The Winner

Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) won a 10th term in New York’s 20th Congressional District on Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Republican Ralph Ambrosio 63.6% to 36.3%. With about 96% of votes counted, Tonko led 182,169 to 104,028, a margin of 78,141 votes, according to Associated Press election results. The AP called the race at 10:40 p.m. Eastern Time on election night. ​

Tonko returns to a House where his party now holds the majority after Democrats won control of the chamber. He is the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Environment Subcommittee and also serves on the Budget Committee.

The Race

Tonko’s 27-point margin was wider than in 2024, when he beat Republican Kevin Waltz 61.1% to 38.8%. Both nominees ran on two ballot lines this year, Tonko as the Democratic and Working Families Party candidate and Ambrosio as the Republican and Conservative Party candidate. All four parties’ Tuesday, June 23 primaries were canceled because no one challenged the nominees, according to Ballotpedia’s race overview. Ambrosio, an attorney and former state trooper, lost the 2024 race for Albany County district attorney.

Before the election, Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the race Solid Democratic, and Sabato’s Crystal Ballrated it Safe Democratic.

The Capital Region district takes in communities in Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Montgomery counties, according to Tonko’s congressional office. It is home to about 782,700 people, with a median household income of about $86,500. About 42.9% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and about 11.9% of residents live below the poverty line. The population is about 73.8% white, 9.0% Black, 7.4% Hispanic and 5.5% Asian.

What’s Next

Tonko’s new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3. Before the election, he told WAMC that affordability and corruption were the defining issues of the campaign. He said he wants tariffs used strategically rather than broadly, and he proposed congressional hearings into alleged conflicts of interest, which the new Democratic majority will have the power to hold.

---

AllCiv makes it easy to stay politically informed and involved.

---

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article