- Four-term Rep. Sean Maloney will face Chele Farley in New York’s 18th Congressional District.
- The district is located in southeastern New York and is home to all of Orange and Putnam counties, as well as portions of Westchester and Dutchess counties.
- In 2018, Farley ran for the US Senate against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — but lost by 34 percentage points.
- Polls in the district began closing at 9 p.m. local time.
- The race will be called as soon as there are sufficient data to make a conclusion.
- See the live coverage and full results from all US House elections.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Four-term Democratic Rep. Sean Maloney looks to defend his seat against Republican challenger Chele Farley in New York’s 18th Congressional District.
The candidates
Maloney, now seeking a fifth term in Congress, was an attorney, businessman, and former political staffer before entering electoral politics himself. He served as a senior advisor and White House staff secretary under President Bill Clinton, and in 2007, he became a top advisor for Gov. David Paterson.
Maloney, who was first elected to the district in 2012, is the first openly gay member of Congress from New York and the second to marry their same-sex partner while in office.
He currently sits on the House Agriculture Committee, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and is the co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus. In Congress, he’s focused his legislative efforts on protecting the environment and clean water in New York, and bolstering national security.
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In 2018, Maloney ran in the crowded Democratic primary for attorney general of New York, but ultimately lost to current AG Letitia James. After being re-elected to his US House seat that year, he ran to serve as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee but lost to Rep. Cheri Bustos.
Farley, Maloney’s Republican challenger, is an investment banker and GOP fundraiser. Her campaign platform is centered around strengthening US borders, lowering prescription drug prices, and changing the “toxic” culture in Washington, DC.
In 2018, Farley ran against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for a seat in the US Senate but lost by a margin of 34 percentage points.
The district
New York’s 18th Congressional District is located in the southeastern region of the state. It includes all of Orange and Putnam counties as well as portions of Westchester and Dutchess counties. The district is also home to the cities of Newburgh, Beacon, and Poughkeepsie.
This district flipped from voting for former President Barack Obama by a margin of 4.3 points in the 2012 election to voting for President Donald Trump over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in a 49-47% point split of the vote in the 2016 election, according to Daily Kos.
The money race
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Maloney has raised about $2.4 million for his campaign, spent $1.4 million, and has a little over $1 million in cash on hand while Farley has raised about $1.1 million, spent around $900,000, and has about $237,000 in cash on hand.
What some of the experts say
The race between Maloney and Farley is rated as “safe Democratic” by Inside Elections and the Cook Political Report and “likely Democratic” by Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
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