Election 2024: Trump defeats Harris; LaLota, Palumbo, Giglio, Walter projected winners in area races

Former President Donald Trump has defeated Vice-President Kamala Harris and will return for a second term in the White House in January, the Associated Press confirmed early Wednesday morning.

Here’s a look at some initial, unofficial results from key regional elections.

U.S. Congress District 1

In a closely watched race for the U.S. House of Representatives, incumbent Republican Rep. Nick LaLota is projected to defeat Democratic challenger and former CNN commentator John Avlon by a margin of 55% to 45%.

“I’m fired up to go back to Washington and take another oath to fight for you,” Mr. LaLota said in his victory speech. “I also want to say thank you to the people who didn’t vote for me: you’re not garbage, you’re not unAmerican, I will continue to promise to serve you, regardless of your political belief, regardless of your support in me.” 

Mr. LaLota is currently serving his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives for New York’s 1st Congressional District and will return to his seat for a second term. He was previously appointed and later twice elected to the Amityville Board of Trustees and is a former chief of staff for the Suffolk County Legislature and commissioner of the Suffolk County Board of Elections. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he rose to the rank of lieutenant while serving in the military.

Mr. LaLota has said that his main priorities for a second term in Congress are to “secure the border, tackle inflation and always put Long Island first.”

New York State Senate, District 1

Incumbent Anthony Palumbo is projected to prevail over Democratic challenger Sarah Anker by a margin of 52% to 48%, in the race for District 1 New York State Senator. If the initial results hold, the Republican and Conservative incumbent candidate has secured his third term in office. 

“This is a team win,” Mr. Palumbo said, acknowledging all individuals and groups who helped in his campaign during his speech. “This was many, many months in the making.” 

Before his election to the state senate in 2020, Mr. Palumbo had served in the state Assembly since 2013. A practicing lawyer, he previously worked as an assistant Suffolk County district attorney before starting a private practice on the North Fork and later joining the Legislature. This is his seventh run for political office.

Mr. Palumbo said affordable housing, public safety and protecting the environment are his key priorities for District 1. He supports the need for improved resiliency measures and the importance of local government control, particularly in matters of housing and community development. He previously noted his bipartisan efforts on several key issues and the importance of balancing the need for new development with open space preservation. He also stressed the need for stronger laws to combat the fentanyl epidemic, including supporting Chelsea’s Law which allows law enforcement officials to charge drug dealers linked to fatal overdoses with manslaughter.

New York State Assembly, District 2

As expected, Republican Jodi Giglio has won a third term in the New York State Assembly representing District 2, following more than a decade as a member of the Riverhead Town Board. Her opponent, Tricia Chiaramonte of Manorville was listed as Ms. Giglio’s Democratic challenger, though the Suffolk County Democratic Committee confirmed that Ms. Chiaramonte did not run an active campaign. 

“You always go in like you’re the underdog,” Ms. Giglio said upon hearing the preliminary results Tuesday night. “My best way of knowing that I have a chance at re-election is by best representing the people.”

Ms. Giglio, who lives in Baiting Hollow, currently serves on the Assembly’s governmental employees, labor, transportation and people with disabilities committees, as well as the Joint Legislative Women’s Caucus.

In a recent interview with the News-Review editorial board, Ms. Giglio said she will prioritize reducing costs for taxpayers, eliminating wasteful state spending, advocating for educational funding and farmland preservation and combating public consumption of recreational marijuana.  

“In Riverhead, and in this area, people are very active; they’re boisterous and they want their voices heard,” Ms. Giglio said. “I believe in local control, stopping the unfunded [New York State] mandates and pushing it down to the local governments because we have different scenarios here than they do in New York City.”

Riverhead Town Justice

Republican Sean Walter of Wading River defeated his Democratic opponent William Condon of Aquebogue by a margin of 59% to 41%, securing another term as Riverhead Town Justice.

Mr. Walter is a former Riverhead Town Supervisor who was elected judge following the death of longtime Town Justice Allen Smith in 2020. He also served as a deputy Riverhead Town attorney for five years, and has maintained a private law practice for nearly two decades. Before becoming an attorney, he worked as an environmental manager for the 106th Rescue Wing of the New York Air National Guard in Westhampton Beach and as a groundwater tester at the Brookhaven Town landfill. He has a law degree from St. John’s Law School and a bachelor’s degree from SUNY/Binghamton.

U.S. Senate

In the race for U.S. Senate, incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand is projected to easily defeat Republican challenger Mike Sapraicone, a retired NYPD detective and first-time candidate for elected office.

Ms. Gillibrand was selected to the Senate by former governor David Patterson in 2009 after then-Sen. Hilary Clinton was appointed to serve as U.S. Secretary of State. She won a special election to retain the seat in 2010 and was reelected to full terms in 2012 and 2018. Prior to becoming a U.S. Senator, she worked as an attorney, law clerk, campaign staffer and special counsel to the secretary of Housing and Urban Development. She also represented New York’s 20th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for one term. In the Senate, she is chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities and serves on the Select Committee on Intelligence, and the agriculture and aging committees. 

Ballot propositions

There were two propositions on local ballots this November, one statewide and the other county-specific. 

Proposition 1, which deals with updating the language in the Equal Rights Amendment of the New York State Constitution to expand the number of  protected classes, is projected to be approved by state-wide voters by a margin of 54% to 46%. 

The original amendment stated: “No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws of this state or any subdivision thereof. No person shall, because of race, color, creed or religion, be subjected to any discrimination in his or her civil rights by any other person or by any firm, corporation, or institution, or by the state or any agency or subdivision of the state.” 

The updated law adds the following protected classes to the amendment: ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sex — including sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression— pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health care and autonomy.

Advocates say the changes will ensure that individuals in these classes, including transgender people and people who have had abortions, cannot be discriminated against. It also seeks to ensure that the rights of one protected class do not take precedence over the rights of any other. 

Proposition 2 seeks to extend and revise the drinking water protection program by creating a new water quality restoration fund supported by adding a 1/8% sales tax to all purchases, with revenue to be used for clean water projects, was also approved by a margin of nearly 3-to-1. Advocates say a “yes” vote ensures Suffolk County funding through 2060 for clean water initiatives to protect drinking water, improve sewage treatment capabilities and support water quality in all bays, harbors and waterways. Approving this county-level funding also opens potential funding streams at the state and federal level.

Election Day in Riverhead

Here on the East End, early voting opportunities seem to have paid off. Across the North Fork on Tuesday afternoon at lunchtime, there were no lines at any one of eight polling stations from Riverhead to Greenport visited by the News-Review. Early voting in this week’s elections seems to have paid off. Across the North Fork on Tuesday afternoon at lunchtime, there were no lines at any one of eight polling stations from Riverhead to Greenport visited by The Suffolk Times.

At Mattituck High School, greeter Chris Tuttle and voter John French said there had been only a trickle of voters all morning at the site.

“No lines, all day, from seven this morning,” Mr. French said.

Christine Kosmynka of Cutchogue and Neal Hooper got in and out of the Cutchogue Elementary school gym/polling place quickly.

“I’m a newbie to the area. I live in Peconic, and I was surprised that the lines were so short. I guess the early voting and absentee voting helped out shortening the lines.”

Ms. Kosmynka said that she’s rarely if ever waited on a line to vote.

“I’ve lived here 34 years, and every time I voted here, you walk in and you walk out,” she said. “That’s the beauty of living in the country.”

Staff reporters Ana Borruto, Chris Francescani and Brendan O’Connor contributed to this article.