Republican New York state Assemblyman Andrew Garbarino won the election to replace retiring Rep. Peter King (R-NY) in New York’s 2nd Congressional District, the Associated Press reports.
Garbarino defeated Democrat challenger Jackie Gordon, who worked as a school guidance counselor and is a retired U.S. Army Reserve officer, in the House race for New York’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers Suffolk and Nassau counties on Long Island, Fox 5 New York reported.
Garbarino won 53 percent of the vote, while Gordon won 46 percent of the vote. The difference in vote totals was just under seven percentage points.
The election results were not confirmed until Friday, more than a month after Election Day, because Suffolk County did not release enough vote totals to the public, NBC 4 New York reported.
King decided not to seek reelection after serving 14 terms in the House. He campaigned hard for the 36-year-old Garbarino, who appealed to white, blue-collar suburban voters who have voted for Democrats.
Although Democrats slightly outnumber Republicans in the district, the House seat was considered safe for the GOP because of King’s bipartisan appeal.
Once King decided not to run, the seat was considered a toss-up, prompting heavy spending from both sides of the aisle.