(NewsNation) — With 50.5% of the vote, NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ has called the race for New York’s District 19 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in favor of Josh Riley. See results of U.S. House and U.S. Senate races from around the country here.
The incumbent, freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, faced a challenge from Democrat Josh Riley, whom Molinaro defeated in 2022 for the congressional seat.
The race was considered among the most competitive in the U.S. as Republicans look to hold onto a slim majority that they hold in the House.
The rematch had become contentious with both candidates using the debate platform to attack the other, including charges of lying and corruption, according to The New York Times.
Get fact-based, unbiased news coverage 24/7 with the NewsNation app. Download it here.
Molinaro was elected to Congress after serving for more than a decade as the Dutchess County Executive. He was also part of the New York Assembly representing the 103rd district after serving previously on the Dutchess County legislature.
Riley, an attorney, entered the race again hoping to flip the seat for the Democrats after Molinaro won in 2022.
Riley has also previously served as a policy analyst at the U.S. Department of Labor as well as legal counsel in the Senate. He also previously worked on the legislative staffs of Congressman Maurice Hinchey, D-New York, and U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy.
See NewsNation’s election live blog with real-time analysis from our political experts and the latest race calls nationwide powered by Decision Desk HQ. Watch live results from the presidential election, important swing states and the balance of power in Congress. NewsNation will also be tracking your local state elections and impactful ballot initiatives around the country.
During this election cycle, Molinaro sought to connect Riley to Democratic border policies and possible ties to violent crimes including a rape and murder in update New York, The New York Times reported.
Riley responded, saying that Molinaro was to blame after serving in Congress and rejecting bipartisan legislation that aimed to better secure the U.S. southern border.
Molinaro has aligned himself with former President Donald Trump during his re-election campaign. His ads have attacked Riley alleging that the Democrat provided legal work for opposition to Trump’s Muslim ban and worked on behalf of young immigrants, the New York Times report indicated.
Heading into Tuesday’s election, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. Republicans control the chamber with a narrow majority of 220 seats while the Democrats occupy 212 and three vacancies.
