New Yorkers delivered a sharp rebuke to President Trump on Tuesday in a mini-“Blue Wave” of House races that included an Afghan war veteran’s stunning upset of incumbent GOP Congressman Dan Donovan.
It was one of three Democratic victories in the Empire State that helped the party flip the US House of Representatives — with the others coming in upstate races fueled by massive fundraising hauls.
“Everybody gets a piece of the American dream in America, rich or poor. We believed and then we won!” Democrat victor Max Rose told supporters after Donovan conceded.
He ended his remarks by urging supporters to applaud his defeated opponent, saying, “Tonight we party but tomorrow we get to work!”
Voters in the normally red 11th Congressional District — which covers Staten Island and portions of southern Brooklyn — gave Rose 53-47 percent win with more than 99 percent of precincts reporting.
Rose’s upset came despite last-minute GOP robocalls featuring Trump that aimed to bolster the incumbent, who struggled after swinging to the right to beat back a primary challenge from former Congressman-turned-convict Michael Grimm.
In another key race, Harvard-educated lawyer Antonio Delgado defeated incumbent GOP Rep. John Faso, who also had Trump’s support during the often nasty race.
Faso conceded the Hudson Valley seat to his opponent about two hours after the polls closed. With all precincts tallied, the incumbent trailed by three points, 49-46 percent.
“I am proud of the tenure that I had,” said Faso, who served only one term.
CNN and CBS News projected that Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi had defeated incumbent Rep. Claudia Tenney to take her seat representing Central New York south of Syracuse. He led the one-term incumbent by less than 1 percentage point, 49.5-49.0, with all precincts tallied.
Joining them in the winner’s circle was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The Democratic socialist easily cruised to victory in the 14th District, which covers Queens and parts of The Bronx.
Her virtually uncontested race followed a stunning upset in June of longtime Congressman Joe Crowley, the chairman of the Queens Democratic Party.
New York City’s other Democratic incumbents cruised to victory: Reps. Gregory Meeks, Nydia Velazquez, Hakeem Jeffries and Eliot Engel did not even have Republican opponents. Reps. Yvette Clarke, Jerry Nadler, Carolyn Maloney, Adriano Espaillat and Jose Serrano all easily topped their GOP rivals.
Republicans were able to find some good news out on Long Island — barely.
Longtime GOP Rep. Pete King squeaked by Liuba Grechen Shirley, a newbie pol who raised nearly $1 million in the upstart bid.
“This is a great victory for the people of Long Island,” said King, whose 2nd District includes parts of Nassau and Suffolk counties. “It’s a victory for those people who believe in supporting the police, who believed in rebuilding the military and who believe in destroying MS-13 and going after ISIS and al Qaeda.”
GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin, whose 1st District covers part of Suffolk County, had a 52-45 percent lead on Democratic Perry Gershon.
Indicted upstate GOP Congressman Chris Collins, who represents rural areas outside Buffalo, also appeared to hang on in his deep-red district despite facing charges for alleged insider stock trading.
However, Democratic challenger Nate McMurray demanded a recount after conceding when Collins’ lead fell to just one point, 48-47 percent.
“We are demanding a recount. Mr. Collins is going to need another set of lawyers,” McMurray tweeted.
Rose’s battle to represent New York’s 11th District was the only competitive congressional race this cycle in heavily Democratic New York City.
He dominated the Brooklyn portion of the district, taking an 8,000 vote victory out of Bay Ridge, Fort Hamilton, Bath Beach and nearby neighborhoods.
But the Democrat also managed to win typically GOP-friendly Staten Island, eking out a 400-vote margin in Richmond County.
“Voters are looking for non-incumbent and relatable,” said David Birdsell, the dean of the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College-CUNY. “Donovan labored under the image of the recondite, ‘safe’ officeholder, an anathema in this cycle.”
Congratulations poured in from Democrats in Washington DC, from whom Rose worked to distance himself during the race.
“I’m looking forward to working with Max to get things done and solve the problems facing our nation,” said Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman US Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM).
While registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in the district, their candidates have often struggled to close the deal — even against damaged candidates.
In 2014, then-indicted Grimm easily beat Domenic Recchia, despite Grimm’s looming trial for tax evasion.
After winning, Grimm pleaded guilty and Donovan — the Island’s then-district attorney — won the special election in 2015 to replace the felon.
However, Democrats rode Rose’s war-hero biography and fundraising prowess to break their losing streak in the district.
The Army vet raised an astonishing $1.9 million since July, according to the most recent federal campaign finance filings. That’s quadruple the $495,000 Donovan raised over the same period.
That pattern held in the upstate Democratic wins, too.
Delgado raised $4.6 million since July, far more than Faso’s $1.3 million. The story repeated itself in the Tenney-Brindisi contest, where the longtime Assemblyman raised more than $1.7 million since July, compared to Congresswoman’s $681,000.
Additional reporting by Kevin Sheehan and Shari Logan