Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney Declared Winner in 18th Congressional District Race
Nearly three weeks after Election Day, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney has officially secured his victory to continue serving the 18th Congressional District for a fifth term.
The Associated Press on Thursday called the race, with Maloney defeating Republican challenger Chele Farley 143,488-131,095. With the race too tight to call on Election Day, the Associated Press declared Maloney the winner after analysis of absentee ballots determined Farley couldn’t overcome Maloney’s lead.
Despite the race officially confirmed, Maloney had already claimed victory on Nov. 3 with a roughly 7,000 vote lead prior to absentee ballot consideration.
“The Hudson valley has once again spoken: We have won this race and been granted the opportunity to keep serving New York for the next two years,” Maloney said in a statement on Election night. “It is time to put partisan politics aside because there is so much work to do.”
Maloney, a Cold Springs resident, was first elected to Congress in 2002.
Farley, a Tuxedo resident who had an impressive showing two years after losing to Kirsten Gillbrand in a bid for U.S. Senate, had held out hope the thousands of absentee ballots would lead her to victory. Despite her loss, Farley said she will continue to fight for people across the Hudson Valley and hinted at another run.
“This has been an incredible journey and I will forever be grateful for the confidence and trust placed in me to be the NY18 GOP and Conservative nominee,” Farley said in a Facebook post. “Many have called on me to run again in 2022 and I am seriously considering it, but at the moment I need time to reflect with my family before making any final decisions.”
The 18th Congressional District includes portions of Northern Westchester and Dutchess counties, and all of Putnam and Orange counties.
