Democrat Kathy Hochul clings on to beat Republican Lee Zeldin in New York Governor race

New York Democratic governor Kathy Hochul managed to turn back a challenge from Republican Lee Zeldin to cling to the governor’s mansion in what had become a competitive race in a Blue-leaning state.

The race tightened in the polls in recent weeks as Zeldin, a U.S. Republican House representative, hammered Hochul on crime and other issues while getting a Donald Trump endorsement and fundraising support from the former president.

NBC called the race for Hochul, and she tweeted she was ‘deeply honored’ to have been elected.  She was leading 55-45 with nearly two thirds of the vote in Tuesday night.

Zeldin refused to concede, telling supporters his position would improve as more votes come in from Long Island. 

‘What’s going to happen is in the next couple of hours you’re going to see the race get closer and closer and closer and closer,’ he told supporters on election night.

Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted she was ‘deeply honored’ to have won election. She took office upon the resignation of Andrew Cuomo

In another high-profile race, Democrat Stacey Abrams conceded to Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who bested her four years ago. 

The AP had yet to call the race. Abrams took heat during the current election for her post-election comments following her close defeat four years ago. 

Former President Donald Trump, who railed against Kemp for his oversight of the 2020 election where Biden defeated Trump, recruited former GOP Sen. David Perdue for the race, but Kemp beat him in the primary.  

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s lead over Republican Lee Zeldin narrowed in October

Hochul got a late visit by President Biden, and campaigned in Queens to help drive turnout in New York City

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has been reelected in Georgia

Stacey Abrams became a rising Democratic star even after losing to Kemp four years ago. She conceded her second bid Tuesday night, in a state that sent a pair of Democratic senators to Congress in 2020

Hochul took office after the resignation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo amid sexual harassment charges more than a year ago. She started off with a substantial lead in the heavily Democratic state, but Zeldin trimmed it to just 6 points in October, according to polling averages. 

That brought renewed Democratic attention, including a visit from President Joe Biden to tout high-tech investments in New York. Hochul was able to fall back on a financial advantage and a substantial Democratic registration edge.

In Georgia, Kemp was leading Abrams 54-46, with 86 per cent of the vote in.

The race was overshadowed nationally by the hard-fought Senate race between Sen. Raphael Warnock and Trump-backed football star Herschel Walker. Kemp notably kept his distance from Walker amid a series of scandals in that contest, which was tight in early returns. 

Abrams’ statements about her 2018 defeat got a second look in her rematch with Kemp, who had been secretary of state during their first contest. She didn’t formally concede after Kemp defeated her by about 54,000 votes and said the election had been stolen – comments that took on new freight after Trump’s claims that he ‘won’ his own election.