Kamala Harris' election night setback appears to have impacted her even in strongly Democratic areas, like New York City. Harris won only 67.8 percent of the vote across NYC's five boroughs. While this may look strong, it's actually the lowest percentage for a Democrat since 1988.
In comparison, Joe Biden won the city with 76 percent in 2020, and Hillary Clinton—who represented New York in the Senate—won 79 percent in 2016. Harris' disappointing performance in NYC is not only a setback for her but also marks the lowest for a Democrat since Michael Dukakis, who won 66.17 percent of the vote compared to George H.W. Bush's 32.82 percent.
Harris Disappoints in NYC
Meanwhile, Donald Trump saw his share of the vote grow from 18 percent in 2016 to a peak of 30 percent in 2024. Harris is leading in the state by only 12 points, compared to Biden's 23-point lead. Although Democrats mocked Trump for hosting a rally at Madison Square Garden just nine days before the election, the approach seems to have worked in Republicans' favor.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is leading by only 17 points with 92 percent of the vote counted, far below her 24-point victory margin in 2018.
All five NYC boroughs show a decline from 2020 numbers, particularly in Queens. Harris is receiving just 62 percent of the vote in Queens, one of the country's most diverse areas, compared to Biden's 72 percent in 2020.
Similar dips are seen in the Bronx (73 percent for Harris versus 83 percent for Biden), Brooklyn (72 percent versus 76 percent), and Manhattan (82 percent versus 86 percent).
In Staten Island, NYC's Republican-leaning borough, Harris holds just 35 percent of the vote, while Biden had reached 41 percent.
This trend appears to have impacted nearby, solidly blue New Jersey as well. Biden won New Jersey by 16 points in 2020, and no Republican has carried the state since 1988. Democrat Andy Kim, however, has secured Bob Menendez's Senate seat by an eight-point margin.
Deep Blue Impact Fading in NYC
With 89 percent of the votes counted, Harris holds just a four-point lead in New York, which is only slightly larger than Governor Phil Murphy's narrow re-election margin in 2021. Though the composition of New Jersey's House delegation seems set to remain steady at eight Democrats and three Republicans, swing-district candidate Sue Altman was decisively defeated by Republican Tom Kean Jr.
In the Garden State's 9th District, neighboring New York City, Nellie Pou leads with just 51 percent of the vote, with 86 percent counted, against Republican Billy Prempeh. Pou, who replaced the late Bill Pascrell—a long-time representative who won re-election bids with no less than 55% of the vote and often by 60-70 percent —is facing an unusually close race.
In Passaic County, Trump has taken the lead. Traditionally a Democratic stronghold, Passaic is now just 38 percent white according to the 2020 Census, with a 42 percent Hispanic/Latino population.
The Association of Religion Data Archives also reports that Islam is the second-largest religion in the county, with over 60,000 members.
Prempeh notably secured an endorsement from CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, making him the only Republican in the state to receive the pro-Palestine group's endorsement due to his stance in favor of a Gaza ceasefire and a proposed arms embargo on Israel.
