New York Election night highlights
ALBANY, NY (WENY)-- Around midnight last night Kathy Hochul declared victory as the projected winner. And this afternoon, Republican challenger Lee Zeldin conceded-- congratulating her on the win.
On election night the vote returns came in hot for the governors race. Throughout the evening, Hochul led in the polls, according to the New York State Board of Elections.
When she declared victory late last night, she also emphasized that her reign as a governor would keep New Yorker's safe and protect their fundamental rights, including women's right to an abortion.
“Tonight, you put your faith in me, and I will never let you down, never let you down New York. Thank you for your love and your support. Together, we’re moving upward," she said.
Her opponent, Republican congressman Lee Zeldin did not concede last night.
“At one point yeah, the race says we were down thirty something, and then it became twenty something, and then it’s fifteen, and now it’s under ten. We have been crushing the election day vote across the entire state," he said.
A little before 2 p.m. Wednesday, Zeldin conceded--but in statement said the mission to "save our state" continues.
In addition to the governors race, Attorney General Letitia James continues to hold her lead with a few hundred election districts to be counted. And Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli also still leads in his race.
Moving forward, there are a little over 900 election districts still to be reported to the New York State Board of Elections. And once all those votes are counted, there will be a complete re canvas of all votes on Election Day, and all valid absentee, special, and provisional ballots, according to New York State Election Law.
New York State Election Law requires a re canvas before any results can be certified. In a general election, like this one, it can take up to 25 days to officially certify results.