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 27 U.S. representatives from the state, one from each of the state's 27 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 on 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.

District 1
Incumbent Democrat Tim Bishop], who had represented the district since 2002, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 50.2% of the vote in 20. The district had a PVI of Even.

Democratic primary
Bishop 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.

Nominee

 * Tim Bishop, incumbent U.S. Representative

Bishop also had the endorsement of the Working Families Party.

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Withdrawn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.

Disqualified

 * Rick Witt

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."

Nominee

 * Peter King, incumbent U.S. Representative

Disqualified

 * Paul Mourino

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

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.

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

District 3
Democratic incumbent Steve Israel ran for re-election.

Nominee

 * Steve Israel, incumbent U.S. Representative

Israel also had the endorsement of the Working Families Party and the Independence Party.

Nominee

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

Disqualified

 * Robert Previdi, teacher

Conservative Party also endorsed LaBate.

Nominee

 * Michael McDermott

District 4
Incumbent Democrat Carolyn McCarthy, who had represented the district since 1997, ran for re-election. She was re-elected with 53.7% of the vote in 2010. The district had a PVI of D+4.

Nominee

 * Carolyn McCarthy, incumbent U.S. Representative

The Independence Party and Working Families Party endorsed McCarthy.

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.

District 5
Incumbent Democrat Gregory Meeks, who had represented the district since 1998, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 87.8% of the vote in 2010. The district had a PVI of D+33.

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

Nominee

 * Alan Jennings, former New York City Council member

Nominee

 * Catherine Wark

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 retired, while Turner, who represented 51% the voters of the new seat, dropped out of the race in March 2012 to run against incumbent Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand in the Senate election.

Nominee

 * Dan Halloran, New York City Council member

Withdrawn

 * Bob Turner, incumbent U.S. Representative

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 member and nominee for this seat in 2011

Primary results
The Working Families Party endorsed Lancman.

Nominee

 * Evergreen Chou

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 chair Vito Lopez; the Dilan family and Velazquez supporters had been engaged in a political feud for several years.

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

Nominee

 * James Murray

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.

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

Nominee

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

Nominee

 * Alan Bellone

District 9
Democrat Yvette Clarke, who was redistricted from the 11th district and had 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.

Nominee

 * Yvette Clarke, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Sylvia Kinard, attorney

Nominee

 * Daniel Cavanaugh

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

Nominee

 * Jerrold Nadler, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Michael Chan, economics professor at New York University

District 11
Incumbent Republican Michael Grimm, who was redistricted from the 13th district and was first elected in 2010, sought re-election.

Nominee

 * Michael Grimm, incumbent U.S. Representative

Declined

 * Vito Fossella, former U.S. Representative

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

Nominee

 * Henry "Hank" Bardel

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.

Nominee

 * Carolyn Maloney, incumbent U.S. Representative

Declined

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

Nominee

 * Christopher Wight, investor

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.

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

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.

Nominee

 * Craig Schley, community activist

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 had been redistricted from the 7th district, ran for re-election.

Nominee

 * Joe Crowley, incumbent U.S. Representative

Declined

 * Rubén Díaz Sr., state senator

Nominee

 * William Gibbons

District 15
José E. Serrano, incumbent representative for the 16th district, ran for an 11th term.

Nominee

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

Nominee

 * Frank Della Valle

District 16
Eliot Engel, incumbent representative for the 17th district, ran for a 12th term.

Nominee

 * Eliot Engel, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Aniello Grimaldi

Nominee

 * Joseph McLaughlin

Declined

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

District 17
Incumbent Democrat Nita Lowey, who was redistricted from the 18th district, ran for re-election.

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.

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

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

District 18
Republican Nan Hayworth, who was redistricted from the 19th district and had represented that district since January 2011, ran for re-election.

Nominee

 * Nan Hayworth, incumbent U.S. Representative

Declined

 * Greg Ball, state senator

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

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

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

District 19
Incumbent Republican Chris Gibson, who was redistricted from the 20th district, had represented that district since 2011, ran for re-election. He was elected with 53.19% of the vote in 2010. The district had a PVI of Even.

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.

Nominee

 * Chris Gibson, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Julian Schreibman, former federal prosecutor and Ulster County Democratic Party chair

Eliminated in primary

 * Joel Tyner, member of the Dutchess County legislature

Declined

 * Mike Hein, Ulster County executive
 * Maurice Hinchey, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results
Schreibman prevailed in the Democratic primary.

District 20
Incumbent Democrat Paul Tonko ran for re-election in his heavily Democratic, mostly unchanged, district that was formerly numbered as the 21st.

Nominee

 * Paul Tonko, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Bob Dieterich

District 21
Incumbent Democrat Bill Owens, who had represented the district since 2009, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 47.5% of the vote in 2010. The district had a PVI of R+2.

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.

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 on 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.

Nominee

 * Donald Hassig, anti-cancer activist

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

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.

Nominee

 * Richard Hanna, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Michael Kicinski, Tea Party activist and electronics engineer

Withdrawn

 * Tom Engel
 * George Phillips

Nominee

 * Dan Lamb, district representative for outgoing representative Maurice Hinchey

Declined

 * Maurice Hinchey, incumbent U.S. Representative

District 23
Incumbent Republican Tom Reed, who was redistricted from the 29th district having represented that district since 2010, ran for re-election. He was elected with 56.3% of the vote in 2010. The district had a PVI of R+3.

Republican primary
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.

Nominee

 * Tom Reed, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Nate Shinagawa, Tompkins County legislator

Eliminated in primary

 * Leslie Danks Burke, attorney
 * Melissa K. Dobson, corporate lawyer

Declined

 * Matthew Zeller, former CIA analyst, Afghanistan war veteran and nominee for this seat in 2010 (endorsed Shinagawa)

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

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 did not appear on the primary ballot.

Nominee

 * Ann Marie Buerkle, incumbent U.S. Representative

Withdrawn

 * Robert Spencer

Nominee

 * Dan Maffei, former U.S. Representative

Withdrawn

 * Brianne Murphy, attorney

Declined

 * Tom Buckel, member of the Onondaga County legislature

Nominee

 * Ursula Rozum, public-transportation advocate

District 25
Incumbent Democrat Louise Slaughter, who was redistricted from the 28th district and had represented the Rochester metropolitan area since 1987, ran for re-election.

Nominee

 * Louise Slaughter, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Maggie Brooks, Monroe County Executive

Withdrawn

 * Andrew Decker

Declined

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

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 might have been more vulnerable than previously believed.

Nominee

 * Brian Higgins, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Michael Madigan, businessman

Declined

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

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.

Nominee

 * Kathy Hochul, incumbent U.S. Representative

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