popularity received a significant obstacle, but as a recent poll conducted by the New York Times has shown, he still has an advantage for the upcoming midterm election. Chris Collins is at a surprising 44 percent, while Democratic opponent, Nate McMurray lags behind at 40 percent, with 13 percent undecided.
In the NY-19 district, Democratic candidate Antonio Delgado was reported to lead incumbent John Faso by a slight 5-point lead, according to a poll conducted by Monmouth University. The latest poll stretches from the Capital Region into the Hudson Valley, with Delgado at 49 percent and Faso at 44. In September, Delgado led Faso by 3 points, according to an earlier poll done by Monmouth University. “Faso has never trailed in a poll conducted by the Siena Research Institute, which gave him a 1-point margin earlier this month,” commented the Times Union. GOP ads have focused on Delgado’s past as a hip-hop artist, in a desperate effort to display him as a candidate “out of touch” with the district he is running for. As the polls have shown, this has not had much of an effect on Delgado’s numbers.
In an even tighter race, Utica Democrat, Anthony Brindisi, struggles to gain a significant lead over incumbent Claudia Tenney in New York’s 22nd congressional district. According to Siena College polls, Brindisi only has a 46 percent edge over Tenney’s 45 percent. In more recent polls, voters in the district approve of President Donald Trump and his performance as chief executive but view Tenney in a negative light. This negative response has most likely to do with Tenney’s past, controversial statements that have caused media outrage throughout the nation.
Delgado and Brindisi have campaigned heavily to win over these incumbents, but the results of their efforts are yet to be seen and will not be seen until after the critical midterm election on Nov. 6. Intense efforts have been made on both partisan sides to get their respective political parties elected. With a tense past couple of years since the presidential election, this midterm election season is critical in determining the political environment in both the House and within the electorate. As the nation awaits the results of the midterm elections, both Democrats and Republicans are making heavy attempts to ensure their selected candidates take home the seats next week.