2012 United States House of Representatives elections in New York

The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the twenty-seven U.S. representatives from the state, one from each of the state's twenty seven congressional districts, a loss of two seats following the 2010 United States Census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election, and a U.S. Senate election.  The two existing districts that were eliminated were District 9, held by Republican Rep. Bob Turner, and District 22, held by retiring Democratic Rep. Maurice Hinchey.

Party primary elections occurred June 26, 2012, with the general election coinciding with the national elections on November 6, 2012.

On election day, the Democratic Party regained two seats previously held by Republicans, while the Republican Party regained one seat previously held by a Democrat.  In the 113th Congress, which first met on January 3, 2013, the New York delegation initially consisted of 21 Democrats and six Republicans.

Redistricting
Each caucus in the New York State Legislature submitted their proposed 27-district maps to an appointed special master on February 29, 2012.  On March 6, the special master Judge Roanne L. Mann released her own proposed map, and slightly revised them again on March 12.
On March 19, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York imposed the special master's maps, with minor modifications.

Overview

District 1

Incumbent Democrat Tim Bishop, who was first elected in 2002, kicked off his re-election campaign in April 2011.

In March 2011, Bishop was included in a list of potentially vulnerable Democrats by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, having only won by 593 votes in 2010.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Tim Bishop, incumbent U.S. Representative

Bishop also had the endorsement of the Working Families Party.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Randy Altschuler, businessman and nominee for this seat in 2010

Withdrawn
George Demos, former Securities and Exchange Commission prosecutor and candidate for this seat in 2010
Jason Sterling

Primary results

Altschuler also had the endorsement of the Conservative Party and Independence Party.

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Disqualified
Rick Witt

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

Results
On election day, Bishop prevailed by a 52.2%-47.8% margin.

District 2

Republican incumbent Peter King, who was redistricted from the 3rd district, said in May 2011 that the Nassau County Republican Party had encouraged him to run for president. King also said, however, that he was focused "entirely on getting re-elected to Congress."

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Peter King, incumbent U.S. Representative

Disqualified
Paul Mourino

King had the endorsement of the Conservative Party and Independence Party.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Vivianne Falcone, teacher

Declined
Kathleen Rice, Nassau County district attorney and candidate for Attorney General in 2010

Falcone also had the endorsement of the Working Families Party.

General election

Endorsements

Results
King won re-election by a margin of more than 15%.

District 3

Democratic incumbent Steve Israel ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Steve Israel, incumbent U.S. Representative

Israel, also has the endorsement of the Working Families Party and the Independence Party.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Stephen LaBate, U.S. Army reservist and financial planning advisor

Disqualified
Robert Previdi, teacher

Conservative Party also endorsed LaBate.

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee
Michael McDermott

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 4

Democratic incumbent Carolyn McCarthy, who had represented the 4th district since 1997, ran for another term.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Carolyn McCarthy, incumbent U.S. Representative

The Independence Party and Working Families Party endorsed McCarthy.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Fran Becker, Nassau County Legislator and nominee for this seat in 2010

Eliminated in primary
Frank Scaturro, lawyer, historian and candidate for this seat in 2010

Primary results
On June 26, 2012, Nassau County Legislator Fran Becker, defeated Frank Scaturro in a primary election for the Republican nomination, while Scaturro defeated Becker in the Conservative Party primary as a write-in candidate.

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 5

Incumbent Democrat Gregory Meeks ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Gregory Meeks, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary
Alan Jennings, former New York City Council member
Joseph Marthone, small-business owner
Michael Scala, rapper

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Alan Jennings, former New York City Council member

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee
Catherine Wark

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 6

The 6th district was an open seat, consisting mostly of territory from the former 5th and 9th districts. Neither of the two incumbents in those districts, Democrat Gary Ackerman from the 5th and Republican Bob Turner from the 9th, sought re-election. Ackerman, who represented most of the territory in the newly-drawn 6th, retired, while Turner dropped out of the race in March 2012 to run against incumbent Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand in the Senate election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Grace Meng, state assembly member

Eliminated in primary
Elizabeth Crowley, New York City Council member
Rory Lancman, state assembly member
Robert Mittman, doctor

Declined
Gary Ackerman, incumbent U.S. Representative
David Weprin, state assembly memberand nominee for the 9th district in 2011

Endorsements

Primary results

The Working Families Party endorsed Lancman.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Dan Halloran, New York City Council member

Withdrawn
Bob Turner, incumbent U.S. Representative

Green primary

Candidates

Nominee
Evergreen Chou

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 7

Incumbent Nydia Velazquez, who was redistricted from the 12th district, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary
New York City Councilman Erik Martin Dilan, the son of current New York State Senator Martin Malave Dilan, challenged Velazquez in the primary with the backing of Brooklyn Democratic Party chairman Vito Lopez; the Dilan family and Velazquez supporters having been engaged in a political feud for several years.

Candidates

Nominee
Nydia Velazquez, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary
Erik Martin Dilan, New York City Council member
George Martinez, member of the Occupy Wall Street movement
Dan O'Connor, economist

Endorsements

Primary results

Conservative primary

Candidates

Nominee
James Murray

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 8

Incumbent Democrat Edolphus Towns, who was redistricted from the 10th district and was first elected in 1982, announced in April 2012 that he would abandon his plans for re-election.

Democratic primary
Towns's son Darryl, a former member of the New York State Assembly, was formerly considered the "next in line" for the seat; however in 2011 he accepted a position in the administration of Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Candidates

Nominee
Hakeem Jeffries, state assembly member

Eliminated in primary
Charles Barron, New York City Council member and candidate for the 10th district in 2006

Declined
Letitia James, New York City Council member
Kevin Powell, activist, former star of The Real World: New York and candidate for the 10th district in 2008 & 2010
Darryl Towns, former state assembly member and son of Edolphus Towns
Edolphus Towns, incumbent U.S. Representative

Endorsements

Primary results

Green primary

Candidates

Nominee
Colin Beavan, subject of the book and film No Impact Man.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Alan Bellone

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 9
Democrat Yvette Clarke, who was redistricted from the 11th district and has represented that district since 2007, sought re-election in her new district.

Democratic primary
Sylvia Kinard, an attorney and the ex-wife of Bill Thompson (a current/former Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City), challenged Clarke.

Candidates

Nominee
Yvette Clarke, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary
Sylvia Kinard, attorney

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Daniel Cavanaugh

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 10

The new 10th district is located in New York City and includes the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the west side of Lower Manhattan, including Greenwich Village and the Financial District, and parts of Brooklyn, including Borough Park. Incumbent Democrat Jerrold Nadler, who had represented the 8th district since 1993 and the 17th district from 1992 to 1993, ran for re-election. He was re-elected in 2010 with 76% of the vote and the district had a PVI of D+24

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Jerrold Nadler, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Michael Chan, economics professor at New York University

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 11

Incumbent Republican Michael Grimm, who was redistricted from the 13th district and was first elected in 2010, sought re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Michael Grimm, incumbent U.S. Representative

Declined
Vito Fossella, former U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Mark Murphy, former aide to New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio

Withdrawn
Alex Borgognone, Restaurateur

Declined
Mike Cusick, state assembly member
Robert Diamond, investment banker 
John Gangemi, former New York City Council member
Vincent J. Gentile, New York City Council member  
Michael McMahon, former U.S. Representative 
Debi Rose, New York City Council member
Diane Savino, state senator
Stephen Yodice, telecommunications executive

Green primary

Candidates

Nominee
Henry "Hank" Bardel

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

Results
Grimm won re-election by a margin of 52.8% to 46.2%.

District 12 

Incumbent Carolyn Maloney, who was redistricted from the 14th district, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Carolyn Maloney, incumbent U.S. Representative

Declined
Reshma Saujani, lawyer, civil servant, nonprofit founder and candidate for this seat in 2010

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Christopher Wight, investor

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 13

Incumbent Democrat Charles B. Rangel, who was redistricted from the 15th district and was censured by the House of Representatives after being found guilty of ethics violations, filed to run for re-election in February 2011.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Charles B. Rangel, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary
Adriano Espaillat, state senator
Joyce Johnson, New York City government employee
Craig Schley, community activist
Clyde Williams, former adviser to Bill Clinton and former political director of the Democratic National Committee

Withdrawn
Vincent Morgan, former member of Rangel's congressional staff and candidate for this seat in 2010

Declined
Adam Clayton Powell IV, former state assembly member and candidate for this seat in 1994 & 2010
Robert J. Rodriguez, state assembly member
Keith Wright, state assembly member

Endorsements

Primary results
On the night of the June 26 primary, it seemed as though the incumbent Rangel had defeated his closest challenger, State Senator Espaillat, by a 45%-40% margin; Rangel celebrated victory and Espaillat conceded defeat. However,  as the counting continued, that margin narrowed considerably.  A number of precincts were very late in reporting and Espaillat went to  court claiming irregularities in that his supporters had been improperly turned away from polling locations.  On Saturday July 7, 2012, Rangel received the primary victory by a margin of 990 votes. The New York City Board of Elections released that Rangel received 18,940 votes and Espaillat had 17,950.  On July 9, 2012, Espaillat conceded the election to Rangel.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Craig Schley, community activist

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 14 

The redrawn 14th district runs from Newtown Creek in Sunnyside and over LaGuardia Airport and over the three Long Island Sound bridges to the Pelham, Westchester, border. Incumbent Democrat Joe Crowley, who has been redistricted from the 7th district ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Joe Crowley, incumbent U.S. Representative

Declined
Rubén Díaz Sr., state senator

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
William Gibbons

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 15 

José E. Serrano, incumbent Representative for the 16th district, ran for an 11th term.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
José E. Serrano, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Frank Della Valle

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 16

Eliot Engel, incumbent Representative for the 17th district, ran for a 12th term.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Eliot Engel, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary
Aniello Grimaldi

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Joseph McLaughlin

Declined
Mark Rosen, Army reservist and candidate for this seat in 2010

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 17

Incumbent Democrat Nita Lowey, who was redistricted from the 18th district, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Nita Lowey, incumbent U.S. Representative

Declined
Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

Republican primary
Mark Rosen who ran against in Lowey 2010, but was forced to drop out of the race after being deployed to Afghanistan, was expected to seek the Republican nomination. Rosen retired from the Army, eliminating the threat of redeployment during election cycle, but was redistricted out of the district and choose not to run against Lowey a second time.

Candidates

Nominee
Joe Carvin, Rye town supervisor, and candidate for senate in 2012

Eliminated in primary
Jim Russell, computer programmer, conservative Christian activist and nominee for this seat in 2010

Declined
Mark Rosen, Army reservist and candidate for this seat in 2010

Primary results

Independents
Frank Morganthaler, former Lieutenant of NYFD and private investigator, challenged Nita Lowey and ran on an independent line, We the People.

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 18

Republican Nan Hayworth, who was redistricted from the 19th district and has represented that district since January 2011, ran for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Nan Hayworth, incumbent U.S. Representative

Declined
Greg Ball, state senator

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Sean Patrick Maloney, lawyer and former staffer for Bill Clinton

Eliminated in primary
Matthew Alexander, Mayor of Wappingers Falls
Richard Becker, cardiologist
Duane Jackson, street vendor
Tom Wilson, Mayor of Tuxedo Park

Withdrawn
Anne Jacobs Moultrie, registered nurse and vice president of Local 1199

Declined
Sean Eldridge, LGBT activist
John Hall, former U.S. Representative
Mike Kaplowitz, member of the Westchester County Board of Legislators
Margo Miller, former chair of Democrats Abroad

Endorsements

Primary results
Maloney, won the Democratic primary with 48% of the vote on June 26, 2012.

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

Results
On election day, Maloney won by a narrow margin, becoming New York's first openly LGBQ+ Member of Congress.

District 19

Republican Chris Gibson, who was redistricted from the 20th district, has represented that district since 2011. With redistricting settled, the new 19th district went from being a Republican-leaning district to being a swing district.  
Because of the dissolution of Maurice Hinchey's district, much of that district, including all of Ulster and Sullivan counties, was dissolved into this new district.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Chris Gibson, incumbent U.S. Representative

Candidates

Nominee
Julian Schreibman, former federal prosecutor and Ulster County Democratic Party chairman

Eliminated in primary
Joel Tyner, member of the Dutchess County legislature

Declined
Mike Hein, Ulster County Executive
Maurice Hinchey, incumbent U.S. Representative

Endorsements

Primary results
Schreibman prevailed in the Democratic primary.

General election

Endorsements

Debates
Complete video of debate, October 18, 2012

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 20

Incumbent Democrat Paul Tonko ran for re-election in his heavily Democratic, mostly unchanged, district that was formerly numbered as the 21st.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Paul Tonko, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Bob Dieterich

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 21

Democratic incumbent Bill Owens (who was redistricted from the 23rd district), ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Bill Owens, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary
Matt Doheny a businessman who came within 2,000 votes of beating Owens in 2010, faced Kellie Greene, an Oswego County native and theologian who most recently lived in Arizona, in the primary.

Candidates

Nominee
Matt Doheny, businessman and nominee for this seat in 2010

Eliminated in primary
Kellie Greene, Oswego County native and theologian

Withdrawn
Tim Stampfler, corrections officer

Declined
Kelly Eustis, executive director of One Nation PAC
Jeff Stabins, eccentric politician (who until recently lived in Hernando County, Florida, before relocating to Sacketts Harbor, New York)

Primary results
Doheny defeated Greene in the Republican primary. Hassig dropped out of the race November 3, endorsing Owens, but remained on the ballot.

Doheny secured the Independence Party line and the Conservative Party lines, the latter of which he did not have in 2010.

Green primary

Candidates

Nominee
Donald Hassig, anti-cancer activist

Hassig appeared on the Green line despite the party's disavowal of him over his stance on immigration.

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 22

Republican Richard Hanna, who was redistricted from the 24th district having represented that district since 2011, ran for re-election.

Republican primary
Hanna defeated Michael Kicinski, who was backed by Carl Paladino, Doug Hoffman and other Tea Party activists, in the Republican primary.

Candidates

Nominee
Richard Hanna, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary
Michael Kicinski, Tea Party activist and electronics engineer.

Withdrawn
Tom Engel
George Phillips

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Dan Lamb, district representative for outgoing Representative Maurice Hinchey

Declined
Maurice Hinchey, incumbent U.S. Representative

General election

Endorsements

Predictions

Results

District 23

Incumbent Republican Tom Reed, who was redistricted from the 29th district, was elected to his seat in November 2010. Reed was initially noncommittal regarding re-election, stating in July 2011 that "Re-election is the farthest thing from my mind;" he officially announced for re-election on April 30, 2012.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Tom Reed, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Nate Shinagawa, Tompkins County legislator

Eliminated in primary
Leslie Danks Burke
Melissa K. Dobson

Endorsements
Matthew Zeller, an Afghanistan war veteran and former CIA officer who unsuccessfully challenged Reed in 2010, endorsed Nate Shinagawa for the seat.

Primary results
Nate Shinagawa won the Democratic Primary election over Leslie Danks Burke (also an Ithaca resident) and Melissa Dobson on June 26, 2012.

General election

Endorsements

Predictions

Results

District 24

The new 24th district included all of Cayuga, Onondaga and Wayne counties, and the western part of Oswego County. Incumbent Republican Ann Marie Buerkle, who had represented the 25th district since 2011, sought re-election in the redrawn 24th district. The district had a PVI of D+3.

Republican primary
On February 6, Robert Paul Spencer announced he would run in the Republican Primary against Buerkle, citing his opposition to Buerkle's vote in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act, which Spencer believed to be unconstitutional. However he didn't appear on the primary ballot

Candidates

Nominee
Ann Marie Buerkle, incumbent U.S. Representative

Withdrawn
Robert Spencer

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Dan Maffei, former U.S. Representative

Withdrawn
Brianne Murphy, attorney

Declined
Tom Buckel, member of the Onondaga County legislature

Green primary

Candidates

Nominee
Ursula Rozum, public-transportation advocate

General election

Endorsements

Debates
Complete video of debate, October 24, 2012
Complete video of debate, November 2, 2012

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 25

Incumbent Democrat Louise Slaughter, who was redistricted from the 28th district and has represented the Rochester metropolitan area since 1987, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Louise Slaughter, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Maggie Brooks, Monroe County Executive

Withdrawn
Andrew Decker, the sixth great-nephew of Betsy Ross

Declined
Mark Assini, Gates Supervisor
Fred Smerlas, former Buffalo Bills defensive tackle

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 26

Incumbent Democrat Brian Higgins, who was redistricted from the 27th district, sought re-election.

Democratic primary
Although his district was expected to become more friendly to Democrats in redistricting, the defeat of Higgins' protege, Chris Fahey, to Republican-backed Democrat Michael P. Kearns in a New York State Assembly race led to the perception that Higgins may have been more vulnerable than previously believed.

Candidates

Nominee
Brian Higgins, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Michael Madigan, businessman

Declined
Carl Paladino, developer, political activist and nominee for Governor in 2010
Thurman Thomas, former Buffalo Bills running back

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 27

Incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul, who was redistricted from the 26th district seat that she won in a June 2011 special election, sought election to her first full term.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Kathy Hochul, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Chris Collins, former Erie County Executive

Eliminated in primary
David Bellavia, author, Iraq war soldier and candidate for this seat in 2011

Declined
Patrick Gallivan, state senator and former Erie County sheriff
Brian Kolb state assembly Minority Leader
Dennis Vacco, former New York Attorney General 
Barry Weinstein, town supervisor of Amherst

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Debates
Complete video of debate, October 24, 2012

Polling

Predictions

Results

See also
 New York state elections, 2012
 United States Senate election in New York, 2012

References

External links
New York State Board of Elections
United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 2012 at Ballotpedia
New York U.S. House at OurCampaigns.com
Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in New York at OpenSecrets
Outside spending at the Sunlight Foundation

United States House of Representatives
New York
2012